Via Wolcott, we see that the Corner’s Tim Graham is also in a tizzy about the Michael J. Fox ad. According to Tim, Fox’s statement that stem cell research offers “hope” is a cruel joke, on a par with Ashton Kutchner’s efforts to convince Michelle Trachtenberg that she broke a water pipe in a parking garage with her car.
Punk’d by Parkinson’s [Tim Graham]
J-Pod, in an age when reporters routinely pick apart ads for being untruthful or misleading, this ad should be scorned in the press for making claims that are not yet scientifically accurate.
The right wing’s newfound passion for rigorously peer-reviewed 60 second political commercials that reflect a consensus view of scientific research is refreshing, to say the least. I guess this puts an end to that whole “the jury is still out on global warming” business, not to mention deliberately misleading, industry-funded campaigns, like that ad touting the life-giving benefits of carbon dioxide.
Claiming conservatives oppose “life-saving” stem-cell research is, at the moment, completely unsubstantiated.
Uh-huh. Did you happen to catch this piece in the Washington Post: In Heartland, Stem Cell Research Meets Fierce Opposition? Just curious…
Life-saving? Right now, it’s in danger of looking like the embryo-destroyer’s version of WMD intelligence.
Oooh, SNAP, Timster! Way to turn a frown upside down!
Aside from the factual flaws, it has the sickening usual liberal flaw of leading with the Unmockable Victim, and thinking the facts don’t matter, especially with those emotional chicks.
(Oh, the liberal consultant smirks are everywhere, no doubt.)
But blaming Bush or Steele or Talent for Parkinson’s disease is akin to John Edwards claiming in October 2004 that Christopher Reeve would walk again “when John Kerry is president.” This ad is shameless, uncivil, unproven, and a very personal attack.
shameless…uncivil…unproven… Tim, Tim, take a breath and unbunch your panties. I think the words you’re groping for are “frank,” “unsparing,” and “effective.” But a “personal” attack? In fact, a “very personal attack”? Timmy, as I think your old friend Lassie would agree…it’s not all about you.
In other news, “Democrat” has ceased to be a member of a political party, and has become, apparently, a species. At least, judging by this oddly worded headline on Rush’s website:
MICHAEL J. FOX IS NOT INFALLIBLE; HE’S JUST THE LATEST VICTIM USED BY THE DEMOCRAT
MARLIN PERKINS: The Democrat, native to the Northeastern United States, was once common throughout the Lower 48 states. As recently as the 1970s, the Industrial cities of the Midwest were black with thundering herds of Democrats, who thrived on the region’s good manufacturing jobs, collective bargaining agreements, and high rates of home ownership. Alas, in recent years, the outsourcing of the Democrat’s native habitat has lead to a decrease in its numbers. As you can see, we’ve baited our trap with a Barbra Streisand CD and a UAW card…yes, here comes one now, emerging cautiously from the underbrush. I’ll scramble into the helicopter with the film crew while Jim nets the Democrat and wrestles it to the ground…
Anyway, back to Rush:
RUSH: One of the big issues in the Missouri Senate race — as you know, we touched on it yesterday — is the Michael J. Fox which is entirely misleading and which is in itself an attack ad, and it is filled with disinformation about embryonic stem cell research and how Jim Talent wants to criminalize it. Embryonic stem cell research — and, by the way, Fox is doing similar commercials in Maryland now for Ben Cardin against Michael Steele. But embryonic stem cell research is currently legal and completely unrestricted in both Maryland and Missouri and in the vast majority of other states. It’s largely personal and institutional ethics that keep scientists from cloning research.
Yeah! I don’t know where this goofy idea that research and funding were somehow related came from. The only thing preventing advances in stem cell science are the ethical qualms of scientists, most of whom are morally uneasy with this whole “research” fad.
The debate we’re having is almost always about governmental funding
Oops. Okay, scratch that ethical crap.
We will address that, but Michael J. Fox entered the political arena long ago. He became a US citizen in 2000. He’s from Canada.
And that’s germane to this discussion because…uh…
Rush? Help me out here…
He was active in the Kerry campaign in 2004
Got it! So clearly, he deserves a catastrophic disease. Shaky, saw-offed little Socialist.
One of the tactics the Democrats have — and they’ve used this consistently. They bring forth people who they think are victims for the purposes of exploiting them, and when you bring forth — for example, if you’re talking about embryonic stem cell research, and you want to convey the notion that the Republicans are opposed to it, and in effect they’re for people having Parkinson’s Disease. Make no mistake that’s what the intent is.
Okay, I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but this sounds awfully familiar. It’s almost as if there were a series of talking points issued, and everybody was told to repeat them ad nauseum. Hey, I know that sounds crazy, you don’t have to tell me…
Then you bring forth a person who’s suffering the disease, and you illustrate the disease and the ravages and the suffering on TV to create sympathy and infallibility, because you’re not supposed to be able to attack somebody or criticize somebody in any way or in any regard if they suffer from the disease.
Wow! That’s almost word for word Ann Coulter’s complaint about “the doctrine of liberal infallibility”! What are the odds? If I didn’t know better, I’d think they almost coordinated these spontaneous bursts of moral outrage.
It’s considered cold-hearted and cruel
It’s not, of course, but certain hysterical chicks consider it that.
I would argue that Mr. Fox is damaging what has traditionally been a bipartisan effort at addressing and curing illnesses
Or at least, it was until Bush declared researchers could only use the 60 extant stem cell lines tainted with mouse DNA. Because there’s no worse illness than Ennui in the Base.
Democrats are politicizing diseases and illnesses.
Alzheimer’s is a perfect example of corrupt machine politics. Why do Democrats have to politicize disease? We’re only politicizing the research that might lead to a cure for disease! Geez!
The Breck Girl, John Edwards, promising, if John Kerry is elected, that Christopher Reeve and others with spinal paralysis would walk, when there’s no such is evidence that any research into embryonic stem cells will create any immediate cure toward anything.
Huh. Seems like I’ve heard that bit before too. Either there’s an RNC blast fax making it’s way around town, or the right wing pundits have beaten the Borg to the deployment of a working hive mind technology.
It is irresponsible to mislead victims of people suffering from these horrible diseases in such a fashion. But that’s exactly what has happened.
Wait. We’re misleading the victims of people suffering from horrible diseases? I wouldn’t have thought that a guy with advanced Parkinson’s could beat you up for your lunch money, but I stand corrected.
It’s no different than the way they do it in the environmental movement. They talk about dirty water and dirty air, and if you oppose the environmentalists, why, you must be for dirty water and dirty air!
Yeah! Everybody talks about dirty water and dirty air, but nobody does anything about it! Oh. Wait. Some people actually did. That’s why we hate them. Sorry!
Well, that’s about all the Rush I can take for the moment, since everybody in the Wingnutosphere is starting to melt into Ken Mehlman’s gooey, runny face, and I prefer my extremist hacks hardboiled, or at least al dente.
Good post, Scott. I listened to Rush the other day, and he made absolutely no sense. He was madder than hell about Baruch Obama being on the cover of Time, but none of his sputterings were remotely coherent. Every five seconds he would bring up Clinton, and I admit, Rush does a pretty good impression, but seriously, is that the best you can do? My Gerald Ford impression is pretty good, but I don’t bring it up all the time.
Left by Mark S. on October 25th, 2006