Rush Limbough... biggest jerk ever?

[yourmom]

I am so ready for elections to be done

[Dan Wishengrad]

Fox was a guest on the CBS Evening News last night, where he shook and swayed more than he had done in the ad in question. He also said he was definitely on his meds when he recorded the ad and that the swaying was CAUSED by the medication. He took the high road and talked about the disease and his fight against it.

Rush Limbaugh, as typical, was not only very, very wrong but also the classless jerk he has always been. When he can't debate the issue on its merits he always attacks the messenger as personally and mockingly as he can. This plays to his conservative base but also speaks volumes about the weakness of his own position on this issue.

The fact remains that stem cell research holds out enormous potential for finding a cure for Parkinson's (among other diseases), and that the cells used are those discarded by in vitro fertilization clinics and would never have become human embryos. There is no debate about this among scientific circles, and many leading Republicans like Arlen Specter and Nancy Reagan have supported the use of these stem cells for research and are helping to lead out front on this important issue.

[Sonny]

I don't know if he was or was not off his meds. But as long as M. Fox chooses to voluntarily enter the political arena, I think he is fair game for this type of discussion.

The left continues to trot out these "bulletproof" mouthpieces that are supposedly immune from any criticisms. (See the Jersey Girls, Cindy Sheehan, Murtha, etc.).

As far as I know there is nothing stopping any private US corporation from doing their own stem cell research. So to act as if all right-leaning folks are against stem cell research is plain wrong. Some (like me) might just be opposed to federal funding over ever percieved ill in American society.

[Dan Wishengrad]

The left continues to trot out these "bulletproof" mouthpieces that are supposedly immune from any criticisms. (See the Jersey Girls, Cindy Sheehan, Murtha, etc.).
.

Michael J Fox is hardly a "mouthpiece" for the left, Sonny. As he said last night his champion is Arlen Specter, a Republican Senator. Fox is passionate about the issue for obvious reasons -- Parkinson's has all but ended his acting career and is greatly diminishing his quality of life. He did not make this a Republican-Democrat or Right-Left issue. He spoke plainly and objectively about the ravages of the insidious disease attacking his body and the promise that stem cell research holds for finding a cure. He said repeatedly he wants and deserves no pity, that he had his years of being "a pin-up for teenaged girls" and that he simply seeks a cure for this disease and others which could be potentially cured by stem cell research. It was Rush Limbaugh and others who politicized the issue, and attacked Fox for faking his condition to gain pity. Rush was wrong, and was disrespectful as usual. Can't you "mouthpieces for the right" simply admit that?

[laxfan25]

Can't we all agree to disavow such repugnant actions, rather than just saying they're fair game? Can't we get the focus back on real issues rather than the trumped-up, twisted attacks we see all the time in election season? Until ALL of us demand better of each side we're just going to see more of this BS.
Other recent examples - the commercial run by the RNC in TN with the bimbo giving the come-on to Harold Ford. Even many Republicans called it racist. Ken Mehlman, head of the RNC says "I can't pull the ad!" Right.
Heard a story about a campaign in Lacrosse, WI (how appropriate) where one candidate was saying that his opponent was in favor of studying masturbation practices by black men, along with other sexual studies. The accused, a very upright Lutheran, explained that he voted in favor of funding of the National Institute of Health, which funds over 50,000 studies each year. This is the warped attack that that inocuous vote engendered. Some fo the worst stuff is coming over the Internet, because it is currently unregulated in terms of political ads.

It's all very depressing, and as yourmom pointed out, most people can't wait for it to all be over. The country is so divided - people with very much in common turn to vitriol when the subject is politics, and the parties encourage that divide. A true centrist third party would be ideal, but it likely won't happen in our lifetimes. A reflection of how close we are at heart, but divided by others, was the Political Compass survey that several of us took. The results were surprising to some! There weren't wild differences between the respondents.

One reason for this type of campaigning is the major issues we face are very daunting, with no easy or apparent solution, so it's easier to campaign on made-up or trivial things.

Let's try to keep it civil, respect honest differences of opinion and approach, and throw the unsportsmanlike conduct flag when it is deserved!

[MinesGoallie45]

This is why we all just need to become Libertarians, and then most of this fighting would be done....

[Campbell]

... But as long as M. Fox chooses to voluntarily enter the political arena, I think he is fair game for this type of discussion.

he's fighting for stem cell research because he has a disease, it is everyone else that is politicizing it.

[yourmom]

Video of the MJ Fox interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqraWGEfRAA

I am on the right, but i support stem cell research and other left supported policies. But agreeing to do a political ad during election time was his own fault. Was Rush out of line. YES. Am i surprised no. This is just more publicity for him. It's good for him whether you think so or not. Its my personal opinion that all politicians and media personnel involved in politics, have their own section reserved in hell.

[sohotrightnow]

Ahem, paging Mr. Pieper...what say you to Fox's support of Specter?

Why does the right trot out bozos like Fox to support stem-cell research. It's so pathetic...

[Sonny]

I know this wasn't the point of the thread, but here is the Missouri ammendment that started all this hullabaloo.

http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/2006petitions/ppStemCell.asp

Michael J. Fox hasn't even read the Missouri amendment:
http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/story?id=2613377&page=2

No offense to Rob (or others), but does anyone else think that is a tad bit disingenuousness?

[sohotrightnow]

anyone else think that is a tad bit disingenuousness?

He should have looked up the amendment on The Google.

[Jana]

Reading this thread makes me realize how little I know about stem cell research. Limbaugh still made a cheap shot. If there is a silver lining in all of this, Fox's advocacy got even wider play in the media, to even greater sympathy.

Any suggestions on what to read to improve my understanding of stem cell research (hopefully using layman's terminology)?

[yourmom]

Here's a video of Rush imatating Fox on his radio show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dniczRs4a1w

[Rob Graff]

Sonny - Not to me - MJF's spot was in favor of candidates (not all democrats - he supports Arlen Specter as well) that took a pro-science position on stem cells.

The "amendment" of which you write was not the focus of the ad that I saw. The Missouri senate race was the focus in the version I saw.[/i]

[Dan Wishengrad]

Terrific interview with Fox on George Stephanapolous's weekly show yesterday and an intelligent discussion of the issues by the roundtable (George Will, EJ Dionne et al) afterwards.

Fox made some compelling points, namely that he is a single-issue voter who is supporting candidates and opposing others on stem cell for the simple reason that President Bush used the only veto of his six years in office to overturn a sensible piece of legislation, which was passed out of both houses (controlled by the GOP) of Congress and backed by a strong majority of Americans. He stated flatly that this is his right to do so, and because he is uniquely qualified -- as both a victim of a disease for which stem cell research holds great promise for finding a cure and as a public figure with the means and opportunity to be heard -- that overturning this veto is of paramount importance. MJF reiterated that Limbaugh's bile is not worth really responding too, other than to sort of thank Rush for raising the visibility of the issue in the voter's minds and giving us more valuable information to weigh when casting ballots next week.

On a related note, the rountable discussion kicked around a little a very interesting argument: If the religious right, which is leading the anti-stem cell research movement, is doing so an moral priniciple, then it stands to reason that these same folks should also oppose in vitro fertilization itself. It is in vitro, after all, which uses human embryos to create human life in the lab and produces the stem cells for research from the discarded, non-viable embryos. Yet, these folks have seemingly given in vitro a "free pass" from public opposition.

Why would you lobby so strongly against abortion and stem cell research on moral principle but not against in vitro fertilization, guided by the same moral compass? Could it be because in vitro is so overwhelmingly supported by the American voter?