Marty McFly enters politics

So Michael J. Fox has entered the political scene in the U.S., in Maryland, Missouri, and Wisconsin (CNN article here).

He is, understandably, advocating candidates who support stem-cell research, in the belief that such research may eventually provide a cure for Parkinson's Disease, a nervous disorder from which he suffers. Parkinson's causes its victims to shake, almost completely uncontrollably. How badly it affects Fox can be seen in one of his political spots here.

Republican backlash has come primarily from Rush Limbaugh, who said that Fox was either "acting," or, "off his medication." A competent doctor, seen in each article above, refutes this claim.

I am hardly surprised at Limbaugh's amazing lack of sensitivity, since this has proven to be an indispensable trait shown by Rush in the past. I am even less surprised, however, at Limbaugh's missing the larger point.

The larger point of which I speak of: even if Fox is acting or off his medication (and he claims that, ironically, he was TOO medicated), so what?

The only reason I am surprised at Fox appearing in these political ads is because I thought he was not an American citizen. He was born in Canada, but he must have acquired dual citizenship at some point. Apparently, he has lived in California for some time now, and though he is likely not a resident of the States in which his political ads are appearing, as an American, I believe that Fox has a right to convey his opinion on such an issue.

Does Fox suffer from Parkinson's Disease? If he doesn't, it's the greatest hoax in American history. Does he likely take medication to improve his ability to cope with the disease? I can't see why not. Will stem-cell research aid in coming up with newer, better medications to treat Parkinson's Disease? Maybe, but I don't know.

If Fox feels that such research will help, why shouldn't he speak up about supporting it? He's in pain, he wants help, so he's expressing his desire that Americans venture down the avenue of stem-cell research to investigate. What's the problem?

Republicans, who are largely opposed to stem-cell research, will say that the problem is that of Fox exploiting his disease for political purposes. My question is, how is Fox exploiting it if he's being open and candid about it? Isn't exploitation connotated with the idea that one person is using another person to achieve some sort of ill-gotten gain? If anything, in this situation, I see Fox using political candidates to push his own issues by piggy-backing onto their campaigns...and, um, that's no crime.

Democrats and Republicans alike receive money from special-interest groups and other issue-advocacy organizations in order that those candidates promote the agendas of those groups. Everyone in politics is guilty of this because that's how politics works. Even if donations to political candidates by these groups were to cease, little exists to stop these groups from putting issues on ballots, trying to sway the public to one side or the other of an issue. In other words, even if Fox weren't backing candidates here, he could push to have the issue of stem-cell research put on the ballots in certain states for approval or disapproval by the public.

And either way, Fox would be exerting his influence.

Bottom line: as things stand now in the political process, there is nothing wrong with what Fox is doing. He suffers from Parkinson's Disease, he thinks stem-cell research would help, and he spoke out about it. Nothing Limbaugh or any other critic could say would change the fact that Fox has a right to express his opinion about this issue that so profoundly affects him. So what if it was done to help one candidate or the other? That's how the system works.

What bothers me is Limbaugh and his supporters not recognizing the double-edged sword on this point. Limbaugh's show is entirely done for the political gain of the Conservative Right. Listen to his show, and this point is obvious.

If Rush can speak up about a point on an issue, he has to sit back and let the other side present their view. That's how the American system works. No side, especially Rush's, can have it their own way, all the time, even though that's how they'd like it.