Rand Paul Demands Jack Conway Apologize For Ad Targeting Secret Society, 'Aqua Buddha' In Debate

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul angrily accused Democratic rival Jack Conway of descending "into the gutter" with a TV ad questioning Paul's faith and demanded an apology during a Sunday night debate that turned bitterly personal.

Paul denounced the commercial during his opening statement and quoted Scripture to deflect the attack while calling himself a "pro-life Christian." Conway offered no apology and even repeated the accusations in his ad, which started airing statewide Friday night.

"Those who stoop to the level of attacking a man's religious beliefs to gain higher office, I believe that they should remember that it does not profit a man to gain the world if he loses his soul in the process," Paul said.

The candidates wrangled over health care, taxes, entitlements and other issues, but the debate's defining exchange came in the opening minutes at the University of Louisville.

The issue flared again in the closing moments, when Paul declared he would not shake Conway's hand afterward, stating: "I will not be associated with someone who attacks my religion."

"We will try to keep the debate on a higher tone," Paul said. "I hope you will leave my church, my family and my religion out of it."

Paul walked past Conway without offering his hand or making eye contact with his Democratic opponent.

The ad is based on published reports from an anonymous woman who claims Paul was a member of a secret society when he attended Baylor University. Paul has dismissed the reports as "ridiculous."

A narrator in the ad repeats the claims from the woman, asking why Paul, while in college, tied her up and told her to worship an idol called "Aqua Buddha."

Conway, the state's attorney general, defended the attacks during their contentious exchange.

"Why did he freely join a group known for mocking, for making fun of people with faith?" Conway asked. "And secondly, when is it ever a good idea to tie up a woman and ask her to kneel before a false idol, your god, which you call Aqua Buddha?"

Paul said he was disheartened that the race had turned so personal.

"We have serious problems in our country ... and he's descended into the gutter to attack my Christian beliefs," said Paul, a Bowling Green eye doctor. Paul and his family attend a Presbyterian church in Bowling Green, where his wife serves as a deacon.

"Jack, you should be ashamed of yourself. You should apologize. Have you no decency? Have you no shame?"

During the debate, Conway kept up his favorite attack lines, accusing Paul of being out of touch with Kentucky's drug problems and claiming Paul supports a $2,000 deductible for Medicare recipients – comments Paul was caught making on videotape shown on YouTube. Paul has said the comment was taken out of context, and that he doesn't support such a high deductible.

Paul, a tea party favorite, advocated his belief in limited government and the free market.

Paul and Conway are competing for the job of retiring GOP Sen. Jim Bunning.

___

Online:

Conway campaign: http://www.jackconway.org/

Paul campaign: http://www.randpaul2010.com/

Comments

[elfish]

03:57 PM on 10/24/2010

place into a crowded gh.etto if they could make another $1.50.

[elfish]

03:57 PM on 10/24/2010

place into a crowded ghetto if they could make another $1.50.

[elfish]

03:57 PM on 10/24/2010

Republican are alway bowing and scraping to the real estate developers who would turn the

[elfish]

03:57 PM on 10/24/2010

Republican are alway bowing and scraping to the real estate developers who would turn the place into a crowded ghetto if they could make another $1.50.

Don't get me started.

[elfish]

03:56 PM on 10/24/2010

Don't make me sick!@

As a native of Colorado, I've watched for 64 years as the Republicans have wrecked the state.

[elfish]

03:56 PM on 10/24/2010

Don't make me sick!@

As a native of Colorado, I've watched for 64 years as the Republicans have wrecked the state.

What used to be a wonderful place to live, has to turned into a replica of California because the Republican are alway bowing and scraping to the real estate developers who would turn the place into a crowded ghetto if they could make another $1.50.

Don't get me started.

[elfish]

04:30 AM on 10/24/2010

Another Problem that Can be Traced back to the Republicans.

1. According to the article, the source of bankruptcies in Seniors are CREDIT CARDS.

2. For more than 70 years, the US bankruptcy laws worked just fine. Consumer were given a second chance and Credit Card companies still got RICH.

3. But they wanted to get RICHER, so they talked the Republicans into writing the "Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention Act of 2005."

4. The Credit Companies spent more than $100 million to get the bill passed and the law has special provisions all designed to help the Credit Card companies.

5. Credit Card companies use all kinds of tricks to get people to use credit cards when they shouldn't and they prey on seniors who are sen.ile and vulnerable.

6. Their argument was that Bankruptcy was being abused, even though all the data showed that bankruptcy was seldom abused and most people file for bankruptcy because of medical expenses. And the majority of those people HAD health insurance.

http://en.­wikipedia.­org/wiki/B­ankruptcy_­Abuse_Prev­ention_and­_Consumer_­Protection­_Act

[elfish]

04:30 AM on 10/24/2010

Another Problem that Can be Traced back to the Republicans.

1. According to the article, the source of bankruptcies in Seniors are CREDIT CARDS.

2. For more than 70 years, the US bankruptcy laws worked just fine. Consumer were given a second chance and Credit Card companies still got RICH.

3. But they wanted to get RICHER, so they talked the Republicans into writing the "Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention Act of 2005."

4. The Credit Companies spent more than $100 million to get the bill passed and the law has special provisions all designed to help the Credit Card companies.

5. Credit Card companies use all kinds of tricks to get people to use credit cards when they shouldn't and they prey on seniors who are senile and vulnerable.

6. Their argument was that Bankruptcy was being abused, even though all the data showed that bankruptcy was seldom abused and most people file for bankruptcy because of medical expenses. And the majority of those people HAD health insurance.

http://en.­wikipedia.­org/wiki/B­ankruptcy_­Abuse_Prev­ention_and­_Consumer_­Protection­_Act

[bresponsible]

05:31 PM on 10/20/2010

Paul is unusual but if you listen to many of his ideas he has some very clear recommendations that might help his state and the country. WE needs jobs. Who will be the best at putting the country back on track with jobs.
Our youth are out looking every day, graduating college and no jobs.
Stay on point America!

[Nick2]

08:53 PM on 10/19/2010

One year when I was in college in Texas, this *evol* group that Rand Paul was in built a 3 story high deodorant on the Baylor campus and took the ozone layer *hostage.* We lived for news about their antics. They were celebrated and were notorious for pi@@ing off the admin at Baylor, which made us love them all the more.

I want to know what happened to Rand Paul to turn him so square.

Their disguise used to be Bedouin desert headdress with Grouch Marx glasses, nose and eyebrows. A friend of mine dated one of these characters, but not Rand Paul.

Poor Jack, you're barking up the wrong tree with this one.

[Fredday]

06:24 PM on 10/19/2010

Conway should demand that Paul STF-U

[liberalOrgonian]

04:39 PM on 10/19/2010

Paul need to get honest with the people of his district, come clean and tell us all a sorry story of his college days kidnapping women and worshiping aqua Buddha. Rand needs to tell us what the heck he was doing with that woman !!!! Stop hiding from his past, because we have vivid imaginations and they are working double time. People who get to vote in HIS state HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW!
This running and hiding from the press makes Paul and fellow teafolks look childish and not ready for prime time.

[Nick2]

08:54 PM on 10/19/2010

Come on, you're kidding, right?

[erevjim]

12:49 PM on 10/19/2010

As is typical no one is saying a thing about Paul's disrespect toward Buddhism. That he and his cohorts created an "Aqua Buddha" shows his disrespect for religions, not just Christianity. An apology to all buddhist from Rand Paul seems to be in order. But I wouldn't hold my breath. Isn't it interesting that none of the buddhist are bothered by this. If it had been something desparaging toward christians the uproar would be deafening.

[liberalOrgonian]

04:51 PM on 10/19/2010

I am Buddhist and extremely upset he was so reckless calling his supreme being "Aqua Buddha". And making a mockery of the Buddhist religion while saying he is such a great Christian. Folks like this have chased many from the religion of our childhood (Christianity) for a more inclusive excepting religion like Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism etc. Many Christians make fun of every religion but their own, showing how shallow they really are and how contorted and rigid modern day Christianity has become. Christianity has become a chant for the extreme right hate groups who also attack Muslims on a daily basis. They wrap everything up in the cross to justify their hate and predigest.
What does Paul have against the humble religion of Buddhist anyway?

[Nick2]

09:00 PM on 10/19/2010

Another time his group built a 3-story high deodorant on the campus and took the ozone layer *hostage.* I remember that. It was notoriously hilarious. This group was idolized when I was in college. They wore Bedouin headdress with Grouch Marx disguise. People need to lighten up and remember how crazy weird people were in college, the last time you get to be, apparently, unless you become a circus clown, which of course, some people hate, because some people find clowns scary.

I can't stand today's Rand Paul, but he used to know how to cut loose. I wonder what happened to him. Also, they were all stoned, it might have been Aqua Velveeta.

Finally, I wouldn't vote for this tight-a@@ version if he were the last candidate on earth.

[liberalOrgonian]

04:52 PM on 10/19/2010

let me be your second fan for your thoughtful consideration.

[cureyourosity]

12:10 PM on 10/19/2010

I saw that debate and Rand Paul gets two thumbs up for calling Conway out! Conway looked absolutely ridiculous and had NO retort. The simple fact is that he's accusing Paul of committing a crime! Paul was absolutely right not to shake Conway's hand. It's too bad that politicians are held to a somewhat higher standard, otherwise Conway would've been told to go Eff himseIf!

When a politician goes that negative---It's a last ditch desperate attempt from a failed campaign. Rand 's got this election in the bag, and he's got Conway's stupidity to thank for it.

[CindiT]

03:17 PM on 10/19/2010

Rand Paul gets rotten tomatoes. He looked like a whiney little baby. One more little weeny who can dish it out but sure can't take it. If he can't stand the heat now, he needs to get the he// out of the kitchen.

[Fredday]

06:25 PM on 10/19/2010

Oh how i wish there was a "Flag as Buffoonery" button here on HP.

[Eris23Skidoo]

01:46 PM on 10/20/2010

Me too. Abusive just isn't accurate for certain comments. I know, do this:

[Jebel]

11:49 AM on 10/19/2010

Man....this guy can dish it out, but he certainly can't take it.
political garbage, too sensitive and self righteous. No wonder we
are becoming a third world country.