Grayson calls on Paul to take down ad using 9/11 images
Rand Paul (left) and Trey Grayson
By Jack Brammer – jbrammer@herald-leader.com
FRANKFORT – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Trey Grayson called on his chief rival, Rand Paul, Tuesday to stop airing an ad that uses imagery of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
The Secretary of State’s campaign also released an Internet video Tuesday that implies Paul’s views on the terrorist attacks mirror those of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the controversial former pastor of President Barack Obama.
Grayson said in a statement that he was “truly offended” that Paul would use images from 9/11 “to deceive Kentuckians about his true beliefs.”
“Rand Paul should immediately take down this ad,” Grayson said.
Paul’s campaign manager, David Adams, responded by calling Grayson’s request to pull the 9/11 ad “nonsense.”
In his TV ad, which includes somber video of smoke billowing from the World Trade Center, Paul expressed his outrage at the 9/11 attacks and criticized Grayson for questioning Paul’s patriotism in a TV ad that Grayson launched last week.
The Grayson ad says Paul “even wonders whether 9/11 was our fault.” It shows Paul at a Blue Grass Policy Institute Forum in 2009, where he said “maybe some of the bad things that happen are a reaction to our presence in some of these countries.”
Paul was paraphrasing a quote his father, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, said in a 2007 presidential debate. The elder Paul said U.S. foreign policy fueled anger among radicals.
The squabble between Paul and Grayson is not the first time the use of 9/11 images has been an issue. During President Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign, Bush was criticized by relatives of the terrorist strikes, who contended Bush was exploiting photos of the tragedy for political gain.
In Grayson’s new Internet video featuring Jeremiah Wright, the campaign uses widely circulated clips of Wright saying “the stuff we have done oversees is now brought right back into our own front yards” and “America’s chickens are coming home to roost.”
Adams said Grayson is throwing “Hail Mary passes, hoping some of his nonsense will catch on.”
Grayson and Paul are the top candidates in the May 18 Republican primary election for U.S. Senate. The winner will face the Democratic nominee in November’s general election.
The seat is open because GOP incumbent Jim Bunning decided not to seek re-election.
Here’s Paul’s TV ad:
Here’s Grayson’s Internet video:
Filed Under: Elections • Federal Government • Rand Paul • Trey Grayson • US Senate Race
About the Author: John Stamper is the accountability editor for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Monticello, Ky., he has been with the Herald-Leader in a variety of roles since graduating from Western Kentucky University in 2000. Reach him at jstamper@herald-leader.com
That’s absurd. Grayson is the one that brought 9/11 into this race, and these are images we have all seen before anyway. I’m starting to lose respect for Trey, because he’s turning this election into a pre-school farce.
Why would this make anybody vote for Grayson?
I guess he does these ads because he knows his views on politics are weak.
Was favoring Trey Grayson, but after his negative campaigning I have lost respect for him. Rand will get my vote, he seems like the better human being.
both have shown why they do not deserve to be elected and will not get my vote.
Definitely voting for Rand Paul. Grayson’s attacks are beyond the pale.
Looks like the Republicans have two low, tasteless, unpatriotic and crude losers running for the nomination. I think I’ll vote independent or Dem this time around, thank you very much. These guys don’t deserve to lead a sing-a-long, let alone represent our state in the Senate. They are shameful.
Rand Paul, an adherent to the constitution, would be the best US Senator that Kentucky could elect. Trey Grayson is complaining about Rand Paul’s ad because he’s afraid that it’s going to work. The truth hurts, doesn’t it, Trey?!
Typical republican ads. Use fear to get votes. I am more worried about the economy and jobs than I am about terrorist attacks. They acted like if we elect democrats a couple of years ago then we would be attacked every other day, well so far so good. No party can promise no more terrorist attacks and that is fact, please quit using the fear tactic to try and gain votes. If anything the politicians should be afraid of the everyday people taking control of our country and not talking heads for corporations.
Carrying on a Republican traditon of using 9/11 victims as political props. Rand Paul – in your gut you suspect he’s nuts.
But I’m convinced Grayson wishes he’d done it first.
I would not vote for either looser.
Grayson is just using scumbag Mitch McConnell taktics. McConnell’s support is all I need to NOT vote for Grayson.
As conspiracy nut and Rand Paul supporter Alex Jones would probably tell you 95% of Truthers agree that Rand Paul is their preferred candidate for the U.S. Senate!!!
If you are a Rand Paul supporter you are in good company – go to http://www.infowars.com to see what kind of folks you are siding with!
It seems to me that the Republican primary has come down to a matter of candidate integrity.
Because of this, no Republican voter with any integrity can vote for the primary winner in the general election if they voted for the loser in the primary.
The only choice for supporters of the losing candidate in the primary will be to vote for an independent, a Democrat, or not vote at all.
On the issue of national defense, Grayson is right and Paul is wrong. End of story. Still not enough to make me vote for Grayson, but definitely one of the reasons I’m not voting for Paul. Someone needs to get Paul on the record (again) on his position on allowing Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.
Grayson will capture Bin Laden!
Grayson’s ads are clearly the dying gasps of air from a dying campaign.
Game.Over.
Will politics ever get out of the gutter?
These slimebags are all the more reason not to vote.
Honest people won’t allow themselves to be dabble in hog wallow.
I am disappointed with some of the responses here. Grayson is way out of line, but Paul is not at all. It’s absurd to insist that we must remain willfully ignorant of what provokes terrorists.
Say someone breaks into your house. Not good. Someone says the bad guy did it because he hates your rose bushes. Is it terrible to point out that no, in fact the criminal broke in to steal things? When you deal with people who commit terrible crimes, it just makes sense to understand why they do it.
Grayson’s slander is pathetic.
I’m a staunch conservative but I find myself agreeing with Rand Paul about our foreign policy. I think we are trying to build an empire just like the Romans did. The main reason the Pauls are against having over 700 bases around the world (Yes, that’s how many US military bases there are)is the fact that it is running the debt up so bad. They believe that these wars are going to break our country financially. Why Grayson thinks that is such a radical beats me….. Grayson is getting desperate, he strikes me as the “Do Anything, Say Anything To Get Elected Politician” The exact kind of politician that got us into this mess to begin with.
I don’t really know where Grayson is coming from. I have been following this Senate race since June of 09 and Rand Paul said from the very beginning that he believed that going to Afghanistan was the right thing to do. What he did say was that we should have declared war like the constitution mandates, I agree. Why do we not declare war like we should? We have got to get back to following the Constitution. Grayson is another George Bush. Grayson is very dangerous for our country.
Hay guys, stop being stupid and check out the last poll by WHAS. The reason Grayson has gone dirt is his handlers have told him it is his last chance. Grayson is behind by 11 points and nothing is changing. Paul is going to take him out in the primary. Paul just came out of nowhere. The GOP machine does not like that it was not there plan. So Mitch grease it up because you just got it in the rear end.
The business about declaring war is just semantics. If Congress authorizes the use of military force, it is the same thing as declaring war.
Grayson won’t have to worry about my vote, HE WON’T BE GETTING IT!!!!
Decisive tactics like these will turn KY’s Junior senate seat Democratic this November.
Buck Feshear,
Actually declaring war isn’t just semantics. If the Constitution requires a Declaration than a Declaration should be made. It is your kind of thinking that has gotten in this mess to begin with. I vote for war declaration may carry more political baggage than a vote for authorization, that is why they do not want to declare war. War was intended by the Framers of the Constitution to be some what difficult to start, our government has sidestepped the constitution and so that we can go to war on any old whim.
Is Bill Adkins still blowing smoke on here?! How are those deficits looking now, Bill? I thought you liberal Dem lawyers were going to fix that?! And don’t give me the lame response that “it is Bush’s fault.”
Correction above: “A Vote” not “I Vote”
Does anyone really either of these two clowns representing Kentuckians in the United States Senate? Think about it.
Yes James Patrick, we’d prefer Rand over two ambulance chasers or Lt. Dan. Rand is the only one not in the pocket of a lobby or union.
Grayson is SO stupid. If anyone cared a bit about the security of this country, they would listen to what Ron Paul has to say. Building a military base on the holy land of another country is blatant ignorance, yet this is one of the reason terrorists hate America. Bombing a country for an entire decade and killing a million innocent lives is what we (the USA) does, yet we are surprised when those people get angry!
Shame on you, Grayson. If you really cared about national security, you would research blowback and WHY terrorists become terrorists.
The C-J is reporting that Grayson is bringing Sara Palin in to stump for him on a Lock and Load raise hell speech. that should get all the reds out with there machine guns. I just like to look at her she is so cute.
If people STILL do not understand that US foreign policy – policy that subverted the Iranian DEMOCRACY in 1953, is the root cause of our conflict with the Middle East, they don’t deserve a good representative.
They deserve the government they have – a corrupt, lying, thieving morally and economically bankrupt government.
Enjoy the government you have Americans – you voted them into office.
Run Richie Run
We wouldn’t build bases in those countries without their permission. The terrorists hate us because we don’t think women should run around with their faces covered, because we allow everyone to vote and participate freely in government, because we allow freedom of religion, etc.
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We wouldn’t build bases in those countries without their permission.
The terrorists hate us because we don’t think women should run around with their faces covered, because we allow everyone to vote and participate freely in government, because we allow freedom of religion, etc.