Usually when politicians win a US Senate nomination they need to be sedated to stop them trying to crash TV studios. But things haven't worked out that way last week for Rand Paul, the winner of the Republican nomination for Kentucky's vacant US Senate seat, or for Richard Blumenthal, who won the Democratic party's nomination for Connecticut's vacant US Senate seat.
After sustaining self-inflicted wounds exposed by the media – Blumenthal by the New York Timesover his claims of service in Vietnam and Paul by MSNBC's Rachel Maddow over civil rights – both men decided that discretion was the better part of valour this weekend.
Here's the New Haven Independent reporting on Blumenthal's nomination triumph at Connecticut's state Democratic convention:
After basking in the victory spotlight and waving to supporters with his wife, Cynthia, he made an uncharacteristic move for a man who reportedly never met a camera he didn't like. Blumenthal avoided the press after his remarks and ducked into a car.
...
He first declined to answer questions from a half-dozen reporters. He started walking briskly towards the door. When one reporter noted how rare it was for him to decline the chance to speak to the press, Blumenthal smiled and kept walking. He was asked if he feels he owes people an apology for misleading them over his record on Vietnam."I know I've said what I had to say for right now."
Asked for clarification, Blumenthal kept walking, got into a hybrid Ford Escape, and waved goodbye.
Then there was Rand Paul, who exposed his own High School debating club logic in speaking foolishly about the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He quickly reversed himself and put out a statement affirming his belief in the Civil Rights Act. Then he suddenly announced he was withdrawing his agreement to appear on Meet The Press, the long-running NBC Sunday morning politics show with a wide and influential audience:
Rand did Good Morning America today, set the record straight, and now we are done talking about it," said campaign spokesman Jesse Benton. "No more national interviews on the topic.
Most politicians of his standing would sacrifice several near relatives to appear on Meet The Press, so Paul's decision is extraordinary. The only other guests known to have cancelled Meet The Press appearances in this manner over the programme's 62-year run have been Louis Farrakhan and Prince Bandar bin Khaled al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia. Exulted company.
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