1. Mediaite
  2. Gossip Cop
  3. Geekosystem
  4. Styleite
  5. SportsGrid
  6. The Mary Sue
  7. The Jane Dough
  8. The Braiser
Advertisement

Chris Matthews Slams Conway For “Exploiting” Decades-Old ‘Aqua Buddha’ Charge Against Rand Paul

video
» 41 comments

Chris Matthews is on location somewhere in Kentucky today (making things slightly more unpredictable than usual) and he just grilled Jack Conway over his controversial Aqua Buddha ad attacking opponent Rand Paul.

The ad, which accuses Paul of having “mocked Christianity” for his participation in a college fraternity, has drawn heavy criticism from Democrats and some tough questions from Matthews who clearly felt Conway was way out of line to bring up 30-year-old unsubstantiated charges against Rand and “exploit” them for a TV ad. Here’s the segment at a glance.

Said Matthews: “Is it wrong for a candidate not to believe in Christianity?” Responded Conway: “That’s not wrong. But to mock people of faith, that’s wrong.”

Well then, “is it wrong for a college student to be skeptical about religion?” Said Conway: “No it’s not, but it’s wrong to mock people of faith.”

Uh huh. Asked Matthews: “Didn’t you do anything in college you think is a little strange? Or were you always a straight arrow?” Um. And then Matthews really doubled down.

So it’s all sort of hearsay from an unrecognized source…it other words whatever she said is the truth by your standards…you’re basically trusting a woman’s word against Dr. Paul’s?

Yes, apparently he is.

So, anyone who makes a 30 year old charge against your opponent you will exploit for a TV ad?

This was apparently rhetorical. Watch below.

Follow us on Twitter.

Sign up for Mediaite's daily newsletter.

Email Twitter Facebook Digg Reddit Stumble Upon Yahoo Buzz LinkedIn Tumblr Delicious
  • NORBIT

    Forget it Chris, FOX will never take you!
    —————————————————–

    LOL!

    Hey American Public, hear the latest message from your President?

    He says you’re too scared & stupid to understand science & facts!!

    On 11-02-10, make sure you send a message of your own to this Arrogant Egomaniac!!!

  • http://libertyinprogressnow.wordpress.com/ ProgLib

    You, obviously, prove to be too stupid and too scared to understand anything, NORBIT. Crack open a book and do some of your own research instead of parading the far-right blogs.

  • ChiliPeppersFan

    i’m not sure how important religion plays in kentucky but conway seems petty with this attack.
    i’d be more afraid of paul getting in congress and repealing parts of the civil rights act and social security.

  • ChiliPeppersFan

    if paul did tie that woman up in college he will fit right in with the republicans when the rnc takes their next trip to a bondage club.

    did they ever get paid back for that?

  • Big_F-ing_Deal

    Chris Matthews loves politics too much to let Conway get away with this kind of shit.
    Sure, Chris is a lefty, but he will protect the process when he thinks it’s taken a bad turn.

  • m

    CHRIS MATTHEWS IS A LIBERAL MSNBC ALWYS SUPPORTZ LIBERULZ HERP DERP!!!! Fox News iz teh bezt networkz for teh newzzz!

    You won’t ever see this happen on FNC.

  • CosmosDan

    I agree that bringing up something decades old is a bad idea, although the religion angle might play there more than it would with me. Some Democrats have criticized him, but Dems would be smart to take this ad and Grayson’s Taliban Dan ad, and contrast them to the most hateful dishonest ads by Angle and others, and make a big deal of it.

    See what happens. We fight fire with fire and we get a ton of criticism about how unfair and negative it is. Let’s shoot for a standard that applies to both sides.

  • notsofast

    ChiliPeppersFan said:
    if paul did tie that woman up in college he will fit right in with the republicans when the rnc takes their next trip to a bondage club.

    At least he didn’t murder a woman when he was a Senator like your God, Ted Kennedy did.

  • http://apostrophejones.com Apostrophe jones

    Big_F-ing_Deal said:
    Chris Matthews loves politics too much to let Conway get away with this kind of shit.Sure, Chris is a lefty, but he will protect the process when he thinks it’s taken a bad turn.

    This is a leftist wacko , but seems to be the only one I’ve seen who tells it straight as he sees it . Hate to admit it , but I’ve laughed out loud at this commie , too .

  • http://apostrophejones.com Apostrophe jones

    Big_F-ing_Deal said:
    Chris Matthews loves politics too much to let Conway get away with this kind of shit.Sure, Chris is a lefty, but he will protect the process when he thinks it’s taken a bad turn.

    This is a leftist wacko , but seems to be the only liberal I’ve seen who tells it straight as he sees it . Hate to admit it , but I’ve laughed out loud at this commie , too .

  • Moderate

    Desperate people have desperate ways and Conway is losing badly, hopefully his ads will only help Rand Paul.

  • http://apostrophejones.com Apostrophe jones

    What the hell ?

  • notsofast

    Don’t ya just love libs; they attack religion all the time and now this lib attacks Paul for allegedly attacking religion. Typical!

  • roxsteady

    FactCheck.org begs to differ. Paul is not only a dwarft, he’s a liar and a crybaby. Man up indeed! I do like his wig though. It’s much better than George Will’s.

    http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/live/tpm-midterms-wire/#477?ref=fpblg

  • felixw

    Once again, Chris Matthews shows that he is the only prime time host on MSNBC who can surprise viewers by deviating (ever so occasionally) from the party line. In contrast, with Olbermann, Maddow, etc. you can predict everything they say in advance with 100% certainty. I’m not sure why MSNBC even needs human beings to host these shows. You could train circus animals to hold up signs that would contain the leftwing talking point du jour, and it would be no more mindless and predictable than what Keith and Rachel dish out in person every night.

  • roxsteady

    By the way, as I’ve told you Mensa members several times, Matthews voted for Bush. He said it on the air once.

  • Azarkhan

    OK, I’m impressed. Good, tough interview. Dr. Paul’s response ad was also good.

    roxsteady said:
    as I’ve told you Mensa members several times, Matthews voted for Bush

    From one Mensa member to another:

    [Chris Matthews] served on the staffs of four Democratic members of Congress, including Senators Frank Moss and Edmund Muskie…Matthews was a presidential speechwriter during the Carter administration, and later worked for six years as a top aide to long-time Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O’Neill….

  • notsofast

    roxsteady said:
    roxsteady says:
    October 18, 2010 at 7:34 pm roxsteady(Quote)

    But box of rox, you left out where the woman said it was like a prank, a hazing incident.

    From the Washington Post:

    Exclusive: Rand Paul’s accuser clarifies “kidnapping”

    The woman who sparked a national firestorm by recounting Rand Paul’s
    youthful indiscretions to GQ magazine is now clarifying her account: She says she was not kidnapped nor forced to do drugs by Paul.

    But she reiterated other odd aspects of her earlier story, including her claim that Paul and another college friend blindfolded her, tied her up, and told her to smoke pot and worship the “Aqua Buddha,” even if they didn’t physically force her to do these things.

    The woman — who was made available to me for an interview by GQ reporter Jason Zengerle in response to the Paul campaign’s denunciations of his article — said she didn’t mean to imply that she was kidnapped “in a legal sense.”

    “The whole thing has been blown out of proportion,” she told me. “They didn’t force me, they didn’t make me. They were creating this drama: `We’re messing with you.’”

    The woman said that much of the subsequent coverage of her allegations missed a key nuance: As a participant in a college ritual, where lines between acquiescence and victimization are often blurry, she was largely playing along with the notion that she was being forced to follow Paul’s orders.

    “I went along because they were my friends,” she said. “There was an implicit degree of cooperation in the whole thing. I felt like I was being hazed.”

    That characterization of events supports Paul’s claim that, as he told Fox News yesterday, “No, I never was involved with kidnapping. No, I never was involved with forcibly drugging people.”

  • tigerprez

    As the saying goes, “If you’ve lost Chris Matthews…nobody cares.”

  • http://gordonbloyershow.com gordonbloyershow

    Box of Rox has some obsession with peoples hair. She must be bald and is ashamed of it.
    Will and Rand don’t have wigs. She is also blind.

  • The Real Royal King

    PROGRAMMING NOTE: Republican Youth Spokesperson Meghan McCain will appear on the “Rachel Maddow Show” this evening.

  • Big_F-ing_Deal

    The Real Royal King said:
    PROGRAMMING NOTE: Republican Youth Spokesperson Meghan McCain will appear on the “Rachel Maddow Show” this evening.

    That’s fine but she had no business being on Meet The Press. She is an intellectual lightweight and it was cringe worthy watching her debate George Will.

  • The Real Royal King

    Just entre nous, BFD, I think Meghan is a slightly affable, and a complete nitwit. I’m just driving my rightist friends crazy.

  • Big_F-ing_Deal

    Hmmm….maybe it was This Week. I get confused because I watch them all in a row. :)

  • Azarkhan

    The Real Royal King said:
    Meghan McCain will appear on the “Rachel Maddow Show”

    All of us are shocked.

  • The Real Royal King

    Big_F-ing_Deal said:
    Hmmm….maybe it was This Week. I get confused because I watch them all in a row. :)

    Yes, “This Week”.

  • Rusty Shackelford

    Meghan McCain is trying to get all the face time possible…..she really wants that Jenny Craig gig that the Queen ate her self out of. In fact word is Meghan is on a 20,000 calorie a day diet trying to add yet more bulk.

  • Michele

    I channel surf during commercials. Every so often I find Chris actually acting like a journalist. Granted, his show has turned into a left leaning show, but if you want independents to respect your show, it must contain intellectual banter from both sides.

    Look at where he is this week, his shows are about democrats and not about honorable political discourse so that viewers receive truthful coverage.

    I continue to look for both sides conveying the issues without a host pushing their own agenda.

    Just my humble opinion from Ft. Leavenworth, KS.

  • The Real Royal King

    Michele said:
    I channel surf during commercials. Every so often I find Chris actually acting like a journalist. Granted, his show has turned into a left leaning show, but if you want independents to respect your show, it must contain intellectual banter from both sides. Look at where he is this week, his shows are about democrats and not about honorable political discourse so that viewers receive truthful coverage. I continue to look for both sides conveying the issues without a host pushing their own agenda. Just my humble opinion from Ft. Leavenworth, KS.

    He was in Kentucky today, with a mixed group of Conway and Ayn Rand Paul supporters.

  • Michele

    Big_F-ing_Deal said:
    Chris Matthews loves politics too much to let Conway get away with this kind of shit.Sure, Chris is a lefty, but he will protect the process when he thinks it’s taken a bad turn.

    I agree with you, it is rare that he does this but when he does it shows his amazing ability when it comes to politcal coverage, but overall he rarely gives his viewers what he can do well, fair coverage of politics. There was a time he did it, and I admit I miss that he chooses to not to do it anymore.

    Just a few thougts from Ft. Leavenworth, KS

  • Michele

    The Real Royal King said:
    He was in Kentucky today, with a mixed group of Conway and Ayn Rand Paul supporters.

    Thank you, I will DVR it when it replays later.

    ~Chéle

  • dahni

    I must have missed something. Any reason why the woman only came forward now? Then after the brouhahahaha she says it was really only a college prank? Then again, this is the only kind of thing most of the incumbents have to run on.

  • CosmosDan

    Big_F-ing_Deal said:
    That’s fine but she had no business being on Meet The Press. She is an intellectual lightweight and it was cringe worthy watching her debate George Will.

    I kinda like George Will but I think her point about the GOP was correct, and Will countered with the current success of the Tea Party. I think Megan was talking long term, while George was talking this next election. The younger generation is becoming less conservative Christian at a large fast rate so relying on that base is a big lose for the GOP. They will have to embrace the gay republicans and gay marriage in the not to distant future.

  • CosmosDan

    The Real Royal King said:
    PROGRAMMING NOTE: Republican Youth Spokesperson Meghan McCain will appear on the “Rachel Maddow Show” this evening.

    in an episode called……THE SEDUCTION. I sense a porn parody in the making.

  • http://touchofpolitics.wordpress.com Marla Louise

    Michele said:
    I agree with you, it is rare that he does this but when he does it shows his amazing ability when it comes to politcal coverage, but overall he rarely gives his viewers what he can do well, fair coverage of politics. There was a time he did it, and I admit I miss that he chooses to not to do it anymore.

    Just a few thougts from Ft. Leavenworth, KS

    Matthews is definitely a mixed bag. Sometimes he is absolutely great in his analysis. I wish we had that out of him all the time.

  • the real john t

    notsofast said:
    Don’t ya just love libs; they attack religion all the time and now this lib attacks Paul for allegedly attacking religion.

    OH! The Repubs never attack religion do they? They’ve just attacked Obama’s religion ever since he started running for President up until this day.

  • WildMan

    What? Chris Tingles did something right? Damn, the world must be coming to an end soon! I didn’t think Chris could even tie his shoes.

  • Dem4Ever

    I’m not so sure Matthews’ motives for calling “bull shit”on Conway are as altruistic as many would like to believe.  I think that Matthews recognized the ads Conway ran and the charges that he made were so over the line that if he didn’t call “bull shit” his failure to do so would have become as big a story as the story itself.

    A simple case of self preservation.

  • Firstrate

    shocking to see Matthews be uncharacteristically fair.

  • sarainitaly

    Dem4Ever said:
    I’m not so sure Matthews’ motives for calling “bull shit”on Conway are as altruistic as many would like to believe.  I think that Matthews recognized the ads Conway ran and the charges that he made were so over the line that if he didn’t call “bull shit” his failure to do so would have become as big a story as the story itself.

    Maybe Matthews isn’t religious, and bowed to his own Acqua Budda in college?
    Does he still plan on running for office? If so, he is covering his ass for his run, maybe – dismissing college pranks now? haha

  • Kitsune

    Maybe the Dem ad people could combine the two ads.

    “Wives, Submit to Aqua Buddha.”
    “Submit to Aqua Buddha.”
    “Submit to Aqua Buddha.”

    TALIBAN Aqua Buddha, HE’S COMING AFTER YOUR WIVES!

© 2012 Mediaite, LLC | About Us | Advertise | Newsletter | Jobs | Privacy | User Agreement | Disclaimer | Power Grid FAQ | Contact | Archives | RSS RSS
Dan Abrams, Founder | Power Grid by Sound Strategies | Hosting by Datagram