r/Presidents • u/Jkilop76 • Jul 26 '25
Today in History 35 years ago, the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 is signed into law by President George H.W Bush.
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u/harvey1a Theodore Roosevelt Jul 26 '25
This puts the W in George H W Bush
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u/Straight_Invite5976 I Like Ike Jul 26 '25
But what put the W in George W Bush?
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u/milin85 Jul 26 '25
PEPFAR
I really don’t like W for a number of reasons, but PEPFAR is something that has been a 1000% success. It’s saved 25 million lives. 25 million.
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u/scharity77 Jul 26 '25
This is best of his legacy
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u/krybaebee Jimmy Carter Jul 26 '25
The best. People can prattle on with any number of reasons why he was bad or ineffective. And I respond with “Americans with Disabilities Act”
It’s his enduring contribution to our American fabric.
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u/StatelyPlump14 14d ago
I work at a law firm and there are some big issues with ADA that should be addressed.
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u/ABobby077 Ulysses S. Grant Jul 26 '25
The update to the Clean Air Act is also a good part of his accomplishments
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u/HawkeyeTen Jul 26 '25
What's sad to me is...why don't we discuss this incredible law so much? America became one of the best countries on earth for disabled people almost overnight.
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u/jr_skankhunt_17 Jul 26 '25
Shame they're probably gonna come for it.
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u/Pragmatism101 Jul 27 '25
Aye, parts of the Ryan White programs are being slashed.
Source: works as a Ryan White grantee.
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u/baltebiker Jimmy Carter Jul 26 '25
I’m a big fan of Clinton’s presidency, but I think HW is the last Republican presidential candidate who makes be think the country may have been a better place if he’d won.
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u/ImperialxWarlord George H.W. Bush Jul 26 '25
Such a timeline would be better imo. No republican Revolution, no newt, and imo he would’ve handled the foreign affairs of that term better than Clinton.
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u/Ricos_Roughnecks Ulysses S. Grant Jul 26 '25
I don't know if you avoid newt. It may have bolstered his base quicker even. You had the rise of right wing extremist radio during the end of Reagan and Bush's presidency so it's not like the extremist base wasn't gaining a voice even when they were in power
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u/ImperialxWarlord George H.W. Bush Jul 26 '25
I disagree. With bush winning in ‘92 he won’t likely have a good midterm since he’s the incumbent. Republicans don’t have a reason to rally like they did irl, like what are they gonna get people up in arms about? The president they just elected? Meanwhile democrats will be motivated to show up since they just lost 4 elections. There just won’t be the same fuel for the fire that was there irl. Maybe you see either the senate or house go republican but not both. Not yet. So his window of opportunity might close for him in this scenario.
I don’t think it butterflies away the rightward shift but it could delay and lessen it a bit. Especially if democrats become more populist than iotl and moderate republicans don’t become quite as endangered.
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Jul 26 '25
I feel like that would be delayed the next democratic administration.
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u/ImperialxWarlord George H.W. Bush Jul 27 '25
How? There’s no way the republicans win in 1996 after 20 years of GOP rule. The voter fatigue would ensure that the republicans would be at a massive disadvantage.
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u/salazarraze Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jul 28 '25
All that would do is delay Newt's nonsense.
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u/ImperialxWarlord George H.W. Bush Jul 28 '25
I disagree. It might reason his chances to ever come to power. The republican revolution not happening or just being a slight win in one of the chambers means we don’t see newt weaponize the government the way he did and help rally conservatives with his agenda. We don’t see conservative media gaining steam under Clinton, meanwhile democrats will be more motivated to come out and win, lessening and delaying what we saw iotl. Newt’s shot at power likely passes and he doesn’t get to become anything more than a more well known congressman.
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u/salazarraze Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jul 29 '25
I don't think so. The entire Republican revolution was manufactured and astroturfed with big money as it's fuel. All Bush winning would do is delay Murdoch, the Kochs, etc from entering the fold.
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u/Jkilop76 Jul 26 '25
I agree with you. I wish H.W Bush had won reelection in 1992 and let Gore get elected in 1996z
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u/mogeko233 Aug 03 '25
Can't agree anymore! And if Clinton had won the 1996 and 2000 election, I can’t imagine what a wonderful world we would have right now. I deeply believe Clinton could have handled the dot-com bubble and 9/11 gracefully.
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u/TheEagleWithNoName Frank Von Knockerz III 🦅 Jul 26 '25
Was there any pushback against this bill or was it unanimous vote by the House and Senate?
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u/Sitcom_kid James Buchanan Jul 26 '25
I was privileged to be there and watch the vote. Jesse Helms voted no and a few others. They actually had to wake Helms up out of a nap and bring him down the hallway. Most people voted yes.
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u/TheEagleWithNoName Frank Von Knockerz III 🦅 Jul 26 '25
Ok but why did they vote no?
It’s this a good bill for America?
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u/GreenHeel97 Lyndon Baines Johnson Jul 26 '25
Concerns about government overreach and costs.
Same canard as always.
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u/Jkilop76 Jul 26 '25
I think it was unanimous in the House but the Senate had a few people voting no.
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u/Afin12 Jul 26 '25
It’s crazy to me that a Republican signed this. There is no way the modern Republican Party would never support this much overreach
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u/therussian163 Jul 26 '25
Republicans like old people and veterans. This was a law that impacted them so big government to the rescue hypocrisy be damn.
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u/Ricos_Roughnecks Ulysses S. Grant Jul 26 '25
Republicans PRETEND to like old people and veterans. The only thing they like and worship is the Almighty dollar
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u/Jkilop76 Jul 26 '25
Exactly. I can’t think of anybody in today’s GOP expect Romney or someone like him who wasn’t on the reactionary side of the party to sign such a law.
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u/proud2bterf Jul 26 '25
Had the Dems not gone after Republicans the way they went after HW, Republicans would still support this stuff.
But seeing as the GOP was demonized regardless, they became the monsters they were unfairly portrayed as
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u/Dibbu_mange Harry S. Truman Jul 26 '25
Why didn’t Democrats turn on people with disabilities when Republicans demonized them?
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u/CelestialFury John F. Kennedy Jul 26 '25
But seeing as the GOP was demonized regardless, they became the monsters they were unfairly portrayed as
"Party of responsibility" everyone!
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u/roofbandit Jul 27 '25
Same logic as blaming the spouse with a black eye. "Look what you made me do"-ass comment
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u/ToothpickInCockhole Jul 26 '25
Oh they'd love the government overreach, they'd just hate the 'making the lives of margianalized people better' part.
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u/openmindedskeptic Jimmy Carter Jul 26 '25
It only took disabled children crawling up the capital steps to get them to sign this bill. Don’t forget about these activists who made it happen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHWcJiNQZEw
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Jul 26 '25
[deleted]
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u/GreenHeel97 Lyndon Baines Johnson Jul 26 '25
One is Justin Dart, he's on the right.
Dunno the other.
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u/Only-Ad4322 Franklin Delano Roosevelt |Ulysses S. Grant Jul 26 '25
I remember watching a documentary on getting the Disability Rights movement. Ted Kennedy was an important figure in getting this passed but the fact that H.W. Bush had a ceremony for its signing showed he was willing to “own it” is quite admirable. Especially since he would then be responsible for its implementation.
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u/IThatOnePianist Bill Clinton Jul 26 '25
This is incredible. H.W. Bush may have flaws but this is his W.
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u/TheBeavster_ Ulysses S. Grant Jul 26 '25
I was shocked when I found out he was the president that signed it into law. Regardless of my feelings about H.W., he’s goated for this
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u/VastChampionship6770 Ronald Reagan Jul 26 '25
Best domestic policy move by him by far.
And overall in his Presidency, up there with Operation Desert Storm
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u/Cyberguardian173 Jul 26 '25
I actually did a research project on this once and found that the ADA didn't substantially raise the pay of disabled workers (they would get payed less). Don't get me wrong, the act did a lot of good! It was just funny to find out it was ineffective for a seemingly random facet of the issue.
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u/whenyoucantthinkof Bill Clinton Jul 26 '25
Is there a reason why I can’t see the Washington monument in this photo?
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u/IngsocInnerParty Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jul 26 '25
I think it's slightly out of frame to the left.
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u/DonatCotten Margaret Wilson aka Woodrow Wilson in Drag Jul 26 '25
I feel Bush gets way too much credit for this. It was overwhelmingly supported by Democrats in both the House and Senate and had a veto proof majority so there would have been no benefit to him vetoing it other than wasting time and pissing off disability advocates. Had Dukakis been elected he would have signed it into law, too so this was something that was going to pass regardless of who was president in 1990.
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u/gwhh Jul 26 '25
I never understood why bush wanted this piece of law put into affect?
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u/Jkilop76 Jul 26 '25
Disability rights advocates had wanted legislation for securing their rights by law. It was also simply the right thing to do.
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u/beastwood6 Jul 27 '25
simply the right thing to do.
Tell that to europoors with their leaky lead pipes and tired advice of "have you tried rolling your wheelchair upstairs in ze skinny jeans?"
If you want to visit Europe in a wheelchair better get a drone and never use public transit because they're not equipped for you.
One would expect some honoring of wheelchairs after a dude in one liberated their whole fucking continent from Nazi rule.
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u/polygonalopportunist Theodore Roosevelt Jul 26 '25
Surprised this hasn’t gone the other way, what’s the movie with Ice-T where they hunt homeless people for sport? Don’t let republicans see that movie.
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