Maryland Gov. Ehrlich Selects Blind Running Mate

NewsMax ^ | June 29, 2006 | Carl Limbacher

[Kaslin]

Gov. Robert Ehrlich announced Thursday that Kristen Cox, the state disabilities secretary, will be his new lieutenant governor running mate.

Cox said she agreed to join the ticket in part because the governor has stepped up for people with disabilities who, she said, "tend to be marginalized, overlooked, diminished."

Cox praised Gov. Ehrlich for making Maryland the first state in the nation to have a cabinet-level Department of Disabilities. The state's department was created under Ehrlich in 2004.

Before she joined the Ehrlich administration, she worked for the U.S. Department of Education and the National Federation of the Blind. She is legally blind.

She will replace Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele on the ticket; Steele is running for the U.S. Senate.

[Nonstatist]

LOL... Ehrlich is amazing.

[NotSoFreeStater]

Don't know much about her. Ehrlich always had my vote.

[RexBeach]

Ok. How blind is she?

[samadams2000]

arggg. What they couldnt find a deaf,one legged, black, indian, transexual for the honor?

[dmz]

arggg. What they couldnt find a deaf,one legged, black, indian, transexual for the honor?
_______________

So tell me, Sam, exactly what do you know about Kristen Cox besides the fact that she's a Republican from MD, and is legally blind.

Nothing, you say? But you still feel the need to comment as you do.

Your namesake would not be impressed.

[Post-Neolithic]

In a way he does have a point. When a white male is running for the Governor's office in MD a minority is always chosen as the running mate. Which does make you wonder if in fact the best candidate is really choosen to fit that spot.

And since it's the LT. Governor's job to take over in case the Governor cannot govern, why was a legally blind woman choosen for that spot? If she had to take over she would have to rely almost entirely on those around her, not a good thing for the citizens of Maryland.

[Sonny M]

If she had to take over she would have to rely almost entirely on those around her, not a good thing for the citizens of Maryland.

Depends on how independent she is.

I have a tenant who is blind, and from what I can tell, doesn't ask for nor need help and is doing totally fine.

However, from what little I have read about her, she doesn't seem to be that conservative, and a bit of the populist government side, which is a bit of a negative.

[quikdrw]

I just read about her in the Baltimore Examiner. She does a little peripheral vision in her left eye. She wasn't born blind, though.

Here is the link to the story:

http://www.examiner.com/a-163311~Kristen_Cox__Gov__Ehrlich_s_top_pick.html

[Tolik]

http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/mdmanual/12dod/html/msa14296.html

DEPARTMENT OF DISABILITIES

SECRETARY

---

KRISTEN COX, Secretary of Disabilities

 

Office of Secretary
Dept. of Disabilities, 217 East Redwood St., Suite 1300, Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 767-3661
e-mail: mdod@gov.state.md.us
fax: (410) 333-6674
tdd: (410) 333-3098
web: www.mdod.maryland.gov
www.mdtap.org (Technology Assistance Program)

 

---

Secretary of Disabilities since July 1, 2004. Director, Office for Individuals with Disabilities, 2003-04.

Member, Governor's Executive Council, 2004-; Children's Cabinet, 2005-; Interagency Committee on Aging Services, 2004-; Maryland Building Rehabilitation Code Advisory Council, 2004-; Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council, 2004-; Task Force on Parking for Individuals with Disabilities, 2004; Procurement Preferences Task Force, 2004; CommunityChoice Advisory Group, 2005-. Chair, Interagency Disabilities Board, 2004-. Chair, Advisory Committee, Technology Assistance Program, 2004-. Member, Subcabinet for Children, Youth, and Families, 2004-05. Co-Chair, Community College Students with Disabilities Task Force, 2005. Member, Task Force to Study Visual Smoke and Evacuation Alarms for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 2005-; Task Force on Assistance to Disabled Veterans Establishing Small Businesses, 2005; Advisory Council for Children, 2005-.

Special Assistant to Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Dept. of Education, 2001-03. Member, Council on Parental Relinquishment of Custody to Obtain Health Care Services, 2003. Chair, Affordable and Accessible Housing for Individuals with Disabilities Subcommittee, Governor's Commission on Housing Policy, 2003-04. Co-Chair, Interagency Transition Council for Youth with Disabilities, 2003-.

Born in Bellevue, Washington. Brigham Young University, B.A. (educational psychology; certificate in special education), 1995. Assistant Director of Governmental Affairs, National Federation of the Blind, 1998-2001.

---

http://www.examiner.com/a-134098~An_inside_look_at_Kristen_Cox___Ehrlich_s_advocate_for_the_disabled.html

An inside look at Kristen Cox — Ehrlich’s advocate for the disabled

PDF | Email
Len Lazarick, The Examiner
Jun 13, 2006 7:00 AM (16 days ago)Annapolis - Kristen Cox greets a visitor with a firm handshake and a strong gaze, and only the long, thin cane hints at the fact that she is almost totally blind.

“It’s an inconvenience that you work around,” Cox told The Examiner.

Her blindness “started when I was about 11,” growing up in Utah, due to a rare recessive trait, said Cox, who is now 36.

“I had to memorize everything” when she went through Brigham Young University, Cox said, because she didn’t know Braille. “If you’re born blind you tend to get those skills early on.” Despite her disability, she served a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil.

She finally learned Braille because “I wanted to read to my son,” she said.

She got to know Robert Ehrlich when he was a congressman and she was a lobbyist for the National Federation of the Blind, based in Baltimore. “Even then, he was a real champion for disabilities.”

Ehrlich named Cox to head the Governor’s Office on Disabilities and then created a Cabinet-level department for disabilities, which the administration says is the first in the U.S.

The department is small — about 25 people — and helps coordinate and evaluate the programs throughout the rest of the government. “We spend about $4 billion on people with disabilities” in Maryland, Cox said. “We can be very objective about services. … We don’t have anything to lose.”

Being an advocate for the people with disabilities comes naturally to Cox: “If you have a disability, you’re always an advocate for yourself,” she said.

llazarick@baltimoreexaminer.com

Examiner

 

 

[Tolik]

While the lieutenant-governor may take over the job of governor during the term in office, otherwise it is a more ceremonial job; and looks like in Maryland lieutenant-governor is not getting elected as governor (contrasting with many more vice-Presidents successfully elected to be Presidents).

It's hard to say about her politics, from the first look now she is unquestionably articulate and intelligent.

[RexBeach]

Thanks for the article. She seems like a remarkable person.

[RedStateRocker]

No way she could ever be as blind as a Democrat

[drb9]

"she would have to rely almost entirely on those around her, not a good thing for the citizens of Maryland."

Really? She's not blind, deaf, and stupid. Just blind. Maybe I wouldn't want her flying airplanes and firing at terrorists, but do you really think the chief executive of a state needs sight to govern effectively. It's Maryland. All you have to do is ask a staffer to point out where to veto a bill, and then sit back and wait for the Demoncrats in the legislature to override you. Not that hard.

[ThisLittleLightofMine]

How many blind people have you been acquainted with? They are anything but helpless. They are in fact amazing!

[dmz]

If she had to take over she would have to rely almost entirely on those around her,
___________

What do you think being a leader entails? Doing it all yourself? Being a manager means getting work done through others.

You don't really think GW does it all himself, do ya?

[The Iceman Cometh]

Legally blind,ok....

The problem is those politicians who choose to be blind(i.e. war on terror, illegal immigration, etc.).

[Post-Neolithic]

I happen to like Ehrlich, but I think he fell prey to Political Correctness and picked someone who was not really qualified for the job. Yes blind people get by just fine everyday, but taking care of yourself while blind is a whole lot easier then taking care of a whole state.

[quikdrw]

>>> No way she could ever be as blind as a Democrat

Democrats are "logically" blind.

[rabidralph]

What crushing responsibilites does a Lt. Governor have?

[gridlock]

I think his screename must be a reference to the beer he's drinking!

[alarm rider]

Discussed also here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1657329/posts?q=1&&page=1

[Post-Neolithic]

None, unless the Governor isn't physically capable of governing. Think Vice President for a simular analogy.

[Anne of DC]

In post #7 you wrote the following:

"And since it's the LT. Governor's job to take over in case the Governor cannot govern, why was a legally blind woman choosen for that spot? If she had to take over she would have to rely almost entirely on those around her, not a good thing for the citizens of Maryland."

I will have to disagree some with that statement because it depends on how severe her blindness is; Is she partially blind or does she have some vision?

I am partially blind, yet, with even this disability I am able to function just as well as anybody that has the use of both eyes.

So, I believe Ms Cox will do just fine as Lt Gov. and, if necessary, Governor of Maryland. and she will not have to depend on a lot of people as much as you think.

That's just my 2 cents.

[rabidralph]

[MinorityRepublican]

arggg. What they couldnt find a deaf,one legged, black, indian, transexual for the honor?

I am deaf. We have some deaf and hard of hearing FReepers in this forum and I'm sure most of us did not appreciate the comment that you just made.

If there are things about Cox's record that you should attack. Feel free. But not because she's almost completely blind. That is an absurd claim.

[dmw]

Tell me you are kidding. I really hope you are kidding--really.

[dmw]

Most Governors, Senators, Congressmen/women, rely on the people around them to do most of their work anyway. Why couldn't a blind person do just as good as a seeing person in the same position? Just look at all the idiotic people who are in office today. None of them are blind, and yet (for the most part) they are still an incompetent bunch of jerks. Seems having eyes really doesn't make them any more competent--IMO.

[LibertarianInExile]

"No way she could ever be as blind as a Democrat."

Post of the day!

[NicknamedBob]

On a radio interview today, she said something about going along with Bob Ehrlich's vision.

My immediate reaction was, I could turn that into a campaign quotable.

My rendition ... "Governor Ehrlich asked me to work with him because he wanted to be able to share his vision."

She is very articulate, and she seems to have a powerful, independent mind.

[rt1roadster]

Politically speaking she is a smart choice. Had he picked Schrader or Kane (as some said) he would've been criticized for picking 'Republicans' (fyi, Cox is a devout conservative Republican more in line with Steele than Ehrlich arguably). Had he gone with someone like Wayne Curry then he'd be pandering to the left like KKT pandered to the right with Admiral Larson or whatever his name was.

Maybe her lack of political experience is just what MD needs. They've got career politicians running the state senate, state house, one running for senate (Ben Cardin--elected politician since age 21), etc. Yet they don't get the results they need from these career politicos.

At the ceremony in Annapolis' harbor, Cox came off as articulate, above the fray, and committed. She is a mother, an executive, and an advocate. Judging by her demeanor, she seemed to be a good fit for the charming tell-it-to-you-how-it-is Governor Ehrlich.

On the other side you've got boy wonder O'Malley. O'Malley is known for cursing out people he disagrees with, challenging them to fights (Cough Chip Franklin), stomping out of meetings when he is angry, and trying to crash his opponents events. His running mate is a wise choice, but his running mate would've stood a better chance in the Attorney General's race and apparently is very reluctantly on O'Malley's ticket.

Ehrlich, barring some October surprise, should be a shoe-in for re-election winning 55% or more of the vote.

[NicknamedBob]

"Ehrlich, barring some October surprise, should be a shoe-in for re-election winning 55% or more of the vote."

I would not advise growing complacent. I am anticipating an unprecedented level of voter fraud here in the "Free State."

Maryland is now the magnet state for illegals who wish to acquire driver's licenses, the keystone document for weaving a trail of acceptable documentation.

With it, voting is no problem. How many state residents use their driver's license, and nothing else, for almost all identification purposes?

When my daughter went for her license, she was required to provide a birth certificate. What has happened to that requirement? And where is Governor Ehrlich in letting such a critical requirement go unenforced?

Ohio and Washington state may well have to move over on the bench to make room for the new star player in voter fraud.

Can I get an over/under on the percentage by which votes in Baltimore and in Montgomery County will exceed the voting populations there?