Evangelical Christian author calls his earlier endorsement of Trey Grayson an "embarrassing mistake" and says "senior members of the GOP" misled him on Paul's positions. by George Dance
(libertarian)
Monday, May 3, 2010
On Apr. 26, evangelical Christian James Dobson endorsed Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson as the Republican candidate in the state's 2010 U.S. Senate election. "Trey Grayson is the only candidate with the conviction to lead on the issues that matter to Kentucky families., said Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family. "His unwavering commitment to the sanctity of human life and the family resonates with me.... As a matter of conscience, I encourage Kentuckians to support Trey Grayson on May 18th." (1)
On May 3, Dobson withdrew his endorsement of Grayson and endorsed his primary opponent, Rand Paul, instead, charging that "senior members of the GOP" had given him "misleading information" on Paul's positions.
In an audio statement sent to the Paul campaign, Dobson declared:
"Have you ever made an embarrassing mistake? I did just that last week. I was given misleading information about the candidacy of Dr. Rand Paul, who is running in the Republican Primary for the U.S. Senate. Senior members of the GOP told me Dr. Paul is pro-choice and that he opposes many conservative perspectives, so I endorsed his opponent.
"But now I've received further information from OB/GYN's in Kentucky whom I trust, and from interviewing the candidate himself.
"I now know that he is avidly pro life. He believes that life begins at conception.
"He opposes earmarking and supports Israel. He identifies with the Tea Party movement and believes in home schooling. Sounds like my kind of man.
"If I lived in Kentucky, I would vote for Dr. Rand Paul. Would you consider sending him to the U.S. Senate to shake things up in Washington?" (2)
The Washington Post reports that there has been "a fairly successful whisper campaign, that Rand Paul's libertarian approach to the abortion issue was more or less pro-choice. That's not what Paul has ever said, though; like his father he's anti-abortion rights but wants the issue decided in the states" rather than by the federal government. (3)
Paul responded: "I thank Dr. Dobson for his support and for his thorough investigation of the views of the candidates in this race. I believe his message and his explanation for his new endorsement says it all." (2) The Paul campaign has begun using Dobson's statement in a new radio ad. (3)
(2) "Dr. James Dobson Endorses Rand Paul for Senate" (press release), Business Wire, May 3, 2010. http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100503005889&newsLang=en
(3) David Wiegel, "James Dobson endorses Rand Paul, apologizes for having previously backed his opponent," Washington Post, May 3, 2010. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-now/2010/05/james_dobson_endorses_rand_pau.html
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