Political analysts said Monday that Jack Conway’s television ad about Rand Paul’s involvement with a secret society while in college — an ad that prompted angry exchanges during a debate Sunday — indicates Conway believes he is still behind and must use unconventional attacks to catch up.
The ad, which has suddenly become the central issue in Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race, prompted Paul to say Monday that he may not participate in the campaign’s final debate next Monday on Kentucky Educational Television.
Asked to respond to the analysts’ comments, Conway said, “I’ll let the experts talk about polls. Our message is resonating … this race is a dead heat, it has been a dead heat”
The 30-second spot questions why Paul, as a student at Baylor University, a Baptist school, joined a group that had been thrown off campus for being sacrilegious.
It also says he forced a woman to worship an idol called “Aqua Buddha” — a claim first made anonymously in GQ Magazine and The Washington Post — and opposes funding for faith-based programs as well as the income tax exemption for religious donations.
“You can tell he’s behind,” Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, said of Conway. “You don’t run an ad like that unless you’re behind.”
Said Stuart Rothenberg, editor and publisher of the Rothenberg Political Report: “Is it desperate? I don’t want to say that. But it’s dramatic, and it attempts to be a game changer.”
He termed the ad “a thermo-nuclear bomb” because it could destroy either of the campaigns.
The real news is near the end of the article, however: Rand Paul's continuing petulance over this.
Paul, a Republican, said he may skip next Monday’s KET debate because he doesn’t want to be on the same stage with Conway, a Democrat.
“We haven’t fully decided, but I’m not sure I’ll appear in public with someone who is going to question my religion,” he said after a Lexington press conference with a group of veterans who endorsed him.
Conway spokesman John Collins said in a statement Monday afternoon that Paul “ought to have the guts to keep his commitments to KET and explain his actions to the people of Kentucky.”
Diedre Clark, a producer for KET, said Monday that Paul has not told the network he plans to withdraw. If he does, Clark said, Conway will be allowed to appear on the “Kentucky Tonight” program alone.
Rand Paul is basically spending the last two weeks of the campaign playing the victim here and refusing to do anything else, like talk about the issues that matter to Kentucky voters like myself. that's because when he talks about the issues, he loses. Funny how Republicans do this when they're in trouble.
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It's worth reading the Louisville Courier-Journal's take on Jack Conway's Aqua Buddha ad...
Rand Paul is basically spending the last two weeks of the campaign playing the victim here and refusing to do anything else, like talk about the issues that matter to Kentucky voters like myself.
OK. You write a post about Conway's ridiculous ad, which seems to have nothing to do with today's "issues that matter to Kentucky voters", then complain that you think Rand Paul doesn't want to "talk about the issues that matter to Kentucky voters"? I have to ask, what issues are you talking about?
"Right-wing nutjob" (yes, I'm being facetious, for those of you who don't get it) Chris Matthews ripped Conway a new one over this stupid ad, an interview you don't mention in this post. At the 4:29 mark, Matthews asked if Conway did anything even a little strange in college, and Conway admitted he may not have been a straight arrow, but then sidestepped the question. Considering how Paul's college activities seem to be such a big issue "that matter to Kentucky voters", wouldn't Conway's potential college hijinks be part of those "issues that matter to Kentucky voters"? For all we know, Conway may have had a flirtation with white supremacist groups back in those days, and we know how liberals love electing and re-electing, for over 50 years, Klansmen to the U.S. Senate.
The difference between OUR Klansmen and YOUR Klansmen is that ours have left the organization and apologized for it, then devoted the rest of their lives to promoting equality and social justice, while yours are still playing "dressup" in the woods.
Thanks for reminding everyone.
Actually, theirs are playing dressup in the woods in Ohio if I recall.
Yeah, Tweety thought Conway was out of bounds. If he only showed as much passion for going after Rand Paul for wanting to cut Social Security, Medicare, mine safety, FDA funding, EPA funding, drug enforcement funding, food assistance and public education, I might actually respect his opinion about Conway.
Allan, which of those Tea Party/Republican "YOUR Klansmen" are actually in or running for the U.S. Senate, in any state? Oh that's right; there aren't any.
If he [Matthews] only showed as much passion for going after Rand Paul for wanting to cut Social Security, Medicare, mine safety, FDA funding, EPA funding, drug enforcement funding, food assistance and public education, I might actually respect his opinion about Conway.
Neither Conway or his supporters appear to have any kind of passion for those issues either considering all they want to talk about is Conway's stupid and ridiculous ad.
That Tweety gave pursed-lips, pearl-clutching, tut-tut disapproval to Conway's bare-knuckle, out-to-win tactics tells me that Conway is on the right track.
I am sick and fucking tired of dems playing tiddly-winks campaigns.
This is politics, people. No holds barred. The fucking CHINESE are buying this goddamn election for the repugs.
I hope Conway doubles- and triples-down on Paul and leaves him a gibbering wreck who shits himself onstage.
PS: Conway is now up 49-47 over Rand Paul in the latest DSCC poll from Sunday/Monday.
Looks like the ad is working, as Conway was down in this poll last month.
So I was right then, Conway supporters don't care about the issues, but they especially don't even care about the truth.
Enjoy whatever lead Conway has from that highly suspect poll, because it ain't gonna last long.
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