Punk’d by Parkinson’s [Tim Graham]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.
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.
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.
“I love the ladies, but you gotta admit they’re apt at any moment to take a plunge off the hysterical high dive. They can’t help it; it’s a well-known fact that the uterus and yellow wallpaper drives ‘em batty.”
Wow, that damn-those-liberal-crips-we’re-not-allowed-to-mock meme has really taken off. Ann Coulter ought to be collecting royalities.
(Oh, the liberal consultant smirks are everywhere, no doubt.)
Um…sure, Tim. Like the Chesire Cat’s smile, the liberal consultant’s smirk remains behind, floating in the air, long after the consultant has faded away to K Street. (But shhhhh! Only Tim can see them!)
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 commercial 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 fundingOops. 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 2004Got 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 cruelIt’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 illnessesOr 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.
Posted by scott on Tuesday, October 24th, 2006 at 9:32 pm.
12 Responses to “Tim Graham Takes Fox Palsy Personally”
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
Sorry Rusty, but Kay Bailey Hutchison already owns the Breck Girl nickname.
But hey, here’s something even funnier than a bald guy making fun of someone else’s hair: wingnuts at redstate pulling each others’ hair over whether KBH is hispanophobic enough to be their Senator.
Left by melior (in Austin) on October 25th, 2006
Wow, he’s getting more incoherent by the minute. Maybe he was better off on the drugs. This bit I like:
They bring forth people who they think are victims
Yes, there you go. We only *think* Mr Fox has Parkinson’s. Because it’s easy to confuse that with, uh, flu or something. Really, Rush should shut the hell up on the subject, since he apparently *doesn’t* know what the symptoms of the disease are, nor does he know what the effects of the medication are. So leave the diagnosis to people with a clue, maybe?
I kind of dig the assessment that liberals are exploiting unmockable victims, btw. Especially as it’s never stopped the conservatives from mocking, say, Elizabeth Edwards’ cancer, Max Cleland’s amputations, 9/11 widows’ grief, Cindy Sheehan’s grief, Kevin Tillman’s grief, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich’s disease-caused height, John Kerry’s war injuries, NOLA victims’ continuing troubles, Iraqi civilian deaths, Lebanese civilian deaths, torture victims’ suffering… The list is extensive and far-ranging, from attacks made decades ago to attacks made just this morning. Mr Limbaugh is a particularly notable practitioner.
And can we please knock it the fuck off with the Breck Girl thing? Not only is it profoundly misogynistic and homophobic, it is also freaking pointless. The people who keep using it are rarely old enough to have any idea what the hell it means.
Left by D. Sidhe on October 25th, 2006
I also like the implication that Fox is not capable of or intelligent enough to make his own decisions on supporting Dem candidates.
One of the blowhards claims that he is a victim of the Dems political mechanations and another is upset about bringing forth people who think they are victims.
Left by A cranny mint on October 25th, 2006
To which list I’d like to add “media-coddled African-American quarterbacks.”
On the other hand, let John Murtha dare criticize murder and lawlessness among US troops and watch Limbaugh, Coulter, and the Corner gang, none of whom runs the slightest risk this war will touch them physically or in the pocketbook, and they’re demanding he be shot at sunrise.
Left by Doghouse Riley on October 25th, 2006
“…the sickening usual liberal flaw of leading with the Unmockable Victim, and thinking the facts don’t matter, especially with those emotional chicks.”
This, from the people who insist that U.S. Christians are persecuted by people who wish them a Happy Holidays. Unbelievable.
“Make no mistake” is Rush Limbaugh’s tell. Whenever he’s trying to deflect an effective attack with lying, fact-free spin, that’s always what he says. The campaign should be running this ad 24 hours a day.
Left by sophronia on October 25th, 2006
Dan Riehl riffed on this (via Tristam Shandy) and turned Mike into “one of the jerky Boyz”.
Left by actor212 on October 25th, 2006
Not to make fun of Mark S., but I’m finding the idea of “Baruch Obama” really amusing.
Left by Lucy on October 25th, 2006
Two things:
1. Wingnuts can’t speak without indulging in conspiracy rhetoric. The idea that the 9-11 widows or MJ Fox are free agents who chose to speak out is simply not part of their mindset. Nope, it is that the Eeevil Democrats masters are manipulating these poor people into mouthpieces for the Party. Probably arranged it all at the Freemasons/Illuminati meetings that Bill and Hill hold at their house every Thursday.
2. Wingnuts pretty much admit that unless they can indulge in abusive ad hominem arguments, they got nothing to say. That is the basis of Rush and Coulter complaining that the victims shouldn’t be allowed to speak out, “But if we can’t attack the messengers, we have nothing to say! No fair!”
Left by jpj on October 25th, 2006
I’m sure once Ann or Rush get the disease, they’ll be begging for the cure.
Left by Yaoi Huntress Earth on October 25th, 2006
I have always respected Rush (the amateur biophysicist)and his grasp of the issues at hand. We must be nuts to think that stem-cell research will lead to a cure for anything. This whole medical ‘research’ thing is just a waste of time and money. However, it is quite conceivable that Terri Schiavo, given the opportunity, could have regrown a new brain. Thus while Limbaugh pokes a bit of harmless fun at MJF (who is probably faking it, anyway), Liberals went out and murdered Terri.
Left by Henry Crun on October 26th, 2006
Here’s another lie you forgot to point out: that Edwards claimed Christopher Reeve would walk again. Here’s the actual quote, and note that Reeve was already dead when Edwards said it:
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“If we do the work that we can do in this country, the work that we will do when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve will get up out of that wheelchair and walk again,” Edwards said.
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Note the subtle difference between “people like Christopher Reeve” and the claim as it is now twisted, that they’ll make the dead walk. That only happens in Florida.
Left by Kip W on October 26th, 2006
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