Caplis repeated old misinformation about Edwards' Christopher Reeve remark

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

Dan Caplis of 630 KHOW-AM distorted a remark current Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards made before the 2004 presidential election, asserting on his September 3 show that Edwards said, “If you elect John Kerry then people like [the late paralyzed actor] Christopher Reeves [sic] are going to get out of that wheelchair and they're going to walk again.” In omitting a key part of Edwards' remarks, Caplis echoed the distortions made by other conservative media figures during the 2004 campaign.

During the September 3 broadcast of 630 KHOW-AM's The Caplis & Silverman Show, co-host Dan Caplis distorted a statement current Democratic presidential candidate and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards made “before the last presidential election” to claim that Edwards said, “If you elect [Sen.] John Kerry [D-MA] then people like Christopher Reeves [sic] are going to get out of that wheelchair and they're going to walk again.”

As Colorado Media Matters has previously noted, Edwards -- who was the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2004 -- while discussing embryonic stem cell research at an October 10, 2004, campaign stop noted that paralyzed actor Christopher Reeve had died earlier that day and stated, "[I]f we can do the work that we can do in this country -- the work we will do when John Kerry is president -- people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk." Caplis left out Edwards' words about “the work we can do in this country” on stem cell research, which suggested that Edwards was premising “people like Christopher Reeve” “walk[ing]” on the outcome of research that a Kerry administration would support.

From the September 3 broadcast of 630 KHOW-AM's The Caplis & Silverman Show:

CAPLIS: First of all, John Edwards is the last guy in the world, in my opinion, who should be making this kind of suggestion. I mean, this is John Edwards -- remember before the last presidential election? “If you elect John Kerry then people like Christopher Reeves are going to get out of that wheelchair and they're going to walk again.” I -- this guy has no shame. This guy's unbelievable. He's incredible on his face, and it hurts me to say that because I'm so proud of what I do for a living. I'm a trial lawyer.

From Edwards' October 10, 2004, speech:

EDWARDS: Christopher Reeve just passed away. And America just lost a great champion for this cause. Somebody who is a powerful voice for the need to do stem cell research and change the lives of people like him, who have gone through the tragedy. Well, if we can do the work that we can do in this country -- the work 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.

As Media Matters for America noted, conservative media figures made similar distortions of Edwards' comments during the 2004 presidential campaign.