From Joe Gerth:
The spokesman for U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul has resigned after two political blogs claimed he had blamed the U.S. government for the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and had allowed racist remarks to appear on his myspace.com Web site for nearly two years.
-SNIP-
David Adams, Paul’s campaign manager, said Hightower resigned because of the Internet posting.
Maybe next time they’ll vet their SPOKESPERSON?
And where’s Rand’s statement? He’s allowing this story to tell itself. He’s allowing the world to see that he truly doesn’t care about what his campaign spokesman is/was responsible for and is allowing the world to believe it was Hightower’s decision to leave. I know without a doubt that David Adams and others wanted him out. But why the shade, folks?
Rand Paul needs to address this.
And here it is:
In a statement, Adams said, “Today, the Rand Paul campaign became aware of some disturbing images on a social network site attributed to a campaign staffer.
“The images were not placed there by this employee but by someone posting on the site. These images in no way represent Dr. Paul or his campaign nor do they represent the beliefs of this staff member. These images are reprehensible and have no place in civil discourse.”
Paul, in a statement, said, “I have never heard a single utterance of racism from this staffer nor do I believe him to have any racist tendencies. However, it is impossible to present the ideas and reforms we need in this country with this controversy present. Therefore I have accepted his resignation.”
Recently, Hightower got into a controversy by making light of a video that portrayed Grayson as Hitler.
The Courier-Journal reported Thursday that Hightower resigned a few hours after he told one of its reporters that he had never been a member of myspace.com and that the words on the site were not his.
Ouch.
WOAH! Grayson has sacked up (maybe Nate Hodson has turned things around):
Grayson said Thursday that Hightower positions are not out of step with the Paul campaign.
“The views and behavior displayed by Rand Paul’s communications director have no place in this campaign,” Grayson said in a statement. “I think Rand Paul’s judgment is seriously in question at this point. There seems to be a pattern of these kinds of disturbing views in his campaign.”
The allegations against Hightower first appeared Thursday on two Democratic blogs — Page One Kentucky and Barefoot and Progressive.
And… wow. Joe Gerth. He’s officially back, it seems (not just because he mentioned me or because he gave Joe proper credit). It’s a shame the Courier-Journal doesn’t promote Gerth and his work more often. This state is in desperate need of great political journalism.
Oh, and really, David Adams? Stepping in it by suggesting “there is truth on both sides” when it comes to racism and anti-Semitism? Really? Woops.
9 responses so far ↓
1 Anti Paul // Dec 17, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Rand Paul is a kook. All his out-0f-state supporters need to chill out and let Kentuckians decide this race on Kentucky issues.
2 OwensboroR // Dec 18, 2009 at 12:09 am
Don’t forget Jeremy Hughes came on board in the past several weeks for the Grayson campaign……
3 briansmith // Dec 18, 2009 at 6:29 am
it’s great to see Jake and Joe get the credit they deserve from the national media that they don’t get from the local media.
4 Moderate // Dec 18, 2009 at 7:46 am
I agree with OwensboroR in that Jeremy Hughes brings new life to what has been thus far a lifeless campaign for Grayson. I believe it was probably him, not Hodson who encouraged the campaign to jump on this issue.
5 jaded dude // Dec 18, 2009 at 9:08 am
Well said, briansmith, I was thinking the same thing! Jake links to their websites, driving traffic their way, everyday, yet these same media outlets almost never give independent bloggers any credit, and when they do, it’s usually a one sentence hat tip buried deep in the article.
6 jake // Dec 18, 2009 at 9:30 am
I’m really not looking for credit.
Unless it comes to the Robert Felner story. And that’s mainly just because a WHAS11 reporter “won” a fairly prestigious award for my goddamn work (I even gave him open records, connected him with sources and helped him understand it all, out of courtesy) on a story that I broke and carried.
Other than that, I’m just trying to get stories out there and am happy that so many outlets feel the need to take these stories and run, regardless of credit given.
7 SEKY Republican // Dec 18, 2009 at 9:27 pm
From a facebook message from Laurel Co. GOP Chairman Re: the Grayson press release
————-
This morning I received the email below from the Campaing Manager of the Trey Grayson for U.S. Senate campaign, and I was greatly saddened that such an email was sent. I have known Secretary Grayson for years, I was the first person to introduce him to elected officials in Laurel County when he first ran for Secretary of State in 2003, and just recently I provided the introduction for him at his fundraiser held by businessman Terry Forcht in Laurel County in the spring for 2009. I have always had the utmost respect for him and his contributions to the Kentucky Republican Party.
That is why I am greatly dismayed that his staff has advised him to engage in the politics of destruction that we see so regularly from Liberals. From past experience, campaigns that engage in this type of garbage politics have already lost in the arena of ideas. I do not know Mr. Hightower on Rand Paul’s campaign or his background, but for Trey Grayson’s campaign to send out a press release that self admittedly quotes a “liberal blog” as the source and do it openly is very disturbing. If I ever saw such tactics from the Paul or Johnson Campaign I would chastise them as well.
That is why I am forwarding this email from the Grayson campaign to let everyone read it and decide for themselves if this is what we are expecting from our Conservative Republican Candidates, and I will leave it up to you to decide to continue forwarding it.
As for myself I strongly believe this type of campaigning has no place in our Republican Primary for U.S. Senate, and to all of our candidates for U.S. Senate you must win with your beliefs and ideas, or you have no chance of winning at all.
Bryan Mills,
Chairman, Laurel County Republican Party
8 jake // Dec 18, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Hahaha. I can’t stop laughing.
9 tbrauch // Dec 20, 2009 at 12:26 am
Wait a minute… the short version of that email:
“This is such a horrible message that in case you haven’t seen it yet, I will pass it along to you so you can see it.”
Or, “To keep my hands clean, I’ll put the blame on someone else.”
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