Evening Buzz: Attack Ad Fallout
Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
Just when you thought the Kentucky Senate race couldn't get any uglier, it does. Republican Rand Paul refused to shake hands with Democrat Jack Conway after last night's debate in Louisville.
Here's the issue: A Conway attack ad claiming Paul, while at Baylor University in the 1980s, joined a secret society that tied up a woman and forced her to "bow down" and worship their god 'Aqua Buddha.' The bizarre story was first reported by GQ Magazine, which quoted an anonymous woman in an August article.
Tea Party-backed Paul fired back at Conway last night.
"I'm disheartened that my opponent has chosen to attack my religious beliefs," he said. "We have serious problems in our country ... and he has descended into the gutter to attack my personal religious beliefs. ... Jack, you should be ashamed of yourself. You should apologize. Have you no decency? Have you no shame?"
Paul called Conway's actions "a disgrace."
Conway said he's raising legitimate questions. He tried many times to get Paul to answer why he joined a secret society that mocked Christianity. The Democrat also asked when it was appropriate to tie up a woman and make her bow down to an 'Aqua Buddha?'
Paul didn't answer those questions directly. Instead he said, "You know how we know when you're lying? Your lips are moving."
Paul, the son of Texas Congressman and former presidential candidate Ron Paul, has released a rebuttal ad. We'll have that for you tonight on 360° and talk over the raw politics.
We'll also have a live report from Texas with new developments in the reported murder of David Hartley at Falcon Lake. His wife, Tiffany, met again with Mexican authorities for several hours today to give them a detailed account of what she says happened on September 30th, the day she says David was killed. His body has not been found. Meanwhile, there are new details on the lead Mexican investigator who was murdered last week. There were reports the investigator's severed head was delivered to the Mexican military. Now there's a new twist. We'll have that for you.
In Crime & Punishment, the penalty phase has started for the jury that convicted Steven Hayes of killing a Connecticut mother and her two daughters in a home invasion.
In his opening statement, Hayes' attorney told the court his client can be "quite likable," but has struggled with a "serious drug addiction".
The prosecution rested today in the penalty phase. Now the defense must make the case that Hayes should be spared the death penalty for the 2007 killings.
Join us for these stories and much more starting at 10 p.m. ET. See you then.
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Filed under: Maureen Miller • The Buzz |
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The whole thing about the college prank can be fully explained by a quick Wiki search by typing in Noze brotherhood on wikipedia.
The satirical organization has been around for many decades at Baylor. It pokes fun at everything and is NOT anti-Christ, just satirical like Harvard Lampoon. I don't know, though,why Rand just doesn't explain it that way. NO ONE ON THE BAYLOR campus takes the Noze Brotherhood seriously and the woman involved, even when young, knew at the time that these guys were just joking. Goodness sakes...the organization has an entry in the school homecoming parade every year and most alums, even otherwise stodgy, hardshell Baptist ones, look forward to seeing what the jokesters are going to do each year. And most everyone along the parade route is reaching out to get a copy of their college newspaper satire edition as a prize, like beads in a Mardi Gras parade. In many ways it is an honor to be a Noze member. Those guys are typiclly among the smartest on campus.
who wants our country back? Is it foreign interests? Does any one care who is funding these political attack ads? are the ads true?
I am a gay Christian and a democrat. I am so disillusioned by the outlandish behavoir that our candidates are taking to smear one another. Attacking one's religion is so below the belt. Our country was founded on the the idea of religious freedom, so why is a candidates religion up for scrutiny? Let's focus on the real issues and get our country back to it's former glory.
I believe that college students are not thinking about the skeletons that they are creating for their adult career closets! I am an older college student that attends classes with younger people, most of them do not realize the mistakes they are making–young and dumb!
This Kentucky debate has these politicians fried! Some good ol' KFP!
With such name calling retorts and childish bickering, I think their next debate will be after school at the monkey bars, 3 o'clock
Rand Paul has this election in the bag, Conway's political career is over, and the Democrats will get stomped on November 2.
Unfortunately, Rand Paul and John Dennis are the only decent Republicans that could get elected this time around.
It is my hope that Tea Party groups begin to drop their social conservatism and interventionist ideas and then maybe we can get one step closer to a voluntaryist society.
Yes, I'm embarassed to admit I live in Kentucky.
As silly as the ad is, Paul looks even worse for his dancing around the subject and crybaby antics. If true this probably wasn't more than a college prank but Rand only makes it worse by playing like a child trying to fib his way out of trouble. Hardly the decisive leader I would want to represent me in Congress.
So the killer can be quite likable when he's not on drugs, or raping a woman, or strangling her to death. That isn't the definition of likability last I looked.
An Aqua Buddha - this has to be the most ludicrous accusation in a political battle yet. It is so ridiculous it just makes me laugh and not take it at all seriously. Looking forward to show tonight – I'm sure Anderson will have more on the Aqua Buddha!