Matt Drudge, the Internet’s top Smear Queen and disseminator of horseshit has been at it again all day. A testament, perhaps, to how much trouble they must feel like Bush is now in.
At the very top of the page, and with no attribution or link to follow up, Drudge has been screaming this all day with the mocking headline “BE HEALED”:
I do not have access to Lexis/Nexis, which has a more complete archive of news articles, so I welcome anyone who does to look deeper into this, but so far, the only account I’ve been able to find on the net quotes Edwards very differently!
In “Central Iowa’s Daily Newspaper” the Times/Republican Edwards is quoted saying this instead:
Now that quote is quite a bit different than the one Drudge uses, again, without any attribution whatsoever.
Of course, Rush and the Rightwing Bloggers have had their panties in a bunch all day repeating Drudge’s version of the quote to millions of Americans. Haven’t watched Hannity & Colmes yet tonight or listened to Hannity’s radio program today, but anybody wanna bet our friend Hannity feels free to repeat the bullshit as many times as possible today?
Bush/Cheney ’04: If you can’t win honestly, just make shit up.
UPDATE: CNN has given credence to Drudge by repeating his version of the quote in a story headlined “Frist knocks Edwards over stem cell comment”. Did CNN indepently verify the quote before they asked Frist about it? Or are they continuing their lazy track record of simply accepting whatever Drudge tells them?
UPDATE: As predicted, Hannity played the clip from Edwards’ speech on Hannity & Colmes, and though it seems a bit closer to Drudge’s quote, it was very tightly edited. Jumping in mid-sentence at both the front and back of Edwards’ sentence. Hannity’s quote:
Still seeking a more complete, unedited, version of the speech. I’ve contacted Tom Owens, the reporter who wrote the Times/Republican piece to see if I can get further info. Will let you know what I hear back.
Interestingly, I heard the quote from Edwards on the Radio as did a couple others I know. Perhaps Drudge didn’t lie :O
I’ll be happy to correct the record if I can get verifiable confirmation. Do you have a link to a station that has the audio available?
It was WJR 760AM Detroit. One of those "news briefs" at the top of the hour. Don’t know if they have audio from it or not. It was ABC News. Notice my quote is just a bit different than that of Drudge’s. Perhaps he *did* edit it or something.
The update you have that Hannity aired, is similar to the quote I heard. Mine was completely from memory, so any errors I’m willing to fix of course. If somehow the quotes were edited terribly, then I think ABC has some answering to do.
Regardless of the context however, I feel that Edwards has politicized the death of Reeve for his and Senator Kerry’s gain. That is my whole point behind it.
WJR runs Rush, Sean and Dr. Laura. Are you sure it wasn’t on one of their shows? (Checking the Rush website now…)
But a question for you, Troll. If I happened to have a particular form of terminal cancer, for example, and spent the rest of my life’s work trying to rally support for research into that cancer, and one political party had attempted to stop the research into that cancer, and then I died of that cancer, would it be "politicizing my death" if those people who supported the cause I’d been fighting for my whole life continued that fight in my name after I was gone?
By the way, Kerry mentioned Reeve in last Friday’s debate (before he died over the weekend). Why didn’t you or anyone complain about "politicizing" Reeve on Friday? Why haven’t you complained about politicizing Michael J. Fox’s disease? He was also mentioned last Friday?
Another NIMBY republican.
The quote I read on CNN says this:
"If we do the work that we can do in this country, the work that we will do when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve will get up out of that wheelchair and walk again."
Sounds reasonable to me.
Brad, I think its the same as all the fanatical right trying to politicize Reagan’s death for their means to help Bush.
I heard it early in the morning, around 9 or so, way before Rush would come on. They’ve got local people on. I distinctly remember hearing the ABC News music cue and come on however. I looked on the WJR site myself but couldn’t really find anything either.
Rush is from 12-3
Hannity from 7-10 (I hate that tape delay, just because Mitch Albom is from Detroit doesn’t mean we want to listen to him)
Dr. Laura 10-1?
The fuller quote — from Rush’s site, so I don’t yet have enough confidence in it to post it as an "UPDATE" yet — is as follows:
EDWARDS: Christopher Reeve just passed away, and America just lost a great champion for this cause, somebody who was a powerful voice for the need to do stem cell research and change the lives of people like him, who have gone through a tragedy. Well, if we do the work that we can do in this country, the work that we will do when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk, get up out of that wheelchair and walk again.
He also cuts the end short. Assuming the first part has not been edited (and I have the audio, but it’s also from his site, so can’t necessarily be trusted) it certainly paints a different picture.
But I’ve yet to find the continuation of Edwards’ sentence after the words "walk again…"
This issue simply kills me. First a man who spent the better part of the last decade taking the lead, both personally and through his foundation, fighting for more funding and then the very continuity of stem cell research in this country passed away. Now Republicans are complaining about people invoking his memory in the fight to realize his dream. And then this absolute ass Bill Frist, cat murderer, throws his voice in it because he’s got an MD behind his name. THE point of Edwards’ remarks are that we are not doing the scientific work that needs to be done; the work that willlead to breakthroughs, treatments and so forth. To suggest that he was promising cures tomorrow is dishonest. He was promising a return to the necessary scientific work. For those who are unaware, Reeve often spoke precisely about his injury and the possible cure. Does this mean that he thought the cure would come tiomorrow? Not at all. The people suffering from these diseases and afflictions have an intimate knowledge of precisely what their illness means. The only people being dishonest here are the conservatives who are suggesting that Edwards is offering a timeframe for miracles.
John –
Reeve talked about hope for a cure, but also mentioned that embryonic stem cells wouldn’t cure him. Edwards’ point wasn’t about scientific work! Come on, it was pure politicization.
We’re doing more scientific research than we EVER have in regards to stem cells. The *Federal Funding* is all that is limited. Private organizations can spend as much as they want.
Shirley, are you kidding me? Here’s an idea – Lets attack a guy because he disagrees with me, even if its not even off the topic! Why? Because you can’t refute his comments.
Joe Lockhart is on TV, as I’m writing this, for the Kerry Campaign – He’s claiming that the only way things will get done is if the American government funds it, because companies won’t make any money and therefore we’re relying on other countries. Then, my favorite part. "John Kerry and John Edwards will spend billions of dollars to fund this."
troll,
Actually, in an interview with, i think King, Reeve described in detail his injury and said that he thought stem cells could be used to replace the connective material that was absent.
Of course, we are doing more stem cell research than ever. But that’s like saying we are driving more autos than we were in 1795. Federal funding is precisely the issue. You see without federal funding drugs like AZT would have never been developed as a drug for use against aids.
In a bit of an update, Terry McAullfie was on the radio this morning here in Detroit, talking to radio talk show host "Frank Beckman" as he does quite often. He claimed, and I shit you not, "George Bush killed Christopher Reeve by not funding stem cell research."
Talk about politicizing…
Give us the quote, Troll, and a place we can check it.
No offense, but we’ve seen *precisely* how Republicans have taken quotes out of context to use them for their own political advantage.
Just a couple of reminders of recent cases: "Sensitive War on Terror", "Terrorism is a nuisance", "Global Test", "Christopher Reeve", etc. etc., etc.,
There seems to be nothing that Republicans won’t distort to try and use for political advantage. So all I’d ask from you is an exact quote, in context, and a place that we can check it before accepting anything as "true" anymore.
…Bryan commented on 10/12/2004 @ 11:23am PT…
A link please Paul, including context. If he actually said that then it was an unethical promise he should be called out on.
Paul said:
…Paul commented on 10/12/2004 @ 10:09am PT…
Saying anything to win:
Edwards: ‘When John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk. Get up out of that wheelchair and walk again’…
Just to remind you that what I said still applies.
As Bryan asked, you did not supply Context. The quote (taken from Rush!!!) actually does supply some of the context, showing that your charge is an opportunistic politicization of what Edwards *actually* said. Par for the desperate Republican course.
The fact that you won’t admit that only continues to show how desperate and partisan you actually are, Paul. If anybody had ever heard of you, you would *definitely* be in running for the next "Sean Hannity Excellence in Spin" award!
Frist, a Republican from Tennessee, called Edwards’ remark "crass" and "shameful," and said it gave false hope that new treatments were imminent.
Edwards campaign spokesman Mark Kornblau hit back, "Yes, breakthrough research often takes time, but that’s never been a reason to not even try — until George Bush."
____________
I wonder what kind of hope Frist gives gay couples about their rights, or poor women about an unplanned pregnancy?
Brad – I apologize that I *cant* give you an exact quote, and nothing but is worth saying, because even I agree thats not enough. Not only did I hear it, but a coworker of mine, who dislikes both Bush and Kerry and is not voting, called me up and told me about it. My best friend, who disagrees with the war and is undecided, also mentioned it to me. He didn’t know the name of the talk show host, but he said its the guy on WJR right now.
I’m sure Mr. McAuliffe didn’t mean it too seriously, and probably regrets it.
Troll
Paul, I stand by my earlier claim. It is inappropriate to use his immediate passing as a campaign talking point. Kind of like Bush using Reagan’s memory at every opportunity.
Then again, Reeves was outspoken on the topic so it’s hard to say one way or another without the entire quote. Out of context it seems classless to me, and that’s just what they wanted us to think.