I wrote two pieces (Here and Here) earlier about Michael J Fox and his ads asking people to vote for Democrats who support stem cell research. Actually, he wants those who support embryonic stem cell research but that is not mentioned. Fox has good reason to want any chance at all because he suffers from Parkinson’s disease. It is debilitating and he is young. I wrote earlier that he was placed in front of the cameras so that he could garner the sympathy vote from people upset at watching his spasmodic movements. For this I was taken to task by several people and that is OK. It is important to remember that MJF does not take his medications when he is going to be discussing this malady so that he can show the full effects of the disease. Before some jackass writes to tell me that this is a side effect of the medication, get a medical degree, learn what you are talking about, and then write to me. The motivations of MJF are suspect in that I believe he wants a cure but he is also a supporter of Democrats (he campaigned for Kerry) so he might have another agenda as well. Given that he does not take his medication so it will be more dramatic it is not cavalier or crass to believe he has more than one agenda.
MJF made the first video for the Senate race in Missouri and the second was for Ben Cardin here in the People’s Republic of Maryland. Here is the transcript from the Maryland video:
Michael J. Fox: Stem cell research offers hope to millions of Americans with diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
But George Bush and Michael Steele would put limits on the most promising stem cell research.
Fortunately, Marylanders have a chance to vote for Ben Cardin.
Cardin fully supports life-saving stem cell research. It’s why I support Ben Cardin.
And with so much at stake, I respectfully ask you to do the same.
So far this all sounds about right for Michael’s position. Unfortunately, Michael must have missed something. Perhaps he was so willing to believe that all Democrats support ESCR that he just believed Cardin was the right guy for the job. Remember that Fox said Bush and Steele would put limits on stem cell research and that Cardin fully supports it. I guess someone forgot to tell Michael that Ben Cardin voted against stem cell research. Yep, Cardin voted against it. Michael Steel opposes ESCR where the embryo is destroyed but he has never voted on the matter. Ben Cardin is the only candidate in the race who has voted on the issue and he voted against it. Here is a bit of information about Cardin and his voting record on stem cell research:
- On September 6, 2006, the Frederick News Post reported: “[Cardin] opposes suggestions that stem cell research is acceptable if the embryo isn’t destroyed. (Liam Farrell, “Pursuing Change,” Frederick News Post, September 2, 2006)
- Alternate Stem Cell Research Methods — Passage. “Barton, R-Texas, motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill that would require the National Institutes of Health to conduct and support research on the isolation, derivation and production of pluripotent stem cells that do not destroy human embryos. It would require the Health and Human Services secretary to issue final guidelines for additional stem cell research, with priority for research with the greatest potential to yield benefits in the near future, within 90 days of the bill’s enactment.” (S. 2754, CQ Vote #380: Motion rejected. July 18, 2006, Cardin voted Nay)
Cardin voted against a bill that would have allowed stem cell research if the embryo was not destroyed. Here is Michael Steele’s position on the issue:
“I am an enthusiastic supporter of cord blood, adult stem cell and embryonic stem cell research that does not destroy the embryo, and I fully support expanding innovations in technology that make it possible to treat and prevent disease without the willful destruction of human embryos.”
Steele supports research that does not destroy the embryo and Cardin does not. Cardin voted against the bill. So where did Michael J Fox get his information? Was he even aware of this? I have to think that if he is so involved in the process and cares as much as I think he does then he had to of known how people voted. If he did not know, why didn’t he check before making the video? Perhaps his appearance has two agendas, the first to bring the issue to the front of the electorate and second to get Democrats elected. Perhaps Cardin promised that he would vote for it next time. What ever the reason, Fox just made an ad in which he supports a candidate that voted against the research and in which he told this lie; “Cardin fully supports life-saving stem cell research. It’s why I support Ben Cardin.”
I wonder if Fox will now un-support Cardin and support Steele. Steele would have voted for that bill since it was one that said embryos could not be destroyed. I doubt that this will be the case and I doubt there will be much ado about this whole thing in the TSM (Terrorist Supporting media HT:Vulgorilla). I also doubt Cardin will run around telling people that he voted against the very thing Fox is praising him for. Cardin will keep his mouth shut and not say a word. It is bad enough he allowed Fox to make a video that deceives people but by not informing the public about his nay vote, he is fostering and supporting the lie. It also appears that Cardin originally sponsored the bill and voted against it for political reasons.
Is that the kind of person we want in the Senate?
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