Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Asshole

First posted at The Smirking Chimp on October 28, 2006

Not that it's anything new, but Michael Moore has been proven right again! I realize that the news is a few days old, but I haven't seen any other threads regarding this.
Michael J Fox has been doing campaign spots for Democratic candidates that support Federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. In case you didn't know, he has Parkinson's Disease (PD), so he does have skin in the game (as do I). His symptoms have progressed to level 3 or so, so most of the time, he has a bad resting tremor. In the spots, his arms are moving, his trunk is twisting, and his head is nodding gently but constantly. All very fluid. In other words, a classic resting tremor.

Limbaugh opens his useless piehole and claims, on his nationally syndicated radio show, that Fox either purposely exaggerated his symptoms, or stopped taking his meds for the spot. "Mr. Fox is exaggerating the effects of the disease, he's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act. . . . this is really shameless of Michael J. Fox.. . . . either he didn't take his medication or he's acting. This is the only time I've ever seen Michael J. Fox portray any of the symptoms of the disease he has. He can barely control himself." I guess he didn't watch Boston Legal the other night. His claims are ludicrous. You can't fake a resting tremor. Watch somebody who has one, and try to duplicate it. You can't. There is no way that you can make it look real with deliberate motions. Also, you don't just stop taking PD meds, as they are highly addictive, and the withdrawal is extremely uncomfortable. Trust me on this one.
Limbaugh, taking a lot of well-deserved heat, has issued a classic conservative non-apology--"Now people are telling me they have seen Michael J. Fox in interviews and he does appear the same way in the interviews as he does in this commercial, all right then, I stand corrected. . . . 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." Then, after his non-apology, he renewed his attack--"Michael J. Fox is allowing his illness to be exploited, and in the process is shilling for a Democratic politician." Actually, he has also spoken up for Republicans who support embryonic stem cell research. His (and my) desire for possible cures for PD and many other illnesses is pretty much non-partisan. It just happens that almost all of the politicians opposed to stem cell research happen to be Republican.
To think that this malicious tripe is being spewed by a drug addict, who rightfully should, under Florida law, be rotting in prison for the rest of his life. Truly, there is no justice.