Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and “Viewpoint” host Eliot Spitzer react to the Senate’s failure to ratify a United Nations treaty based on the Americans with Disabilities Act. The presence of former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., in the chamber failed to deter 38 Republicans from blocking the treaty with a “no” vote.
“I was absolutely astonished and shocked and surprised [at the defeat of the treaty], especially given the presence of Sen. Dole,” Blumenthal says. “[He was] present physically there, even in a somewhat weakened state, but a reminder of … the roots of the Republican Party and the bipartisanship that should surround this issue, so it was a very poignant and truly sad moment.”
“There were all kinds of very, very unfounded charges made about this law,” Blumenthal says. “It does not in any way enhance or extend United States law. What it does is extend it to other countries, extend those standards that enable people to enjoy, in other countries, the same law and legal protections, access, fair and just treatment that they are afforded here.”
