Are there any openly autistic politicians yet?

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Aniihya
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25 Jul 2015, 5:45 pm

I will be running for parliament in my state here in Germany.

lostonearth35
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07 Aug 2015, 5:43 pm

The thought of an autistic politician is very frightening to me. Politicians have to do all kinds of very un-autistic things like shake hands and kiss babies and be around crowds and cameras and people asking them all kinds of questions while they pretend to care. Yes, they do pretend to care, I know this because I have a Worst Case Scenario book that tells politicians how to use body language that tricks NTs into thinking they care about whatever nonsense they're going on about. And politicians have to be good at lying, which is really the only thing they're "good" at. I hate them.

glebel
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08 Aug 2015, 1:06 pm

Given the general ignorance of the mob mentality, I don't see how anyone with ASD would ever get elected.

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ASPartOfMe
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01 Apr 2017, 5:01 pm

David Willingham represents St Peter's on Cheltenham Borough Council.

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HDLMatchette
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11 Jul 2017, 9:19 pm

Look up Freddie Odom. He's the mayor of a very small town in Georgia.

ASPartOfMe
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15 Oct 2018, 12:35 am

MEET THE SCHOOL TRUSTEE CANDIDATE - Corey Walker

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My name is Corey Walker and I'm running for school trustee. I'm the northern regional coordinator for Autism BC and an autistic self-advocate. After hearing from parents that the schools aren't supporting their kids enough, I decided to run, so that I can make a difference in the lives of our kids.

I also want to address bullying. In recent weeks, we have heard of teenage suicides. These students were bullied so bad, they felt their life wasn't worth living. This is horrible, and we need to do more. One of my proposals is to establish an anti-bullying task force, consisting of school staff, parents and students. This task force will consult with ALL education stakeholders, including parents and students, and will research what has worked in other jurisdictions

Arganger
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15 Oct 2018, 11:30 am

What about that AspieUtah guy on here?

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JustFoundHere
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26 Jan 2019, 6:17 pm

Haven't heard of any politicians who are openly on the Autism Spectrum; it's hard enough for even neurotypical candidates to navigate harrowing political environments.

RELATED: Enclosed is a report on a Congresswoman experienced with working with people on the Autism Spectrum.

http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/c ... house-race

DeepHour
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26 Jan 2019, 7:41 pm

For anyone who's interested, it might be worth investigating the case of Sir Keith Joseph, one of Margaret Thatcher's ideological mentors, and Industry Minister in her first government.

Also Enoch Powell, controversial Tory politician during the 60s and 70s.

There's been some speculation about possible Aspergers in both of these characters, and with good reason, I believe.

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ASPartOfMe
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26 Apr 2019, 3:48 am

Texas lawmaker reveals he has Asperger's during Autism Awareness Month speech

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A Texas lawmaker spoke publicly for the first time Thursday about his struggle with autism.

Rep. Briscoe Cain revealed he has Asperger's Syndrome during a speech on the House floor marking Autism Awareness Month. Flanked by his colleagues at the front microphone of the chamber, the Deer Park Republican said it was time for him to tell his story.

"I, along with countless others who experience these challenges brought on by Asperger's and autism, communicate and express myself in a way that's different from others. If I don't maintain eye contact with you, it's not an intentional nonverbal cue of disrespect. Body language, reading it, and appropriate use of it does not come naturally for those on the spectrum," Cain said.

Cain represents a swath of South Texas east of Houston stretching from La Porte to Kingwood. He was re-elected to his second term last year and describes himself as "a Conservative Republican who supports limited government, less regulation, increased transparency, the value of life, and traditional family values."

A member of the far right legislative coalition known as the Freedom Caucus, Cain talked about how people with Asperger's are portrayed in the media, and in a moment of self-deprecating humor, said his efforts to kill legislation by his liberal colleagues should be taken in stride.

"Members, right now I suspect many of you are thinking to yourself, 'So that explains it.' And yes, your assumptions are correct — that's why I'm highly intelligent," Cain joked. "The media doesn't often get it right, Fox News included. But when they portray every person with Asperger's as some sort of eccentric genius, well, then, they probably got it right. ... The bottom line is if I have to go to the back mike with a point of order that might potentially derail your bill, it's probably just a big misunderstanding. So just go with it."

Cain said he was inspired to speak out after other lawmakers, including Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Public Education Chairman Dan Huberty, revealed they are dyslexic.

"The unfortunate reality is that autism never takes a day off, it has no cure, and, as far as we know, we cannot make it go away," he added. "Instead, our focus should be on maximizing the potential and improving the quality of life for every person in the spectrum. That starts with raising awareness, of having an honest conversation about our own experiences. April is yet another opportunity to do that."

After his speech, the Texas House adopted Cain's resolution marking April as Autism Awareness Month.

anonymous795
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19 Oct 2019, 5:51 pm

I graduated college not too many years ago and have worked a number of political jobs since then, including directly for elected officials. Through this experience I came to understand that not only am I likely on the spectrum (currently seeking a diagnosis), but there is an impressive number electeds who are autistic as well. Frankly I think that these folks do a better job serving than many of the NT politicians out there. They are focused like a laser on the issues they care about and are committed to good governance. Some of the autistic leaders even enjoy widespread popularity. Oh, and by the way I have also had the pleasure of meeting several “out” autistic political staffers who make wonderful contributions to local politics. I say this for anyone out there who’s questioning if there is a place for them in politics - there absolutely is!! Someday soon our society will wake up to the true contributions the asd population has made.

FletcherArrow
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20 Oct 2019, 3:48 pm

We Aspies do not have the skills nor personality traits to be politicians. Honesty, thin skin, difficulty making eye contact, uncomfortable with non-verbals and people and physical contact are not the traits of a successful politician. An Aspie might make a good political strategist or a quant nerd who analyzes poll data or a policy wonk, but not a politician.

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10 Nov 2024, 9:48 am

'I felt broken until my autism diagnosis at 70'

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All his life Andrew Davies has had a sense of not fitting in, that he was somehow broken, weird or there was something wrong with him.

That was until he discovered he was autistic at the age of 70.

"It's just who I am and how my brain is wired... how I experience the world is just different," he said.

Research has suggested that like Andrew, there are many others who have spent a lifetime not knowing they are on the autistic spectrum.

Between 250,000 and 600,000 people over the age of 50 in England may be autistic but undiagnosed, a study of primary care records in England has suggested.

That would mean more than 90% of autistic people over 50 were undiagnosed, its researchers have said.

Andrew, now 72, retired in 2019 following a long and impressive career.

He was a minister for the first 10 years of the Welsh government and the assembly member (now known as Member of the Senedd, or MS,) for Swansea West from 1999 to 2011.
After standing down from the assembly he was chairman of what was then Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board for six years.

Perhaps not the most obvious line of work for someone who says they have "often struggled understanding and dealing with other people".

"I can be in a group and it's keeping up with conversations, knowing what to say... it's not knowing the rules of small talk," said Andrew, who lives in Mount Pleasant, Swansea.

From childhood he preferred being alone and one-on-one friendships to groups.
This became harder to deal with in secondary school.

"I just completely struggled really," he said.

"I felt there was something broken, there was something weird, something wrong."

He found the social rules and structure of working life easier to navigate but would often feel "bombarded" and "peopled out" by the end of a long day.

"I suspect people may have thought 'oh he's pretty standoffish' but it's a combination of shyness and not knowing what to say," he said.

Andrew also experiences hypersensitivity.

"Discos and rock concerts I never really enjoyed, I found the sound for example and the lights almost overwhelming and uncomfortable," he said.

Other sounds, be it his wife popping chewing gum or a neighbour's dog barking, and some smells, such as congealed fat or grease, and sights such as fluorescent lights, have always made him very uncomfortable.

"I just have to get away," he said.

"You try to ignore it but it's a physical, visceral reaction."

Something that has always served him well in work he now knows to be another trait of autism - intense interests, also known as hyperfixations.

He said he often became preoccupied with a topic he was interested in, throwing himself into intense research.

"I want to really get to know that issue in depth whereas most people will think 'that's interesting' and move on," he said.

He said researching autism had become "yet another rabbit hole I've disappeared down".

ToughDiamond
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12 Nov 2024, 9:25 pm

I would think pathological honesty would be a bar to the job. In fact I would think any kind of honesty would be a severe impediment to getting elected.

MatchboxVagabond
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12 Nov 2024, 9:54 pm

ToughDiamond wrote:

I would think pathological honesty would be a bar to the job. In fact I would think any kind of honesty would be a severe impediment to getting elected.

Not necessarily. I've been thinking about that a lot today with respect to conducting business. And, radical honesty can work, however, the issue tends to be that whatever the honest truth is, has to be something that's palatable to the customer/citizen. Which is often the problem, as there may not be a possibility that is sufficiently acceptable to be shared without doing a lot of damage.

ToughDiamond
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13 Nov 2024, 10:18 am

MatchboxVagabond wrote:

ToughDiamond wrote:

I would think pathological honesty would be a bar to the job. In fact I would think any kind of honesty would be a severe impediment to getting elected.

It's possible that I'm too cynical, and that my pathological sense of honesty exaggerates my perception of the degree of political dishonesty that I see. But when I see this kind of thing:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr40yxnvzpo
Former Immigration Minister Jenrick described a discussion he once had with Prime Minister Sunak: “He put forward the argument that mass migration was a good thing because undercutting British workers’ wages was helping to bring down inflation. I was shocked.”

Sunak refused to comment when asked whether or not he actually said that - so if he didn't say it, why not deny it? Thing is, I've cynically thought for years that undercutting wages is one main reason the elite want immigration. But show me the politician who will admit that when they're looking for votes. As it is, the right wing says they'll stop immigration but never does it, while the left wing has traditionally relied on shutting down anti-immigration talk by labelling it as racism. At least they did until they stepped to the right while still pretending to be left.

I fear many political truths could be too unpalatable or just too complex for the masses to take on board. Showing candour as such can help a politician's popularity, but God help the candidate who spills the beans every time. Instead, I think what we have is the adversarial system, like in a court case, where neither side dares to stop the tricks. I think in real life that boy in The Emperor's New Clothes would have been ignored.

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