Rush Limbaigh's lack of contriteness might cost the Republican Party dearly on November 7th.

It has been argued that Rush Limbaugh is the individual most responsible for the 1994 Republican Revolution that brought the GOP control of the House and Senate for the first time in four decades.   Apart from Newt Gingrich, no other individual was so able to mobilize conservatives on both the airwaves and at the ballot box.

But if the GOP is to lose control of both the House and Senate next month, one certainly cannot pin its entire misfortune on the top-rated radio talk show host.  The War in Iraq, the Abramoff scandal and the Mark Foley affair have taken their cumulative toll on the GOP in the polls.  However, with his cheap shot towards actor Michael J. Fox, Limbaugh might have hammered the final nail into their coffin.

Fox taped some political advertisements in support of Wisconsin’s Democratic Governor Jim Doyle, Ben Cardin (the Democratic Senate candidate in Maryland), and Clare McCaskill, who is running against Republican Senator Jim Talent in Missouri.  Fox argues that each of these candidates support stem cell research.  Of course, it is well known that Fox is afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease and its effects were quite visible in the ads.  As someone who grew up watching him on television with Family Ties and at the movies with Back to the Future, it was difficult to watch him without being overwhelmed with sadness.   

Nonetheless, Limbaugh certainly is well within his right to criticize Fox.  He could have argued that Fox cannot know if stem cell research will find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease.  He could have challenged Fox’s claim that Senator Talent wants to “criminalize” stem cell research.  He could have pointed out, as Maryland’s Republican Senatorial candidate Michael Steele has done, that Cardin has voted against alternate stem cell research.  

However, Limbaugh did none of these things.  Instead, he chose to sully Fox.

Limbaugh claimed that Fox was exaggerating the effects of his disease, calling it “purely an act.” As Limbaugh said this, he gesticulated wildly, mocking the effects of Fox’s illness.  He further stated that Fox was “either off his medication or acting.”  Limbaugh justified his position by pointing out that Fox had made a deliberate point of not taking his medication when he testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee in 1998, and has continued to insist this is the case.  The day after he made his initial remarks, Limbaugh told a caller, “I was right.  He was off his meds.”  Limbaugh simply cannot know this for a fact.  Fox has stated for the record in an interview with Katie Couric on the CBS Evening News that he was on his medication and could not have done the ads without taking them.  Medical experts on Parkinson’s such as Dr. Elaine Richman have said Fox was exhibiting symptoms consistent with being on his medication.  It must also be remembered that eight years have passed since his testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, and that the effects of Parkinson’s on Fox have advanced considerably.

Some, such as CNN’s Glenn Beck, have argued that Limbaugh apologized for his remarks.  He has not.   Limbaugh stated, “I will apologize to Michael J. Fox if I am wrong in characterizing his behavior in this commercial as an act.”

Ladies and gentlemen, this is not an apology.  It is a copout.  Limbaugh is either sorry or he is not sorry.  His lack of contriteness might cost the Republican Party dearly on November 7th. 

You see, Limbaugh broke the golden rule.  Don’t kick someone when they are down.

Sure, the “dittoheads” will go along with Rush no matter what and people who think Rush is a big, fat idiot will continue to think so despite his losing weight long ago.  But this is the sort of thing that hits a raw nerve for people sitting on the fence.  Especially so because Fox is a beloved figure.

Don’t believe me?  Let’s take a look at what happened in Fox’s native country of Canada during the federal election in 1993.  The governing Progressive Conservatives released a series of ads attacking Liberal Party leader Jean Chretien.  One of the commercials focused on several shots of Chretien’s face, and this would prove to be the Tories' undoing.  Chretien has Bell’s Palsy and the spot appeared to be attacking his disability.  This raised the ire of Canadians across the political spectrum, myself included.   Prime Minister Kim Campbell, who had not seen the ads, ordered them to be pulled off the air but did not apologize for them.  The Tories' lack of contriteness would prove to be fatal to their electoral fortunes:  Chretien would win the first of three Liberal majority governments while the Tories would be reduced to two seats in the House of Commons.  The right-wing in Canada would languish in federal politics until the election of Stephen Harper earlier this year.  

Or put another way: What Limbaugh said about Fox was every bit as despicable as what liberal actor George Clooney said about conservative actor Charlton Heston.   In January 2003, when Clooney accepted an award from the National Board of Review, he quipped, “Charlton Heston announced again today that he is suffering from Alzheimer’s.”  When Liz Smith of the New York Post asked Clooney about the remark, he replied, “I don’t care.  Charlton Heston is the head of the National Rifle Association.  He deserves whatever anyone says about him.”  For Clooney, if one is the President of the NRA or for that matter the 700 Club or the Family Research Council, one deserves whatever malady that might come his way.  For his part, Heston took the high road.  He replied simply, “It just goes to show that sometimes class does skip a generation,” referring to Clooney’s aunt, the late songstress Rosemary Clooney.  Fox has been similarly gracious.  Instead of personally attacking Limbaugh he has expressed gratitude that voters are focusing more of their attention on stem cell research.  

We are entering the final stretch of the midterm elections.  As the old adage goes, a week in politics is a lifetime.  Missouri voters might be so elated by the St. Louis Cardinals World Series victory that they might forget Fox’s plea and re-elect Jim Talent.  We are one step removed from a prominent Democrat likening our troops to al Qaeda terrorists.  Such an ill-advised utterance could change everything and save the GOP majority in one if not both Houses of Congress.  So much could happen between now and November 7th.

Yes, Rush Limbaugh is not a politician.  However, he is closely associated with the Republican Party and is considered one of the standard bearers of American conservatism.   As such, his statements about Fox create the perception that conservatives and by extension the Republican Party hold people like Fox in contempt, and believe such people are not worthy of our assistance, compassion or respect.  It is one thing for Rush Limbaugh to express reservations about the merits of stem cell research or whether the federal government ought to fund it.  It is quite another for Rush Limbaugh to crassly make fun of a person afflicted with a disease and suggest that it is purely an act simply because he holds views that are contrary to his own.  Rush Limbaugh’s words and deeds give Republicans and conservatives everywhere a bad name.