The verbal volleys between Republican U.S. Senate race frontrunners Trey Grayson and Rand Paul is now a full-fledged air war.
After the Trey Grayson began airing a commercial in which Paul is heard saying "Coal's a very dirty form of energy," the Paul campaign complained that Paul's speech at a rally for his father's presidential bid was being taken out of context.
Now, a new Rand Paul ad accuses Grayson of "trading Kentucky coal jobs for nuclear energy." The commerical uses sound bites from Grayson, including a congratulatory message Grayson taped when President Obama was inaugurated.
"Rand Paul will stop Obama and the EPA from crippling the mining industry," a voiceover announcer says in the Paul ad, adding "a friend of Obama. No friend of coal."
Grayson campaign manager Nate Hodson is blasting Paul's commercial, while defending the Grayson ad.
"Our ad quoted Rand Paul in context sharing his view that coal is dirty and the least desirable form of energy," Hodson said in a statement, "Viewers can watch the full video of Rand Paul opposing coal in all its glory on the Internet if there’s a question about context."
"The Paul video shows a small clip of Grayson discussing the GOP platform to which he successfully added pro-coal language in 2008. There’s nothing inconsistent about what Grayson has said in supporting increased production of coal and nuclear power as well as more off-shore drilling.
"The Paul video takes another clip of him congratulating the President on his inauguration day and rips it wildly out of context. Then, Paul steals the official Friends of Coal logo. Viewers can decide whose ad is accurate and whose isn’t. Rand Paul continues to show his willingness to say and do anything to get elected, even if it means taking the direct opposite view of his beliefs just months ago. He has to do this, because his true positions are directly opposed to those of Kentucky Republican primary voters."
