McConnell GOP Challenger: Rifle Moment Similar To Dukakis Tank Ad

DANIEL STRAUSS – MARCH 7, 2014, 10:10 AM EST

The Republican primary challenger for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) compared him being given a rifle at the Conservative Political Action Conference to Democratic President candidate Michael Dukakis's infamous head 1988 tank ad.

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Matt Bevin says McConnell’s appearance w a rifle at CPAC yesterday “reminded me of Dukakis in the tank.”

9:45 AM - 7 Mar 2014

The ad featured Dukakis rising out of an M1 Abrams tank at a General Dynamics Land Systems plant in Michigan. Originally intended to bolster his perception as a future commander-in-chief, the campaign event backfired badly. Parts of the ad were used in attack ads by George H.W. Bush's presidential campaign and were considered very effective.

A day earlier near the beginning of CPAC Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) handed McConnell a rifle on the main stage. The rifle was reportedly a lifetime achievement award from the National Rifle Association.

Bevin's comments follow criticism from McConnell's likely general election challenger, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) who said that's "not the way to hold a gun."

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