Whatever Jack Conway thought he'd get out of running that Aqua Buddha ad against Rand Paul, he gave his opponent a chance to look mighty mighty in the debate yesterday.
Kentucky's Democrat for Senate, Conway reached back last week for a tale of Tea Party Republican Rand Paul's college weirdness that first appeared in GQ. He chose to source the ad to the Washington Post, where Greg Sargent presents a quite nuanced factcheck of GQ's story.
End result? For starters, Conway swerves from his own relentless campaign on the issues. Worse for him, Rand Paul gets a chance to tell the crowd last night that he won't shake Conway's hand because he "attacks my religion and attacks my Christian belief," and whether he's right not to shake hands, he's correct that his religion has been attacked. Paul goes on to sound like he's landing on the moon and Conway's not fit to lick the lunar dust off his boots.
Bonus points for Paul: An attack ad against Conway's recent campaigning that looks easier for voters to believe than a crazy Aqua Buddha story from college.
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So Conway shouldn't question Rand's religious beliefs but it's fine to question Obama's religious beliefs?
Aren't you aware of Chrisitainity? Of couse it's the only way!! Sinner/voters be ware!! God has come and he is placing bets on your beliefs....
You can complain about the hypocrisy all you want but it was still a pointless misstep by Conway.
Not in Kentucky. Those fundamentalists take these youthful lapses in faith seriously. You intellectuals are over analyzing what Conway was doing. Aqua Buddha could be the best argument that Conway could use against Rand Paul. And Paul knows it.
All you need to do is raise a doubt among the religious folks and it becomes paramount to everything else Paul had going for him, which apparently wasn't much if a Democrat was neck and neck with him.
I think Paul's depending on Medicare stipends for his "profitable" medical practice and the fix he needed from the stimulus is his real problem. The man is a very rich, very entitlement-oriented welfare queen. He is not "us" as O'Donnell explains.
I am a yellow-dog democrat and I am horribly offended by Conway's attack on not only the religion of Rand Paul but the religion of the hundreds of thousands of Buddhist people in this world.
This is not the behavior of democrats. We are meant to be accepting of others beliefs. I don't know what aqua Buddha is but Buddhism is a peaceful religion that has at its central core the end of suffering for all mankind.
UGH! this year's election cycle is making me nutz!
You have to be kidding. Aqua Buddha was an attempt by a frat boy to mock all religions. He doesn't have any religion. He only has scorn for the people he says he is running to represent, along with the Medicare patients he treats. And the voters in Kentucky know it if you don't.
I've never heard of this. There were images of Buddha and it said he was worshiping 'false idols'. I'm no fan of Rand Paul, believe me. But I have studied Buddhism for several years and when I saw that commercial I was offended. As were a couple other people I showed it to.
Then again, i am also a fan of the 'church of the flying spaghetti monster' LOL
Rachel, please don't give rug (Closeted Bald) man any help? Remember, "good Christians" use the Holy Bible as their guide.
http://bible.cc/matthew/5-39.htm
How is it, that the Teapublicans can attack Obama's religious beliefs, but we can't call into question someone who worships "Aqua Buddha"?
A couple of the readers above point out the hypocrisy. However uncouth the ad is, the heart of the matter is the "Holier than thou as long as no one is looking" facade that conservatives are presenting themselves as. That is the disturbing part of elections.
These are the people who have the potential of making policy but get upset when their own history of hypocrisy is pointed out? Say all you want about focusing on policy, but how can their stances on anything be trusted if they won't admit past mistakes or disclose their past?
Oh and Rand? "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:2. See, anyone can quote scripture. (which in of its self brings up a whole other set of worms with political candidates and qualifications which I'll leave closed)
You have the long and short of it. This guy puts money, taxpayer Medicare money for his practice, before the Christian God. Aqua Buddha is still what he worships.
Bravo, Drew! I had to look it up, since I'm no Bible scholar. ;-)
We had an aqua buddha bong a thong at church last night.....
Seriously, both sides are really off message..... Rand Paul took the 'get mad' card out last night, and has probably won the race. I would have gone after Paul on the 'two mommies' quip if I was going to hit him with a quip, or something about social security. People only want to hear about money issues, or social issues where some one is taking away somebody's personal freedom. This tact of going for the low blow was the wrong strategy.
Have you been paying any attention in the past 40 years to how the Republicans win elections in the South? The lower the blow the better.
What a drama queen! Quit whining Mr. Paul.
Conway's ad is like a quarterback who has a receiver wide open in the end zone, but decides he has a chance to run the ball himself 50 yards through the entire defense for a touchdown: sure, you maybe, just maybe may succeed big time, but odds are that you are giving up a sure touchdown. Isn't there enough offensive and nutty stuff that Rand Paul has said on his policy viewpoints to attack already? As pointed out on "Morning Joe" this morning, this is the sort of thing a candidate does when they are way down in the polls, not when they are neck and neck or even ahead, as this race has been all the way.
So Rand thinks (and says to Rachel..paraphrasing), It's ok to discriminate against blacks, homosexuals, etc...the government shouldn't be involved...it's the FIRST AMENDMENT....but when somebody disagrees with him.....it's not the first amendment right being used, it's horribly offensive. Today, I don't feel so bad about living in AZ...ok, yes I do.
Conway's ad was probably a misstep as it has given Paul the opportunity to act like some kind of hounded Christian martyr. However, if Paul wants to run for office and derives many of his political positions from his religious beliefs it most certainly becomes an area that is open for scrutiny especially if there are things that may bring doubt as to the legitimacy of those beliefs.
I am not from Kentucky but Rand Pauls published contempt and mockery of faith...... Topped off at the debate by his his obviously rehearsed hystrionics regarding ad content ...performed both front and back end of debate..... just confirmed Paul's total lack of fitness for office of any kind.
You were having a premonition Rand, a premonition.....
Paul's reaction to Conway's add is quite frankly laughable. He represents a party that has built its name and reputation by spreading the false rumor that Obama is a Muslim who was born in Kenya and whose parents foresaw his future presidential career and published a bogus add in the Honolulu Advertiser to announce his fake American birth and he now complains that his religion is being attacked? Goodness!!! Apparently Paul and his Tea Party friends believe that the right to religion privacy is great and should be always protected unless you're a Muslim or you've the last Name "Obama."
... Sorry for the long sentence there... By the way, I couldn't think of a way to slide in there the fact that this secret Muslim called Obama also "sat in the pew for 20 years listening to his Christian Pastor, Jeremiah Wright who hates America and..." You get the idea... lol.
Thank for the great show, Sister.
Hello friends,
First I would like to state that the tea and gop candidates have been pushing their religious beliefs on all of us via freedom of choice in regard to abortion, DADT or any rights for non-heterosexuals, racism, and so forth. With that stated, I find nothing wrong with what Mr. Conway did since, lets face it, the only agenda they have is pushing their beliefs on all Americans. My problem is what they call themselves, the tea party. They took the name of an event in history that I, a non-heterosexual American, take personal, the tea tax by Brittain with no representation. I am tired of being a quite progressive. If they are a real grass-roots movement believing in giving the American people the power the constitution has given all Americans, are they going to give me my rights as well? I hear tea party and I think of myself, taxation with no representation, no rights, tired of being a second class citizen in my own government. Why don't they call themselves the real truth, the christian party, the racist party, the our way or no way party? They can, it's not against the law or constitution, if they would ever read it. To Mr. Buck, I can choose who my partner is, I did not choose to be non-heterosexual, God did! Don't paint your president as the joker on signs, and remember the constitution is to give rights, not take them away. That is just plain un-American to me and I resent you for it. You tea-baggers, change your name and call yourself what you really are; the hate party! I can name 7 newspapers I read every morning, can you CO'D? I have read the constitution, have you Ms. Angle? I am for the rights and freedoms our men and women in uniform fight and die for, are you tea party? Don't whine Rand Paul, you were called on your political agenda, answer the questions
I can only hope that rational and reasonable americans see all of this for what it is...
ignorant, uninformed, older white folks who think the world is coming apart at the seams........they are terrified of progressive change for the better of all and that is fueled in large part by greedy,opportunistic right wing radio and tv (picture FOX news) whose only real agenda is lining their pockets with your money........
We all have to vote to counter this corporate, international funding of the 2010 election.......The Tea Party candidates are putting their potential seats for the Senate and House up for sale to the highest bidder.......
Don't let that happen.......VOTE DEMOCRATIC ON NOVEMBER 2,2010.
Well, "what-ever" about his college hazing days. There are some folks that would call it "character issue..." HOWEVER comma there is a line where you look like the bigger fool for reacting in the way you'd did. Be a man????? Questioning his religion???? Please, you are looking more ridiculous. The time has passed now, Conway.... back to the issues. thanks
Anyone who didn't watch the debate is unqualified to offer an opinion - the only opinion you could have is one given to you by someone else... say, a Glenn Beck or a Rush Limbaugh or a Sean Hannity (since they're the only 'news' personalities to offer opinions).
I watched it. I saw a determined but polite young man asking another uncomfortable, defensive young man two questions: "Do you think it's OK to have done this, to tie up this girl and make her kneel down to 'Aqua Buddha'? Why did you join a college club banned for its sacrilegious attitude about Christianity?"
Rand Paul huffed and puffed, struck a more martyred pose than Madonna could have ever made, but his protestations rang false, and his "Have you no shame" was such a self-conscious parody of that McCarthy-era denunciation, it was almost laughable.
Anyone who watched would have seen this issue for what it is: Rand has been using his "Christianity" as a smokescreen, and Conway is pulling the curtain back.
About time!
The "Aqua Buddha" was a bong that the frat had, this of course makes you realise how stupid this argument has become on both sides.