Posted on 10/27/2006 6:06:59 AM PDT by COUNTrecount
CBS News Exclusive: Parkinson's-Afflicted Actor Tells Katie Couric He Wasn't Acting In Ad
Responding to criticism by conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh, actor Michael J. Fox defended his appearance in a political campaign ad, saying he wasn't acting or off his medication.
In fact, at the time he was over-medicated for his Parkinson's disease, Fox said Thursday in an exclusive interview with CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric.
"The irony is that I was too medicated. I was dyskinesic," Fox told Couric. "Because the thing about … being symptomatic is that it's not comfortable. No one wants to be symptomatic; it's like being hit with a hammer."
His body visibly wracked by tremors, Fox appears in a political ad touting Missouri Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill's stance in favor of embryonic stem cell research. That prompted Limbaugh to speculate that Fox was "either off his medication or acting."
Fox told Couric, "At this point now, if I didn't take medication I wouldn't be able to speak."
He said he appeared in the ad only to advance his cause, and that "disease is a non-partisan problem that requires a bipartisan solution."
"I don't really care about politics," Fox added. "We want to appeal to voters to elect the people that are going to give us a margin, so we can't be vetoed again."
Though Fox, a native of Canada who became an American citizen in 2000, has been politically active for Democratic causes, he said he has voted for and would vote for a Republican. "Arlen Specter is my guy," he said of the Republican senator from Pennsylvania. "I've campaigned for Arlen Specter. He's been a fantastic champion of stem cell research. I've spoken alongside Mike Castle, who's a Republican congressman. Absolutely."
"This is not about red states and blue states," added Fox, who has also lobbied Congress to lift President Bush's restrictions on funding for stem cell research. "This is not about Democrats and Republicans. This is about claiming our place as the scientific leader in scientific research and moving forward and helping our citizens. That’s all it is. It’s that simple."
On his Web site Tuesday, Limbaugh appeared to back away from his accusation.
"All I'm saying is I've never seen him the way he appears in this commercial for Claire McCaskill," says Limbaugh. "So I will bigly, hugely admit that I was wrong, and I will apologize to Michael J. Fox, if I am wrong in characterizing his behavior on this commercial as an act, especially since people are telling me they have seen him this way on other interviews and in other television appearances."
Fox told Couric that even though it's tough for him to sit for interviews as his symptoms worsen, he feel privileged to be able to do so.
"Honestly, I mean, I really feel this: That you get in your life very few chances to make a difference. And I really feel privileged to do this that I get a chance to do this. But having said that, it's not pretty. It's not pretty when it gets bad," Fox said. "I've learned to throw vanity out the window. I've had enough years of people thinking I was pretty and teenage girls hanging my picture on walls. I'm over that now."
In the Missouri ad, Fox says, "As you might know I care deeply about stem cell research. In Missouri you can elect Claire McCaskill, who shares my hope for cures."
McCaskill has made support for embryonic stem cell research a key part of her campaign to unseat Sen. Jim Talent. The Republican incumbent opposes the research as unethical, saying it destroys human embryos.
The ad debuted prominently Saturday night during Game 1 of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers and will continue airing statewide this week, a campaign spokeswoman said.
Debate over stem cell research looms large in Missouri, where voters are considering a ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to protect all federally allowed forms of the research, including embryonic stem cell research. The scientific study holds promise in the search to cure diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
"Unfortunately, Sen. Jim Talent opposes expanding stem cell research," Fox says in the 30-second spot. "Sen. Talent even wanted to criminalize the science that gives us a chance for hope."
Talent's campaign called the ad a false attack.
"Sen. Talent supports medical research including stem cell research that doesn't involve cloning or destroying a human embryo," said Talent spokesman Rich Chrismer.
Earlier this year, Talent withdrew his support for a Senate bill that would ban all embryonic stem cell research and impose a million-dollar fine and jail sentence on violators. But he opposes the Missouri ballot initiative, claiming it would "make cloning human life at the earliest stage a constitutional right."
Supporters of the state referendum deny that assertion, noting the language of the proposed constitutional amendment explicitly bans human cloning.
McCaskill, running even with Talent in the latest polls, hopes to get a boost from aligning herself with support for the ballot measure, which recent polls show has the support of 58 percent of likely voters. Backers of the measure have raised nearly $29 million toward its passage, the costliest political campaign in Missouri history.
Fox's ad urges voters that "what you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans. Americans like me." The ad ends with a picture of McCaskill and her voice approving the message.
Couric asked, could he have waited to film it until he was having a better day, with less dyskinesia?
"You don’t know when that’s going to be," Fox said. "My mother was visiting that day, was in the back room and she was saying throughout the filming of (the ad) — and she was talking to my friends back there — and she was saying, 'he's trying so hard to be still.' And so she was the one actually when the comments were made, she was the only who was really angry, and she said 'I can’t even see straight.' I said, ‘Mom, just relax, it’s OK, don't worry about it.' But it’s just not that simple. That’s why we're doing this."
If your stance is wrong, it's wrong.
You can't sugarcoat the fact that embryonic stem cell research is greedy, selfish, cannibalism. What makes one human decide his life is infinitely more valuable over a potential human that might be another Mozart or Einstein or even the mother of a great peacemaker?
We've ended 45,000,000 humans through abortion and whatever they could have contributed to life.
I had a neighbor and an associate with the same disease. I never once heard about any pain associated with it. And the one guy complains about everything.
it's at least an acknowledgement that he wasn't his "normal" self ... and, if he knew that, he should have reshot the ad, unless, of course, he liked the effect .. no one thinks that could be the case, do they?
MJF is not being honest. It's a liberal thing.
It says it bans cloning, but then it allows for cloning defined by the technical name.
It is very misleading. The SMALL explanation that is on the ballot makes it look like a no cloning initiative, when if you read the whole proposed amendment (which is not on the ballot) it clearly allows for cloning.
LOL. Does he realize the second sentence contradicts the first??
He's now playing in the big leagues, in the political realm, and so..."He needs Sympathy, Sympathy, just Sympathy......" (used to sing that in Glee Club).
Since this ad was scripted and paid for by the Dumbocrap party, they could have had pity on Michael J. by reshooting the scene. Did they reshoot? Hell, NO! The Dumbs got exactly what they wanted. Whether from overmedication, no medication, mixed in with a little acting, or whatever was going on, anyone watching has pity for Michael J. But he's in the big leagues now. My once Commander-in-Chief Harry Truman said it, "If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen." Michael is running into a little of the heat he didn't expect.
I had a good friend who died of Parkinsons a couple of years ago. It was difficult for me to watch him going through the agony of Parkinsons, but that says nothing about how difficult it was for him. Pity for Fox? Of course I have pity for Fox.
But not as a political ham!
Fox is sophisticated and knew exactly what he was doing when he altered his medication.
Frankly, he damaged his credibility and altering dosage for political reasons is beyond contempt.
Yeah, riiiiiight.......
"If you are using stem cells to get democrats elected as part of your liberal agenda, That aint fine."
No, it's fine. But it also puts him in the path of the oncoming train. And that train hit him square in the face.
Victimhood doesn't play to Conservatives.
(1) No person may clone or attempt to clone a human being.
(2) No human blastocyst may be produced by fertilization solely for the purpose of stem cell research.
(3) No stem cells may be taken from a human blastocyst more than fourteen days after cell division begins; provided, however, that time during which a blastocyst is frozen does not count against the fourteen-day limit.
(4) No person may, for valuable consideration, purchase or sell human blastocysts or eggs for stem cell research or stem cell therapies and cures.
(5) Human blastocysts and eggs obtained for stem cell research or stem cell therapies and cures must have been donated with voluntary and informed consent, documented in writing.
Down the page is this:
6. As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) “Blastocyst” means a small mass of cells that results from cell division, caused either by fertilization or somatic cell nuclear transfer, that has not been implanted in a uterus.
(2) “Clone or attempt to clone a human being” means to implant in a uterus or attempt to implant in a uterus anything other than the product of fertilization of an egg of a human female by a sperm of a human male for the purpose of initiating a pregnancy that could result in the creation of a human fetus, or the birth of a human being.
(3) “Donated” means donated for use in connection either with scientific or medical research or with medical treatment.
(4) “Fertilization” means the process whereby an egg of a human female and the sperm of a human male form a zygote (i.e., fertilized egg).
(5) “Human embryonic stem cell research,” also referred to as “early stem cell research,” means any scientific or medical research involving human stem cells derived from in vitro fertilization blastocysts or from somatic cell nuclear transfer. For purposes of this section, human embryonic stem cell research does not include stem cell clinical trials.
I think that the language of #2 makes it easy to clone the embryos without ever implanting them...because they are not intended to be implanted but they are intended to be used in the lab for research. Either way it is still cloning of a human whether one calls it a blastocyte or embryo. In either case it is the earliest stages of human life. It is CLONING for research purposes and it is written in such a way to make people think that no cloning will happen. This is simply untrue.
No matter what he says, the ad was totally political. Embryonic stem cell research is proven to be a bust and adult stem cell has shown promise. Why is it that those facts seldom see the light of day? I totally detest the way his ad makes it seem that Republicans don't care about the research and have totally lost respect for him.
Arlene Spector is a RINO, no wonder Fox likes him.
"I don't really care about politics,"
Bull-Hockey!! If that were the case, you wouldn't be making "political" ads promoting RAT "politicians", Mikey!
Then why campaign for anybody?
MJ, I used to like you...but you're showing yourself to be a liar.
dys·ki·ne·sia (dsk-nzh, -k-) KEY
NOUN:
An impairment in the ability to control movements, characterized by spasmodic or repetitive motions or lack of coordination. --- he wasn't off his meds, he was "OVERMEDICATED"
Very misleading because "somatic cell nuclear transfer" IS cloning!!
Scientism gone wild. The science community thinks we are all rubes and that they can write cloning into the Missouri Constitution without being called what they are, lying sons of bitches.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.