October 24, 2006

Fox’s Foul

By Kathryn Jean LopezNRO

In the political dictionary next to “hardball” might appropriately be the latest ad running in Missouri in support of Democratic candidate for Senate Claire McCaskill and Amendment 2, a pro-cloning initiative up for a vote on Election Day. Missouri voters should call a foul on Amendment 2 supporters.

In the commercial, which ran during game two of the World Series in St. Louis Sunday night, a clearly suffering Michael J. Fox — the beloved actor, who has Parkinson’s disease, is shaking as he speaks — pulls on voters’ heartstrings and serves up an unfair and disingenuous message.

“In Missouri, you can elect Claire McCaskill, who shares my hope for cures,” Fox tells viewers. Mentioning Republican Senator Jim Talent by name for his opposition to the initative, Fox says, “Senator Talent even wanted to criminalize the science that gives us a chance for hope.” Fox tells viewers, “What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans — Americans like me.”

The reality of Amendment 2 is far from the simple vote for “hope” Fox suggests it is. As opponents of the measure are emphasizing in their 2tricky ad campaign — without the money or star power the pro-Amendment folks have lined up — the initiative is a complicated, unnecessary move. As an anti-Amendment 2 website picks apart the issue:

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