I think you can say that lightning is attracted to a good ground connection, as well as you can say it provides a good conductor. We are talking here about positive and negative forces, which are attracted to each other. And while electrons flow from high negative to high positive areas, we talk about currents flowing the other way. So this is all totally confused, and one expression is probably as good as another.
Lightning probably strikes upwards almost as much as it strikes down.
The idea that grounding a wire mattress will make any difference, depends on the conditions you are trying to guard against. For some it will make things better, for others it will make them worse. That increased the likelihoood of static damage, and simultaneously increased the likelihood that you'd get 110 to 250 volts coursing through your veins. Because it provided a highly-efficient passage to earth for both static electrons and AC current flows. Anyway, enough nit-picking.