Off Message
The ascendancy of right-wing politics has been marked by the emergence of a communications machine. Messages are developed to reinforce a series of strategic frames to be disseminated through an extensive political and media network - that vast right wing conspiracy. Discipline results from casting issues in stark terms, such as good vs. evil, with no middle ground. The anathema to the system is cognitive drift, a decidedly democratic attribute, where the speaker articulates a nuanced policy position or engages in deliberative give-and-take. Given the success of this formula, it has been intriguing to see right-wing think tanks and politicians break from this game plan on the issue of stem cell research.
Rather than sticking to conservatives' core message - stem cell research results in the destruction of embryos - pundits have become embroiled in an exceedingly nuanced debate over the merits of "adult" stem cells versus "embryonic" stem cells. Even the White House has produced a glossy policy report that combines technical rhetoric reminiscent of Al Gore's Reinventing Government initiative with pie charts and graphs that would make Ross Perot proud.
This rhetoric is built on a fleeting distinction that ignores scientific reality. The crux of the argument is that "adult" cells have been proven to cure disease and "embryonic" cells have not; thus, we should pursue the more promising line of research. The argument is fallacious given all cells in the body arise from "embryonic" stem cells, so in fact they are the basis for all cellular therapies. Blinding oneself to this process of cellular evolution, while advocating cellular medicine, would be irresponsible at best and fatal at worst. It is akin to trying to fix the Space Shuttle without a complete tool box.
In the case of stem cell research it is ironic to note that the right has constructed its own politics of limits and in the process has strayed far off message.