MS Sufferer Neil Cavuto Slams 'Horses' Asses' at MSNBC for Mocking Ann Romney's MS Therapy

Noel Sheppard
June 20th, 2012 11:05 PM
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As NewsBusters previously reported, MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell on Monday shamefully mocked Ann Romney for riding horses to combat her multiple sclerosis.

On Wednesday, Fox News's Neil Cavuto, an MS sufferer himself, took on all the insensitive anchors and commentators at MSNBC that have participated in this attack on Mrs. Romney rightly calling them "horses' asses" (videos follow with transcripts and commentary):

Cavuto teased the final segment of Your World by saying, "Lean Forward, bend over. You’ve got a disease in your name. Maybe you should stop calling names. I’ll explain."

For those unfamiliar, "Lean Forward" is MSNBC's motto.

After a commercial break, Cavuto elaborated:

NEIL CAVUTO: Finally, you know I promised myself, I promised myself, Neil, do not get involved in this one. Neil, just butt out. That defending Ann Romney on the latest attack and her riding horses to deal with the multiple sclerosis would look too self-serving. That because I have MS, my comments might be taken with a big grain of pity salt and more than a hint of sympathy bias. Well, guilty as charged, but sorry, I’m just charging in because I've had enough. Enough of condescending commentators at another news channel whose incredible ignorance of illness I know all too well risks being accepted by an audience that might not know the facts that well.

So, here are the facts. Ann Romney has multiple sclerosis. I have multiple sclerosis. Ann does not need your sympathy. I don't need your sympathy, that is unless it makes you feel sorry enough for me that you want to watch my show at 8PM Eastern Time on Fox Business Network. At least I'm up against a guy who is not physically ill, Bill O'Reilly.

But enough of me. Back to me and this crucial point. Ann Romney deals with her MS riding horses. It’s called hippotherapy, some call it dressage, but at its core for MS patients, it refers to the use of horseback riding as a treatment for medical conditions namely for treating walking difficulties. Neurologists have long debated whether riding around on horses is a cure for MS, but many firmly believe it helps relieve some of the very real symptoms of MS.

As their industry bible "Neurology Care" noted last year, and other studies have found that, and I quote here, “…some people treated with riding therapy exhibited improvement in balance, emotional functioning, pain and muscle stiffness.” Other studies have pointed to improved mood and walking ability. Still others, more energy.

My point is that this is a legitimate therapy. Now, do I use this equine therapy? No. But that’s only because I'm generally bigger than the horses and I don't want to hurt them. Ann is not, so there is no such risk.

But seriously, let's get serious. Ann Romney doesn't need my defense but her critics need to use common sense here. Just because you might find such therapy strange, trust me when I tell you this disease it helps treat is a lot more strange and a lot more cruel.

So go ahead and have a good stupid laugh over Ann and her horses and whether they had anything to do with her illness. Ignore the fact she got really into this big-time about the time she was diagnosed with this illness. You might want to look that up. It just seems odd to me that a network with the very letters “MS” in its name wouldn’t resist making fun of someone who has to live with MS every day.

Ann Romney doesn't need their pity, just their accuracy. She’s got a lot of money, but it clearly has not bought her a path from a lot of hell, has it?

Take it from me, I’m not horsing around. These guys taking pot shots at Ann Romney are horse’s asses.

Take it from the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American Academy of Neurology, the European Neurological Society, the MS Research Center, the Child Neurology Society, and so many others who devote so much to an illness that is so bad and chronicle the very real benefit of horseback riding that they all report has a proven history of doing some good.

Hippotherapy, dressage, working with horses, whatever the hell you want to call it. You don't have to lean forward to appreciate it. Just check your facts before you joke about it, because right about now, you condescending, sanctimonious twits who are allegedly healthy, you have proven you do not know the benefits of horseback riding one bit. But you sure are good at piling on the lies and shoveling what amounts to unadulterated horse -- well, stuff.

Alright, I just had to say that. Again, I don't want your sympathy, but do remember what I said about 8PM against, anyway, FBN.

Sorry, I just had to say that because sometimes you know you repeat lies often enough, some impressionable good people they’re fooled. You can lie to them and they're descent enough to believe it. I'm just telling you, don't. I just gave you the facts.

And ask yourself this: if they’re that egregious at lying on that issue, what else are they lying about?

After breaking this story Tuesday, I have received countless email messages from folks all around the country that have either successfully used hippotherapy themselves or for a loved one.

The response has been extraordinary.

Despite all the attention that has been brought to this issue, I have yet to see anyone at MSNBC, in particular O'Donnell, apologize for their behavior.

But it's not just the folks at MSNBC. Others in the media have similarly mocked Mrs. Romney about this issue.

We at NewsBusters often talk about the depths the Obama-loving press are willing to go to get their beloved Messiah reelected.

You would have thought ridiculing the wife of a presidential candidate for how she deals with a very serious illness was too low for so-called "journalists" to go even in an election year.

Apparently not.

Thank you, Neil, for not butting out.

And to the rest of the media that still think this is funny, shame on you. Shame on you all.

(HT Bill Hobbs)