As media pundits rode the emotion pony into a lather this week, someone forgot to ask an important question of Michael J. Fox.
As fate would have it, he volunteered the information today on ABC's This Week;
Stephanopoulos: In the ad now running in Missouri, Jim Caviezel speaks in Aramaic. It means, "You betray me with a kiss." And his position, his point, is that actually even though down in Missouri they say the initiative is against cloning, it's actually going to allow human cloning.Fox: Well, I don't think that's true. You know, I campaigned for Claire McCaskill. And so I have to qualify it by saying I'm not qualified to speak on the page-to-page content of the initiative. Although, I am quite sure that I'll agree with it in spirit, I don't know, I— On full disclosure, I haven't read it, and that's why I didn't put myself up for it distinctly.
I'm sure that in light of this development, Adler will have a followup this week. Not on the details of Missouri's Amendment 2 - that's just US domestic politics, after all - but on the legendary laziness of his profession in failing to present political controversies in their factual context.
(To be fair, I did send Mr.Adler a couple of links last week that examined the nuts and bolts of what the Amendment actually speaks to in the context of Michael J. Fox's endorsement, along with a criticism of Fox by a physician familiar with the science. For all I know, he's been working on it all weekend.)
I don't really know, but I'm guessing Adler is pro-stem cell.
It would be so fitting given that he is an enormous wind bag in love with the sound of his own pretentious voice and his tongue blows with the political wind (as he sees it).
If I'm wrong, consider that even a broken clock is right twice a day.
I don't know about your first point Doug...
but the second one is bang on.
It's his way of keeping the listenership "big tent". He has to throw a little red meat around for everyone.
I can understand that reality - what I don't understand is why any talk radio host would put his integrity on the line so openly, in a day and age where his statements are so easily fact checked by his own listeners.
My concern is how many voters will vote on this without reading the proposition. It would be interesting to see how many talking heads have either read, or had it read to them. For Fox to make this commercial without knowing the what was being voted on, admitting he was overmedicated, trying to scare people is way over the line. If he is so concerned about this disease, why didn't he have his character on Spin City get it. That would have much more educational for the people.
"why any TALK RADIO HOST would put his INTEGRITY on the line..."
Now I know it must be close to Halloween, we are beginning to see things that aren't there.
I rarely listen to Mr. Pompous these days.
I tuned in for a few minutes Wednesday and heard a diatribe about McKay. (click) back to the ipod
I tried again on Thurs. and got his blowhard response to a listener email on the Fox ad. (click) back to the ipod
"what I don't understand is why any talk radio host"
What I don't understand is how 3rd stringers like Adler can hope to compete with the 1st stringers who make their programs available on Mp3s (hello, Ipod) and Satellite Radio.
Why listen to the windbag, when I have 30 gigs of deep thinkers to listen to in a package the size of chewing gum?
Laura Ingraham clearly explained on Bill O'Reilly last week, that embryonic stem cell cloning would be allowd if the amendment carried.
Sadly, Michael seems to have been used.
I missed the Adler thingy.
One time on his show Chuckie called himself a small "c" conservative. It matters not the party small "c" conservative , small "l" lieberals, small "n" new dopeacrat . I feel these people are the folks that don't have the cojones to make a decission or take a firm stand on anything so sit on the fence and stir up crap to cover their own inadequacies. Small any letter fits Chuckie Windbag to a T.
"rode the emotion pony into a lather". Good one.
I have been getting away from listening to Adler as well, though when in the truck I did hear him last Friday go on about MJF.
My fav thing now in the shop is
http://www.icebergradio.com/
I really enjoy listening to either Country of Classic Rock.
gl1800: Best C&W station: http://www.bigcountryradio.com.au/
Guess people would be better listening to Country Music .
My name is michael j Fux and I am not cheap but I can be bought.
talk about the hollywood influence and the dangers of listening to these nutbar...
I heard the original Limbaugh bit last week that sparked off the controversy.
Limbaugh noted what was mentioned above: the actual Missouri bill proposed bans human cloning, not stem-cell research, and Fox was on completely wrong-headed tangent.
As for Michael J. Fox, I missed Rush's comments on either faking/going off meds for the TV spot. Although I personally find it hard to dump on a guy with debilitating disease such as Parkinson's, Limbaugh makes a point that anybody either using their affliction (or being used by a third party) to venture into the political arena is fair game for debate or criticism. Tough call, that.
But for Fox, if the above quote is accurate... come on, man! Do your homework before sticking out your neck.
BTW, Coren had an interesting take on the issue in Saturday's Toronto Sun:
torontosun[d0t]com/News/Columnists/Coren_Michael/2006/10/28/2154932.html
mhb23re
[email is above username at google webmail service]
MJF is trying to defend himself. He was on This Week, and did not seem to be shaking and moving like in the commercial. He has admitted to being overmedicated in the TV ad, and also admitted that he has not read the proposition he made the ad for. It is to ban cloning, not stem cell, so if he was telling people to vote yes, to pass it he was way off base. I like the other ad with the guy speaking whatever, and others saying they don't understand him. Point of the ad, read before you vote. Rush also replayed the video of Ted Kennedy calling that black senator, Obama, Osama bin laden, and he was mocking Ted when he did the parody.
Paul (2:58 PM)... you've nailed it. A guy like John Gormley I can disagree with, agree with, or attempt to come to grips with what he jogs on out there on his show, when I get the fairly rare chance to listen to him. But Adler? Forget it. It's like listening the sound effects in "Twister"; loud, howling wind, but ya know it's all for show.
Glenn Beck (weeknights on CNN Headline News... NOT CNN... I've mentioned him here at least twice before) had a few minutes on his Thursday Oct. 26th show about stem cell research. (www.glennbeck.com) Touched on facts that I'm certain not a lot of people know... hello, Charles Adler. Beck is WAY, WAY ahead of a guy like Adler on subjects such as this. I heard Adler rant about the Michael J. Fox thing, and how Rush Limbaugh helped him out years ago when Adler was working in the U.S.; now he's very concerned about what seems to be happening to Rush.
Who cares what the blowhard thinks. Poor baboo.
Although, if one wants to know about, oh, scientists' grave concern about the sperm count of tiger sharks in a narrow triangle of ocean bound by Seal Island, South Africa on the north, Cape Point to the south, and... ya get my point. Useless twaddle, mainly. Seems that he likes to intersperse about 1 hour, 45 minutes of drivel with about 15 minutes of portentous stuff.
Hey Chuck, the wheels are off the "Kenworth". Five minutes TOTAL of your broadcast in an entire week is ample to confirm your opinions are STILL almost universally uninformed and ill considered.
Michael J. Fox was not endorsing the initiative. He was endorsing a candidate that is pro-stem cell research. He was moving around just as badly (if not worse at times) on This Week. As he explained there, he is becoming immune to the medication since he has been diagnosed with this illness for 15 years (probably had it for three to four years before it.)
His endorsement has nothing to do with the initiative.
If you posted the full video, you would also see he happily will endorse Republican candidates that support the research that Bush has used his one veto to ban (after it passed the House and the Senate.) He did an ad for Specter in 2004.
This video excerpt seems quite misleading to me.
jillbryant (2:44 AM)...
There is more money being spent NOW on stem cell research, INCLUDING embryonic stem cell research, than at ANY time in U.S. history; this thanks to the fact that the "eeeviiil" George W. Bush repealed a law, signed into effect by Bill Clinton in 1995, which forbade MUCH such research (as I said, www.glennbeck.com, Glenn Beck, CNN Headline News weeknights). Michael J. Fox is a shill for the Democratic Party in the U.S., pure and simple. The Dems are trying to manufacture an election issue (see "The Foley 'Scandal' ") with ZERO basis in fact, simply to win enough seats in the mid-terms next week to take over either the house or the senate, or BOTH. Michael J. Fox is, unfortunately, a willing participant in this SHAM about stem cell research dollars, where they come from, where they go, what the research will in fact accomplish. He sat with the Democrats at the 2004 DNC... along with Chris Reeve, by the way. No shame at all in Democratsville.
What IS it with the Democrats? Do they have some kinda mass neurosis machine? Why the wilfull ignorance of voters, the blindness, when it comes to things like health care, social security, taxation, civil rights? Can so many voters be that STUPID? Will none of them look at the facts? Look into history?
"Can so many voters be that STUPID?"
Opps... I forgot, Liberals will actually get votes at election time. Guess that answers my question.
At least the N.D.P. support I can understand. It's their supporters' job to be stunningly uninformed. But Liberal voters and party members? They're just naturally dumb, I suppose.
I would suggest all those misinformed or brain dead go direct to the Rush site and find out why he is being used. I record and listen to him every day and he belittled no one nor put forth any untruths like the MSM and Canuck shit MJF.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html
Joe B. -
Funny - there are times when even I think people could care less about money, when they don't care about partisanship - you know - times when your life depends on it.
You apparently did NOT look at the full video from the "facts" you are saying here.
This is an interesting exercise for me. I addressed a lot of conservatives on this issue which I feel to be non-partisan so we would have common ground. Doesn't appear to be that way.
by: Joe B. at October 30, 2006 01:07 AM . . said'
**
Glenn Beck (weeknights on CNN Headline News... NOT CNN... I've mentioned him here at least twice before) had a few minutes on his Thursday Oct. 26th show about stem cell research.
(www.glennbeck.com) Touched on facts that I'm certain not a lot of people know... hello, Charles Adler. Beck is WAY, WAY ahead of a guy like Adler on subjects such as this. I heard Adler rant about the Michael J. Fox thing, and how Rush Limbaugh helped him out years ago when Adler was working in the U.S.; now he's very concerned about what seems to be happening to Rush.**
I*m with Joe. Glenn Beck has to be energetic and intense to keep us awake and entertained. But he*s right on!
Anytime Adler gets an interesting question he raises the bluster and pleads the need to go to a break. Don*t waste your time. .
Check Glenn Beck - weekdays - alternate CNN.
You will like Glenn. He joins dots. = TG
jillbryant (11:37 AM)...
Look, Michael J. Fox is directly identified with the Dems. Period. If this were not so, why is it that Elizabeth Dole felt compelled to defend the Republican Party's position on stem cell research, when Chuck Schumer used the MJF interview as a cudgel with which to beat up on Dole (Fox News Sunday, Oct.29TH)?
Want information about stem cell research, without the political hype? Try a site like Michael Fumento's. But I DON'T need a bunch of histrionics (no, I'm not refering to MJF's chorea... just the fact that the MSM had to try their damndest to make the public feel, well, SOMETHING over the stem cell issue, no matter how microscopically small the issue really is) to push me towards the correct "lever" if I had a vote... which I don't in the U.S.
What Dole and Schumer do is politics...I'm sick of politics. I actually don't think of MJF with the Dems because I know he was hanging with Specter (whose cancer made him more vocal). But, others have told me Republicans don't consider Specter a Republican. How 'bout Orrin Hatch? Nancy Reagan?
I will look at Michael Fumento's later today. I am looking for some non-partisan sites...thank you for the tip.
if fox was 'overmedicated', why the %^#%$$!#^%# didnt they just postpone the taping until he had a 'good day' considering the apparent impact and publicity of the ad ???
they dont think of this over in leftieland ??? they didnt realize it would all come out in the wash ???
pffft. tempest in a teapot.
Adler was funny in his response today. Apparently he thinks that a rebuttal consists of replaying MJF quotes and yelling with more intensity.
He was careful to drop the word "false" when repeating Rush Limbaugh's quote when thundering on about not giving people "hope"...
Apparently the views of those suffering from terminal or chronic disease who have come out against Michael J. Fox's position aren't worthy of equal time and respect.
Wouldn't it be nice if politicians could be taken at their word when they write legislation? I guess Fox is just naive, like most people in Canada who don't read legislation.