As I Concluded On KET's "Connections With Renee Shaw", Jack Conway "Took A Few Steps Back" With "Aqua Buddha" Ad Attacking Rand Paul's Faith.
Rand Paul hopes race sets standards on religion attacks
By ROGER ALFORD
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A day after a winning a hard-fought U.S. Senate race, Republican Rand Paul said Wednesday he's hopeful a religious attack that backfired on his opponent will head off similar strategies in future political races.
Nearly four out of five Kentuckians who voted in Tuesday's election said they felt Democrat Jack Conway unfairly attacked Paul by running a TV ad that asked why Paul was a member in college of a secret campus society that mocked Christians and claimed his god was “Aqua Buddha,” according to exit polling conducted for The Associated Press.
Paul denounced the ad as false and chastised Conway for running it. The spot triggered a public outcry across the state and nation.
“I think that you shouldn't attack a person's faith, and I think it did backfire on them,” Paul told the AP. “My hope is that when someone loses and that issue appears to have had an influence that maybe it discourages people from those attacks.”
Paul, bolstered by tea party supporters angry with the Washington establishment, rose from relative obscurity as a small town eye doctor in Bowling Green to be elected to the Senate to replace the retiring Jim Bunning, a 79-year-old former major league baseball pitcher who opted not to seek a third term.
Appearing relaxed and speaking more candidly than he had since his primary campaign, Paul spent Wednesday morning doing media interviews while his wife, Kelley, prepared to leave on vacation to an undisclosed location. Paul appeared almost gleeful with the victory.
“From the very first time I started running I thought there wasn't much chance,” he said. “You know, way back in the beginning, there were incredible obstacles, I thought, to winning.”
Paul made President Barack Obama, widely unpopular in Kentucky, a central figure in the race, suggesting to voters that electing Conway would give Obama another vote in the Senate.
Outside money poured into the race, largely to air attack ads backing up Paul's assertions about Conway and Obama. Though Paul was the primary beneficiary of the outside money, he said Wednesday he's open to pushing for limits on corporate contributions that enabled the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and an alliance with ties to one-time President George W. Bush political adviser Karl Rove to run around-the-clock attacks against Conway.
“I think not enough Republicans are interested in campaign finance reform,” Paul said Wednesday. “So I'm going to try to begin the discussion, the dialogue about how we do it.”
Paul said he doesn't want to go so far as to limit the constitutional right to free political speech, but he said he would support reforms that would require businesses seeking government contracts to voluntarily agree not to make political donations or to lobby. Paul said he might also support requiring officers of such companies to agree to those limitations, as well.
“Let's say you are a contractor for the government and you get a billion dollars,” Paul said. “It seems unseemly to me that you take part of the money and you immediately lobby for more money. So I think there should be restrictions.”
Immediately after his primary win, Paul suffered through a series of gaffes when he expressed misgivings about how the Civil Rights Act bans racial discrimination by private businesses. He later said he abhors discrimination and would have voted for the 1964 law. He also drew criticism for decrying Obama's harsh rhetoric against BP over the Gulf oil spill as “really un-American.”
Paul said Wednesday his positions on those issues were blown out of proportion by bloggers and mainline journalists alike.
“You can get in sort of a maelstrom where everybody just piles on,” he said. “And it just goes on and on and on, and you lose track of the truth.”
Editor's note: Check out the clip from "Connections with Renee Shaw" here.
Editor's comment: jack CONway showed his desperation, immaturity, IDIOCY and irresponsibility with that ad -- which he approved.
By ROGER ALFORD
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A day after a winning a hard-fought U.S. Senate race, Republican Rand Paul said Wednesday he's hopeful a religious attack that backfired on his opponent will head off similar strategies in future political races.
Nearly four out of five Kentuckians who voted in Tuesday's election said they felt Democrat Jack Conway unfairly attacked Paul by running a TV ad that asked why Paul was a member in college of a secret campus society that mocked Christians and claimed his god was “Aqua Buddha,” according to exit polling conducted for The Associated Press.
Paul denounced the ad as false and chastised Conway for running it. The spot triggered a public outcry across the state and nation.
“I think that you shouldn't attack a person's faith, and I think it did backfire on them,” Paul told the AP. “My hope is that when someone loses and that issue appears to have had an influence that maybe it discourages people from those attacks.”
Paul, bolstered by tea party supporters angry with the Washington establishment, rose from relative obscurity as a small town eye doctor in Bowling Green to be elected to the Senate to replace the retiring Jim Bunning, a 79-year-old former major league baseball pitcher who opted not to seek a third term.
Appearing relaxed and speaking more candidly than he had since his primary campaign, Paul spent Wednesday morning doing media interviews while his wife, Kelley, prepared to leave on vacation to an undisclosed location. Paul appeared almost gleeful with the victory.
“From the very first time I started running I thought there wasn't much chance,” he said. “You know, way back in the beginning, there were incredible obstacles, I thought, to winning.”
Paul made President Barack Obama, widely unpopular in Kentucky, a central figure in the race, suggesting to voters that electing Conway would give Obama another vote in the Senate.
Outside money poured into the race, largely to air attack ads backing up Paul's assertions about Conway and Obama. Though Paul was the primary beneficiary of the outside money, he said Wednesday he's open to pushing for limits on corporate contributions that enabled the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and an alliance with ties to one-time President George W. Bush political adviser Karl Rove to run around-the-clock attacks against Conway.
“I think not enough Republicans are interested in campaign finance reform,” Paul said Wednesday. “So I'm going to try to begin the discussion, the dialogue about how we do it.”
Paul said he doesn't want to go so far as to limit the constitutional right to free political speech, but he said he would support reforms that would require businesses seeking government contracts to voluntarily agree not to make political donations or to lobby. Paul said he might also support requiring officers of such companies to agree to those limitations, as well.
“Let's say you are a contractor for the government and you get a billion dollars,” Paul said. “It seems unseemly to me that you take part of the money and you immediately lobby for more money. So I think there should be restrictions.”
Immediately after his primary win, Paul suffered through a series of gaffes when he expressed misgivings about how the Civil Rights Act bans racial discrimination by private businesses. He later said he abhors discrimination and would have voted for the 1964 law. He also drew criticism for decrying Obama's harsh rhetoric against BP over the Gulf oil spill as “really un-American.”
Paul said Wednesday his positions on those issues were blown out of proportion by bloggers and mainline journalists alike.
“You can get in sort of a maelstrom where everybody just piles on,” he said. “And it just goes on and on and on, and you lose track of the truth.”
Editor's note: Check out the clip from "Connections with Renee Shaw" here.
Editor's comment: jack CONway showed his desperation, immaturity, IDIOCY and irresponsibility with that ad -- which he approved.
Labels: Rand Paul
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 12:20 PM
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