Limbaugh Says Actor Fox Exaggerates Effects of Disease in Ads (WaPo Hit Piece)

The Washington Post ^ | Tuesday, October 24, 2006 | Daniela Deane

[kristinn]

****New Info***
To: Matchett-PI; All
The Washington Post has replaced the original article at the source link and almost completely rewritten their hit piece with a new author:

By David Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 25, 2006; C01
120 posted on 10/24/2006 8:24:16 PM CDT by kristinn
********

Below is an excerpt of the Original article before the Washington Post rewrote it.

Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh today attacked actor Michael J. Fox for inserting his halting voice into the U.S. Senate campaign in Missouri, suggesting Fox was "acting" in a commercial where he's shown shaking while endorsing the importance of stem cell research.

"He is exaggerating the effects of the disease," Limbaugh told listeners today, encouraging them to go online to watch Fox's commercial, which first aired Oct. 21 in St. Louis during a World Series game. "He's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act."

In the commercial, Fox throws his support behind Democratic Missouri Senate candidate Claire McCaskill, who supports stem cell research, against Republican James M. Talent. Fox also taped similar ads for other Democratic candidates, including Benjamin L. Cardin in his Senate race against Republican Michael S. Steele in Maryland and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D), who is seeking reelection.

SNIP

"What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans, Americans like me," Fox said in the television spot, which will continue airing throughout Missouri this week.

"This is the only time I've ever seen Michael J. Fox portray any of the symptoms of the disease he has," Limbaugh said. "He can barely control himself."

Limbaugh said Fox could "control himself enough to stay in the frame of the picture" and to keep "his eyes right on the . . . teleprompter. But his head and shoulders are moving all over the place."

"He is acting like his disease is deteriorating because Jim Talent opposes research that would help him get cured," Limbaugh said, adding that Talent only opposes "fetal stem cell research, but not adult."

"This is really shameless of Michael J. Fox," Limbaugh said. "Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting."

[bray]

This is going to backfire on Fox and the Stone Age Press. Fox is going to show himself to be a pitiful hack with that, feel sorry for me while I lie through my teeth routine. Truly a disgusting individual.

He is about to find out there is no Canned Applause outside SoddomWood.

Pray for W and Our Troops

[pepperdog]

I guess I heard Rush say something different from what the MSM hearing impaired seem to have heard. Here (paraphrased)is what I thought Rush said:

Fox is an actor. Fox, himself, stated that he went off his meds to show the congress how debiliting MS is. And then Rush said MS was an awful disease and he wasn't making light of it.

Once more the MSM is bent of making a tempest out of a non-happening. What Rush reported was exactly what Fox said he had done. No more, no less. I really do hate the MSM!

[Dane]

That's a great ad. Concise and to the point.

[Alia]

Fox has my sympathies, but this is exactly what Ann Coulter describes in Godless where the Democrats trot out a victim and use them as a shield to ward off debate on their political beliefs.

Kristinn, you of all people are well acquainted with the memory of the Communists (in Academia, mostly) in America and UK offering to act as "human shields" for the terrorists and murderers and pro-Saddam thuggery in early day lead-up to the WOT.

The Democrats have used "human shields" in their politics for 30+ years. We've all agreed to call this the "victimization" ploy by Democrats. But really it is about using people as "moral" shields while the Dems deliver their lies.

Michael J. Fox is posing as a "human shield" for the Dem spin machine.

[I see my hands]

Did anyone else hear a bell go off in their head when Rush first uttered the word "acting"? The only other times that happens to me is when he talks about that mouse in the trash can.

Nonetheless this is all an opportunistic hatchet job on the one the libs hate to love to hate.

(Rush, if you're reading.. How yoo?)

[Bob]

Many who deal with this disease daily understand the challenges of the affects of their medication, and accept its limitations.

So it's perfectly OK that Fox, as he said in his own book, deliberately went off his meds before testifying to Congress so that he could better dramatize his condition? That's certainly a self-imposed 'limitation' on the effects of the medication but I consider it a clearly despicable one.

[kcvl]

Daniela Deane is a free-lance writer who contributes to the Washington Post and Newsweek. She lives with her husband and two sons in Italy.

[Toespi]

Does anyone know MJF's position on abortion prior to his diagnosis?

[StAnDeliver]

They're trying to use Limbaugh to polarize their DUmmie lunatic fringe -- the ones that bitch the most but never seem to come out to actually vote.

It was inevitable. Rush is single-handedly pulling the GOP fat out of the fire, the ComPost knows it, and this is their strike back.

[Petronski]

BTW, when is the Wash Compost going to ask Michael J. Fox when he and his wife could produce their own embryos for later harvest for their stem cells, and that would be perfectly legal and they have the financial means to do so, but yet they don't.

Thing is, Dane, I bet they're already doing it.

[sinanju]

That's why I lost all respect for Jim Brady over twenty years ago.

[Recovering_Democrat]

I heard the show. In the next segment, Rush offered an apology to Fox after many people communicated to Rush that Fox did indeed behave in a strange manner because of the disease. He apologized immediately.

But, hey, the Washington COMpost doesn't give a s**t about context or truth or telling the whole story, does it?

Nope. All the liberal idiots there want to do is lie for their liberal causes.

[RoseofTexas]

Just two words for all the bastardly RATS....

BROKEN GLASS!!!!!!!

If need be...CRAWLING THROUGH BROKEN GLASS to cast my vote!!!

[I see my hands]

That was his strongest and most substantive paragraph on the issue today. It was music to my ears. Telling the dims to stick it was an elegant coda.

[ozzymandus]

Fox is a classless POS, using his illness to political advantage.

[kcvl]

I early voted today!

I couldn't stand it any longer!!!

[Sir Gawain]

And he faked a local pronunciation of "Missouri". That's pretty pathetic.

[conservative blonde]

Michael J. Fox controlled himself quite well, and did not shake all around when he appeared on several Boston Legal episodes recently. I'm with Rush when he says Fox was "acting" the exaggeration of his disease. Actually, Fox should check in with the adult stem cell researchers as they are finding therapies for Parkinsons.

[bray]

This is no different that the James Byrd ads. Using a handicapped person to lie for the Dims.

Pray for W and Our Troops

[RoseofTexas]

I'm going tomorrow to my local early voting polling place and come election day, I'm going AGAIN!! Heck what's good for the RAT is good enough for me!! I have adopted the motto, VOTE and VOTE OFTEN!! Heck YES!