Chris Wallace Lies About Missouri Initiative; Could It Hurt McCaskill?

[JABBS]

Click here to read the whole story.

<snip>

The Missouri Senate race is neck-and-neck. It would be a shame if empty conservative spin helped decide the victor.

Sadly, Fox News Channel's Chris Wallace, on yesterday's edition of Fox News Sunday, did his part to push that spin, falsely claiming that a state ballot initiative on embryonic stem cell research would allow human cloning.

<snip>

Wallace either does not understand the science at hand, or doesn't care. That's an unfortunate trend of late within the conservative media, not far removed from recent ignorant comments on the subject from radio ranters Rush Limbaugh or Mark Levin, or the misinformation on brain death provided by Sean Hannity and Joe Scarborough, or Limbaugh making up "facts" to argue against global warming.

Here's the theme, in case you missed it: Science isn't the issue; this is personal. Wallace implies Senate Candidate Claire McCaskill is a liar. Limbaugh suggests embyronic stem cell reserach advocate Michael J. Fox is a liar. Hannity and Scarborough bring on guests to say that Michael Schiavo is a liar. Limbaugh makes fun of Al Gore, in order to suggest he is a liar.

[acmavm]

1. Chris Wallace is lying scum. What happened? Did the genes

mutate?

[EST]

6. When his dad doesn't have to pull himself together, to do

an interview or whatever, he is pretty fu**** up. In recent years he has gotten considerably worse but he has always been a fruitcake. Junior is just getting a head start.

[acmavm]

8. But he didn't blatantly LIE. He didn't go out where everyone

knows what the truth is and LIE.

His son does. His son is a disgrace. As a journalist and a human being.

Like Tony Snow. Like Snotty. They look you in the eye and LIE.

[EST]

12. I share your antipathy for such liars.

Somehow, the "party of values" seems to hold that falsehoods in support of their causes is ok.
Detestable.

[nickinSTL]

2. He's just repeating the same anti-science BS

the opponents of the initiative here in MO have been saying.

They keep lying and saying that it would allow human cloning and the buying and selling of human eggs...both of which are specifically banned in the text of the amendment.

Here is the full text from the MO Secretary of State election web site:
http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/2006petitions/ppStemCell.asp

[JABBS]

10. thanks for the link

[longship]

3. Who watches Faux anymore?

Their viewer base is dwindling, increasingly becoming only monolithic Kool-Aid drinkers. Their influence is likewise dwindling.

[JABBS]

7. true

but it's still a factor. don't forget the echo chamber. wingers will say that mccaskill lied, that wallace is the only one willing to ask the tough questions and expose the truth, blah, blah.

[EST]

4. Fortunately, most of the voters who are seriously planning to

vote for Claire have given up on faux snooze.

[JABBS]

9. true

I'm not as worried about people not voting for mccaskill, as much as for the religious right to beat the drums on election day for talent. this seat is crucial for the Dems to regain the Senate. I'd hate to have Pat Robertson directing traffic.

[enki23]

5. of course we'd be doing human cloning. we've been doing it for decades.

I assume these fucking cretins opposed the human genome project, and a good portion of our cancer (and other biomedical) research?

In other news, Henrietta Lacks is alive and well, and her soul is very, very widely distributed. She is, however, extremely overweight.

[nonews]

11. Queston?

What exactly did Wallace say about Stem Cell Research?

[JABBS]

13. from the linked article

WALLACE: Stem cell research is a big issue in your campaign as it is in several around the country, and it’s particularly true in Missouri because there’s a constitutional amendment on the ballot that your opponent points out would allow some forms of human cloning. You support that measure.

McCASKILL: I do. But I disagree with Sen. Talent’s analysis. As a lawyer looking and reading the measure, it is very clear that it strictly prohibits human cloning. In fact, it provides a legal framework with sound ethical guidelines for this kind of research which frankly we don’t have in Missouri right now. So not only would it make sure the research could go forward in Missouri as long as it was legal at the federal level, it also will provide a much needed ethical and legal framework for this research that all of us want in Missouri and frankly all of us want in America.

WALLACE: But, Mrs. McCaskill, the ballot measure provides for something — this gets technical — provides for something called somatic cell nuclear transfer, which is a form of therapeutic cloning. Isn’t that a slippery slope if you get into any kind of cloning at all?

McCASKILL: Well, the bottom line is you are not going to get a baby out of a petri dish. This measure, which we don’t have right now, strictly prohibits any implantation of any cells in order for a human being to be created.

[Neecy]

14. A lot of people have been lying about this...

The Catholic church, the fundies, and Jim Talent have all been scaring people with this false 'human cloning' issue. Chris Wallace lying about it now, after the avalanche of lies we've been subjected to, will not make much of a dent. I'll only note that one would hope a 'journalist' would be a little better informed and not buy into the rightwing spin...oh, wait, it's FOX News! My bad.