Posted on 10/25/2006 10:41:15 AM PDT by lowbridge
Posted by Megan McCormack on October 25, 2006 - 11:34.
In an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer on Wednesday’s 'Good Morning America,' Sean Hannity defended fellow talk radio host Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh has taken a lot of heat in the press for his criticism of Michael J. Fox’s campaign ads in favor of embryonic stem cell research and Democratic Senate candidates. Hannity fought the notion that Fox, who has injected himself through these ads into the political arena, is "immune" from critics, a view Sawyer seemed to express:
Sawyer: "Rush Limbaugh. What, what is going on here? Attacking Michael J. Fox?...Rush Limbaugh, even in his apology, said that Mike Fox was allowing his illness to be exploited, shilling for a Democratic candidate. If you have Parkinson’s disease, and you believe embryonic stem cell research is the, is the answer, a possible answer, a possible cure, don't you have a right to speak up?"
Hannity: "You have a right to speak up, but he also has a right to be criticized. He’s a guy that is very political...He’s supporting a guy in Maryland, Ben Cardin and Ben Cardin voted the opposite way of which he wanted. Why isn’t he running ads against the Democrat? He supported John Kerry. He supported Chuck Schumer. He wants these guys defeated. It doesn’t–he’s not immune from any criticism." [cut]
Hannity went further in pointing out the politics behind the ad:
Hannity: "And, you know, what's so sinister about this ad, first of all, it’s an 11th hour ad. It comes out, Michael J. Fox knows he’s–well, he wants to defeat these Republicans. That's why two weeks out of an election he's come in here...And I think, you know, unfortunately, he wants to create an impression here Republicans don't care about the health of people, they don’t want to cure Parkinson’s, this is only about the funding of federal stem cell issues."
Sawyer then wondered if Limbaugh went "too far." Hannity defended Limbaugh, arguing that he was referring to Fox’s book, in which he admitted to not taking his medication before testifying for a Senate subcommittee. Sawyer falsely stated that Limbaugh did no such thing:
Sawyer: "But, bottom line, did Rush Limbaugh go too far for you?"
Hannity: "I think–my take on what Rush said, is Rush was referring to Michael J. Fox’s own admission in his own book where he said he stopped taking the medication–"
Sawyer: "He didn’t say that. He didn't talk about the congressional testimony–"
Sawyer was mistaken. According to this transcript from Limbaugh’s radio program, the radio show host specifically cited Fox’s testimony before Congress:
Rush Limbaugh: "I did some research today, and I found his book that was published. It's 'Lucky Man,' 2002, but he admits in the book that before Senate subcommittee on appropriations I think in 1999, September of 1999, he did not take his medication for the purposes of having the ravages and the horrors of Parkinson's disease illustrated, which was what he has done in the commercials that are running for Claire McCaskill and Jim Talent...."
Hannity then went on to point out the inaccuracies of the ads:
Hannity: "What's unfortunate and deceiving about the ad, though, this is important, is that this is about the federal funding of embryotic stem cells. Stem cell research is legal in Missouri. It's being funded, and it’s going on in state universities and that’s not put in the ad."
The other major topic discussed was about a campaign ad being run in Tennessee for white Republican Senate candidate Bob Corker against a black Democrat, Harold Ford, Jr. In the ad, a woman is shown saying, "Harold Ford looks nice, isn’t that enough?" While Corker himself has criticized the ad, Sawyer wondered if the ad was a sign of "desperation by the Republicans." Hannity slammed the Democrats for their "selective moral outrage":
Sawyer: "Harold Ford looks nice, isn't that enough? Does this read as desperation by the Republicans?"
Hannity: "We have a race, an African-American Republican candidate in the state of Maryland, Michael Steel. Michael Steel was called a token by a Democrat, Steny Hoyer, was, in his particular race, he said he has a slavish mentality to the Republican party. The only thing that bothers me is there seems to be selective moral outrage by Democrats. They have not spoken out about those outrageous comments. They’ve defended them."
Hannity then listed several examples of Democrats making racially-charged statements that went largely ignored by their fellow liberals and the media. Sawyer, however, didn’t want to get into a discussion of those remarks. She wanted to put the focus squarely on this one GOP ad:
Hannity: "So, look, if you go back and you want to talk about the race card historically in elections, a Missouri ad ran in ‘98 that said if you elect Republicans, black churches will burn. We know the controversy over the James Byrd NAACP ad. Al Gore once said in an African American church in 2000, Republicans don't want to count you in the census. You know, lot of incendiary things have been said over the years and–"
Sawyer: "Yeah, but we’re–that's over the years. We're talking about right now..."
Playing the race card in the past doesn't seem to matter, according to Sawyer and the liberal media, when Democrats are the players.
'Selective Moral Outrage'
Sawyer, a card carrying lefty is outraged at Limbaugh - what a surprise.
One, I doubt Sawyrer has ever listened to Rush, even for five minutes. Two, her faux outrage shows her desperation not Republican.
And to think she once worked in the Nixon White House.
Is Diane liberal? I wasn't sure, because she used to work for Richard Nixon years ago . Wasn't sure how leftist she was.
Typical. Anyone surprised by this?
Typical hypocrite hit piece by the lefty scum.
How much stem cell research (and what kind) did Bill Clinton fund?
she was Nixons mole probably. Why else would the left embrace her so much.
I think this might be one of Sean's best terms
Rush can take care of himself. He's a big boy and Diane Sawyer can't lay a hand on him in any discussion of ideas.
I think it's unfortunate that this has devolved into a personality debate ignoring the issue which is that adult stem cell research as well as umbilical cord research is being pursued with promising results and the media is ignoring that everyone supports that research. They even mischaracterize the opposition to embryonic stem cell research as opposition to all stem cell research. It makes me despair that we can ever deal rationally with any issue.
She is married to Marxist Director Mike Nichols( The Graduate)
a lefty radical.
And somewhere out there, Ann Coulter is thinking, this is the point I was trying to make regarding the dems. They parade people they want you to feel sorry for, and you're not to utter any criticism if you disagree with t heir stance.
Good for Sean! He had the facts, and she didn't.
Probably as a spy!
When you have no morality, you can select what and when something is outrageous and when the same thing isn't.. and that's exactly what leftist by and large are.. devoid of morality.
Excellent question. Course the Dims would say that's in the past. Anyone have the answer?
How much stem cell research (and what kind) did Bill Clinton fund?
Sean did a really good job. Handled this very well.
Fox is a shill for people who sound very much like con artists perpetrating a medical research con. One of the ways to recognize a con is that con artists tend to oversell their proposal. They make the proposal sound too good to be true.
Fox conveniently ignores the fact that Dr. Michel Lévesque at UCLA is already using adult stem cells to treat Parkinson's. Why hasn't Fox taken advantage of this treatment instead of pushing treatment that might not be available for a decade or more?
http://www.stemcellresearch.org/testimony/levesque.htm
I have an article with numerous links to adult stem cell treatments at:
http://reasonmclucus.tripod.com/stem_links_1004.html
The article needs to be updated but it points out adult stem cell use since the 1990's.
Nixon wasn't a conservative in the modern sense. He was anti-communist, but he was no social conservative.
His domestic policies included things like wage and price controls that even democrats won't touch these days.
Liberals have to understand that free speech works going both ways.
When they roll out the shaking clown and he shakes on camera for 30 seconds and he injects himself into politics, we have every right to attack him back.
The Homosexual and Disabled mafias in this country are the most dangerous groups, to start killing unborn children and experimenting on them is beyond reprehensible.
I think it was Ann Coulter who revealed that Diane Sawyer was a very low level staffer in the Nixon White House. She was just above intern status or something like that. Yet the media apologists who claim there is no bias use her as an example because she worked for Nixon better than 3 decades ago. What a laugh.
bttt
Limbaugh apologized?
Is Diane liberal?
She sure is. I was flipping through the channels, making my way to the FNN and caught the opening of GMA. She was absolutely having orgasms over her recent trip to North Korea, how great is was, how great the people were, etc. It was sickening.
Yes, for what I don't know.
I saw that interview and Sawyer definitely put the brakes on when Sean Hannity was pointing out the double standard race card that the Dims play. To me, Hannity was pointing out the vicious pattern the Dims have used for years and Sawyer certainly showed her true colors when she rudely interrupted and wouldn't let him continue. He was hitting the proverbial nail on the head. Sawyer is nothing but a leftist sheep following the flock. Too bad she didn't stay in North Korea.
I think he only apologized the other day IF Fox wasn't taking his medication on purpose. That is what I gathered from his comments today.
The Dickey Amendment is the name of a piece of federal legislation passed by United States Congress in 1995, and signed by former President Bill Clinton which prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from using appropriated funds for the creation of human embryos for research purposes or for research in which human embryos are destroyed. HHS funding includes the funding for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. Technically the Dickey Amendment is a "rider" to other legislation, which amends the original legislation.
But it is one of those cases where he was against it before he was for it:
The Clinton administration on Wednesday will unveil long-awaited guidelines that will allow U.S. scientists for the first time to conduct research on human embryo cells, The Washington Post reported. The Post said the new guidelines will insist that federal research be conducted only on cells taken from frozen embryos that were destined to be discarded anyway, and that no federal money is used for the destruction of embryos to get the cells. [Note: Basically, same as Bush]
However, it looks like he did not get his way:
Since 1996, Congress has voted each year to ban federal funding for research that harms human embryos. So the Clinton administration did not fund embryonic stem-cell research, and early on, President Bush vowed not to as well. But on August 9, 2001, the president surprised many by announcing that federally funded research could go forward under certain circumstances.
My Dad died from a form of Parkinson's. MJF's BS just really irks me.
Nixon in on record as requesting Sawyer be on his team at one time. He thought she was very smart. I think she did research for him once upon a time.
AWESOME job by Hannity!!! Way to go... BTS- you hate Sean, but even you've gotta give him kudos for this appearance. Just awesome.
Thanks so much, appreciate it! So sorry about your Dad.
Exactly right! Vis a vis Max Cleland in 2002, Christopher Reeve in 2004 (God rest his soul, but let's not forget that he was a keynote speaker in 1996, not long after his accident, at the Democrat National Convention), Cindy Sheehan in 2005, Kevin Tillman in 2006, the Jersey Girls for the last three or four years, Michael J. Fox now, someone else probably in the next two weeks...
The Ronery Guy may be evil, but he isnt stupid enough to keep her.
The liberals have been well known for their selective moral outrage for years. it's called political correctness. It's nothing but a bunch of little totalitarian children who are looking for some reason to be "offended."
But they share the same attitudes they claim offned them.
Liberal? Maybe. Dumb as a stump? Definitely!
thanks for the research
I agree.
I am going to use it some more .
8-)
'Selective Moral Outrage'
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