Democrat Chairman Urged Aides to Get Shots Before NASCAR Visit

October 11, 2007 2:31 PM

ABC News' Steven Portnoy Reports: Before official visits to NASCAR racetracks in Talladega, Ala., and Concord, North Carolina, congressional staffers were advised to be immunized for diseases like hepatitis and diphtheria.

The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee sent four staffers to Talladega Superspeedway last weekend to see how the racetrack and Alabama officials might respond to a mass-casualty terror attack during a NASCAR event.

Before going, senior committee staffers recommended that members of the delegation be vaccinated against a range of diseases more common to developing nations.

"(It) seems like there may be a slight misconception about the type of crowd that you run into at the NASCAR race," said Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C. , who raised his concerns in a letter to the committee chair upon hearing of the recommendation for the shots.

"They need to do an attitude check as to why they would issue such instructions as these," he said.

Hayes lives near Lowe's Motor Speedway, which is scheduled to host the committee staff delegation next weekend.

Homeland Security Committee chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., responded in a letter to Hayes that the shots were recommended because staffers would be visiting "hospital and other health care facilities available at or near " the racetracks.

However, a Republican source told ABC News that the staffers did not visit any actual hospitals, or patients with communicable diseases, during their Alabama trip and that no such visits are scheduled for the trip to Concord.

The GOP source also said the two Republican staffers on the trip passed up the chance to be immunized, because they "didn't see any point" in getting the shots.

Hayes said he was not offended, as much as perplexed, by the notion that congressional staffers might need immunizations before heading into NASCAR nation.

"In terms of communicable diseases, there's not a connection there," he said.

"What is it?" "I don't know but kill it before it multiplies!":rolling:

What kind of Immunization do I need before going to a D.A. Track?

A "fraud" vaccination :rolling:

Just saw this story on the TODAY show and they interviewed this women outside Lowes Motor Speedway and she said,
"I ain't worried 'bout catchin' nuthin' I'm just worried 'bout Dale Jr winnin'"

:rolling: :rolling:

Now thats funny :rolling: My first :emote20: of the day. Thanks!

Try as NASCRAP might to shake this image, you know they are seeing this story and are red-faced with embarassment. :applaud::rolling:

typical political double standard; they want all the poor redneck folk to vote democrat but they don't want to catch any of their hillbilly cooties!:kookoo2:

:rolling: :pissonwings:

I would be more infavor of bleachig the gene pool of fan base at a NASCAR race than getting immunization shots.

I pity any terrorist group or country that would attack a NASCAR race. I am sure the NASCAR fans would form their own country and there would be a brutal and a unforgiving response to this act. But I do believe unfortunately that they would take some casualty's because they would always be standing up during battle.

Richard Murray