Missouri's Amendment 2

There has been much sensationalism and misinformation spread about Amendment 2 which will be on the Missouri November ballot, with each side accusing the other of misrepresenting the Amendment.

Rush Limbaugh stepped in it when accusing Michael J. Fox of going off his prescribed medication to enhance the debilitating evidence of his disease when making a campaign ad for Claire McCaskill. According to a Washington Post article: Rush Limbaugh On the Offensive Against Ad With Michael J. Fox, Rush reportedly said:

"He is exaggerating the effects of the disease," Limbaugh told listeners. "He's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act. . . . This is really shameless of Michael J. Fox. Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting."

Think Progress weighed in yesterday with: Parkinson Foundation Debunks Limbaugh’s False Smears of Michael J. Fox, which was a misrepresentation, as well...they claim to quote a particular Washington Post article with their link: "According to the National Parkinson Foundation, Limbaugh has no idea what he’s talking about. The Washington Post reports " however, when one clicks on the link, which takes one to this article: Rush Limbaugh On the Offensive Against Ad With Michael J. Fox , the quote they claim comes from that article is not to be found there, rather there is a statement by John Rodgers, Michael J. Fox's political advisor who happens to sit on the board of the Parkinson's Action Network:

""It's a shameless statement. It's insulting. It's appallingly sad, at best.""

It may well have been a "shameless statement" but the quote Think Progress attributed to that Washington Post article is simply not there. That same Washington Post article quotes Limbaugh as saying:

" "All right then, I stand corrected. . . . So I will bigly, hugely admit that I was wrong, and I will apologize to Michael J. Fox, if I am wrong in characterizing his behavior on this commercial as an act.""

So, that's fine, Rush has apologized. It doesn't change the issue of Amendment 2 one iota.

For more information about Amendment 2 here is an excellent site: 2Tricky.org

Let's not get so involved in the rhetoric surrounding the issue that we fail to carefully study the real issue, Amendment 2: 2006 Proposed Initiative Petitions.

Claire McCaskill supports Amendment 2, Jim Talent opposes it.