Painful but powerful

Michael J. Fox came into America's homes every week for years as Alex Keaton on Family Ties, no doubt still playing daily somewhere in syndication or on cable. And he was Marty McFly in the wonderful Back to the Future trilogy. It's safe to say he's one of the more beloved celebrities out there.

He also announced a few years ago, of course, that he has Parkinson's Disease.

I hadn't seen him in a while, until this ad, which is running in Missouri. The ravages of the disease are evident now, and this is sort of painful to watch, but pretty powerful.

Fox is speaking for the Democrat in the Senate race, Claire McCaskill, who is in favor of stem cell research. The Republican, Jim Talent, is opposed to it. Because, of course, in an effort to keep the anti-choice zealots happy, the GOP is more concerned about petri dishes of stem cells, cells that scientists say could provide much needed help in battling diseases like Parkinson's or spinal cord injuries. People suffering from afflictions like that, ehh, not so much concern from our Republican friends.