Mark Pazniokas over at CTMirror.org today reported that self-funded Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon is out with a mailing going after Democratic nominee Richard Blumenthal’s so-far occasional statements that he served IN Vietnam rather than stateside in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Since the New York Time’s broke its controversial story in mid-May, Blumenthal has repeatedly argued that at a handful of public events over his 20-years as state attorney general he misspoke.
It wasn’t long ago that former U.S. Rep. Chris Shays, R-Bridgeport, who helped fuel the controversy by telling the New York Times and other publications that he witnessed Blumenthal’s mis-representing his military service, told me Blumenthal’s critics were being “unduly harsh” and that he never thought Blumenthal’s intentions were “nefarious.”
That’s not something you’ll read in the McMahon mailer which, according to Pazniokas, states Blumenthal “lied about his military service for political gain” and cites five examples.
Clearly McMahon thinks she can still use the issue to eat into Blumenthal’s lead in the general election. And so does one of her opponents in the August 10 Republican primary – actual Vietnam veteran (he’s got the ribbons to show for it) and former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, who plans on making it a major issue should he be the GOP candidate to face Blumenthal in November.
I’m no highly-paid political consultant, so far be it from me to second-guess the McMahon camp’s political strategy or how she decides to spend the $50 million she pledged to pump into her first-time bid for public office.
But I will say that voters attending Blumenthal’s July 15 campaign stop at the Litchfield Inn didn’t seem all that excited about Vietnam. And these were self-described Republicans, one self-described Republican-turned-unaffiliated voter and a Democrat-turned-fiscally-conservative-independent.
Blumenthal was in town to speak to the Litchfield Morris Rotary Club, which had already hosted McMahon, Simmons and the third Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, economist Peter Schiff.
When the floor was opened to questions, veteran consumer advocate George Gombossy, a former Hartford Courant employee who now runs ctwatchdog.com, was the first to stand up. He asked Blumenthal how could he have misstated his military service?
“I am proud that I served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and was honorably discharged,” Blumenthal said, re-iterating his defense that the statements “were unintentional. I take full responsibility for them.”
Gombossy sought to follow-up but the moderator, Charles Conn, who afterward told me he is a Republican, interrupted.
“George,” he said. “You’ve asked your question … If you want to discuss it afterward that’s perfectly fine. I just don’t want to make this a big point here.”
But Blumenthal said it was okay and Gombossy could continue, so he did. Gombossy said Blumenthal’s mistakenly telling the audience he served in Vietnam is akin to Gombossy “unintentionally saying I was born in China.”
Blumenthal stuck to his message – he regrets it, he’s sorry “and the fact it was unintentional is not excuse.” Oh, by the way, he looks forward to continuing to fight for veterans’ rights as a U.S. Senator.
At that point Edward Murphy Jr., a local Realtor who described himself to me as a Democrat-turned-independent voter, said: “I’d like to get on to a more important question.” He asked Blumenthal how he would reduce the federal deficit if elected to Congress?
When the event was over I spoke to Murphy, Conn and a few other attendees about Blumenthal’s appearance.
Murphy was disappointed in Blumenthal’s lack of specifics when talking about cutting the federal deficit and, as a fiscal conservative, believes he will wind up voting Republican. But he said Schiff is “too extreme” and does not believe McMahon has provided voters enough details about her platform.
“None of them really has got me going,” Murphy said.
As for the Vietnam issue? Murphy said: “I don’t know how he could do that. But you know what? We’ve got to move on.”
Dom Vita, who told me he was a lifelong Republican but is now an unaffiliated voter, also did not feel passionately about the Vietnam matter.
“He’s been great for Connecticut,” Vita said, calling Blumenthal “very dedicated.”
Lydia Brimelow, a Republican who asked Blumenthal about immigration, was, like Murphy, not satisfied with how the candidate responded. But she said she found his defense of his Vietnam statements “pretty fair, frankly.”
(Her Republican husband Peter, however, called Blumenthal’s mis-characterization of his military service “an absolute, blatant lie.” But he was impressed with Blumenthal’s comments about China and currency manipulation, calling them surprisingly sophisticated.)
Conn, despite being a Republican, admitted he is “on the fence” when it comes to backing a U.S. Senate candidate. Conn is concerned about the Democrats’ spending in Washington and not eager to increase their power in Congress.
But when his business had a financial dispute with a computer company, Conn turned to Blumenthal’s office “and they solved it.”
“I have the greatest respect for many of the things he and his office have accomplished,” Conn told me.
So what about the Vietnam flap?
“It matters some. On a scale of 1 to 10? Probably a 2,” Conn said. “What lets me cut slack with him is he has said repeatedly he was sorry … He didn’t seem to say it (that he served in Vietnam) all the time.”
Maybe these folks are an anomaly and McMahon has thick files of internal polling proving the Vietnam issue still has traction. Maybe she has documented evidence or video footage of 30 other times Blumenthal talked about serving IN Vietnam and is just waiting to spring it on the voting public.
But you’ve at least got to consider the responses of the good folks in Litchfield July 15 and wonder if other people out there in the real, non-political-consultant world care.
It’s really amazing that this is still being discussed. Someone pointed out above that he did speak CORRECTLY earlier in the same speech that the McMahon campaign spent millions to find.
What has McMahon accomplished in her life? What has she done for the people of Connecticut?
Connecticut has a multi-billion dollar deficit, the country is mired in two wars and recovering from the worst recession in about 70 years. Let’s worry about THOSE issues, okay?
PS – to the guy who claims we need to have republican control of Congress because the president is a Democrat. Did you say the same thing during the 6 years of the bush administration when republicans controlled both houses of Congress?
Are you kidding?
I can’t believe that this issue is still coming up . I think it is time to move past this, and look at the facts. The Attorney general has been serving his country, and more importantly the State of Connecticut for as far as I care to look back. He has been attorney general for give or take 20 years, and before that he was involved in the legislature. He has always been there fighting for those that live in Connecticut, and has done a darn good job doing it. I’d like to see what Linda can bring to the plate, not what kind of propaganda she can drum up on her competition. Lets get back to the facts, and the real issues. Attorney General Blumenthal has done much for the state of Connecticut, what can Linda say she has done?
Of course an Attorney General is going to look like he worked hard for the people of the state. Lieberman used that same office to get elected to the Senate, and Bysiewcz hope to do the same. It always looks like your doing the right thing even when the things he did ended costing us more money down the road. The real issue in this is do we want to continue to let one polical party maintain control of Washington or is it time to balance out the power? One Senator is not going to change the world and regardless of who it is they will try to do right for their state. But one political party controlling government is not a good thing no matter which party it is. The President is a Democrat, we need to have Republicans control Congress.
Interesting how many of the comments have the same themes,also Buddy a soldier is not a marine a soldier serves in the army and a marine serves in the Marine Corp.
It is completely ridiculous that this continues to be brought up. It is not like Mr. Blumenthal was known around the state for having served in Vietnam. He wasn’t. He has been in the public eye for years, since the late 80s, and has made thousands of appearances. To say ‘in’ instead of ‘during’ on less than 5 occasions is not a lie, it is a mistake that Mr. Blumenthal has apologized for over and over again if it offended anyone.
This ought to be a campaign about who could best represent the state of Connecticut in the Senate. Personally, I’d prefer someone with extensive experience and has succeeded greatly at a job that is actually related to the office of the Senate instead of someone who got rich off the backs of men who ruined their health for money and promoting violence and objectification of women.
The problem with the story from the start is that a lot of people either didn’t hear or ignored the fact that he had correctly spoke about his military service earlier in the speech in which the New York Times reported on. To me, the fact that the McMahon campaign is still bringing this issue up just shows that they are grasping for straws because there doesn’t seem to be any real substance to their campaign. Dick has a clear history of serving the state and its people and keeping their interests in mind. Linda’s history is full of controversy involving drugs, sex, and violence. Her unimpressive past is showing clearly in the type of campaign she is running.
Has anyone actually taken the time to watch the entire speech? If you watch the whole thing, not just a 5 second clip, you will realize that he only misspoke… nothing else. Once you realize that, it takes moments to get over his mistake.
To those who continue to bring up this tiny mistake: wake up! Do your homework! The Attorney General has performed so many incredible acts for this state. Furthermore, he is a veteran. As a marine, he made sacrifices that should not be forgotten. It is shameful that some choose to forget this important fact, and instead continue to reference a 5 second clip that was distributed by a woman who has made her living off of degrading women, promoting violence, and marketing all this material to children. Her business has not done one positive thing for our country, let alone our state. Yes, she created jobs, but the way her employees were treated is sickening. No one should have to work under those conditions.
Let’s not let a silly mistake get in the way of the truth.
If a campaign can only focus on one negative aspect of the opposing candidate, it only means that they have nothing at all. Either McMahon needs to find another issue to focus on – one that actually matters to the CT people and doesn’t make her sound so desperate – or she should just admit that she is going to lose this race.
Mr. Blumenthal has done so much good for the state of CT in the past 20 years. It’s time to focus on that and realize that the same kind of good will be done in Washington. He’s the best candidate for the job, without a doubt.
I’m so tired of hearing about this story. Was I upset when I first heard about the Vietnam statement? Yes, but am I over it now. I’m more concerned now with what this election means for Connecticut as should everyone else. Blumenthal’s people could tear up Linda McMahon for the way she ran her WWE. Instead, the Blumenthal camp has taken the high road and is letting Dick’s record speak for itself. It’s obvious Linda and team has nothing to run on but this one little blunder in Dick’s 20 years of great service to the state. I know I don’t care about Vietnam anymore just as I don’t care about Tiger’s off course escapades. Dick is the man for the job regardless of Vietnam or any other trash the Republicans might try and dig up (aka their only strategy) as November approaches.
Oh my god, are we still seriously harping on Blumenthal’s military record. I really think it’s time to get past this. Who cares about a few misspoken words when the man has more than 20 years of political service. He made a mistake, we all make mistakes so let’s stop bringing it up. In fact let’s talk about how Attorney Blumenthal has always fought for the people and for the State of Connecticut. Isn’t that more important. This is the only thing Linda has on him. It is so evident how amazing of an Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has been, and so clear how much of an amazing Senator he will be. She should probably focus on the real problems facing Connecticut. Blumenthal has been focusing on those problems for a long time and I am sure he will continue to do so when he is elected Senator.
I was upset as anyone when the story broke, but after looking at the facts – not just the article – the truth isn’t what the media and McMahon’s campaign have made it out to be. This guy has been AG for about twenty years and before that was in the state legislature. He never misrepresented his military record in all the elections he has run in. He probably speaks at multiple locations a day, so totally he has given thousands of speeches, so to pick like six or seven or whatever it is and say that proves a pattern is absolutely ridiculous. While McMahon was getting rich off steroid induced wrestlers, promoting violence to children, Blumenthal was winning money for CT residents. People use the AG post as a platform for higher office but he stayed for twenty years – that’s no powergrab, that’s his life. I think people need to give the guy a break and take a look at the issues.
Blumenthal knows he made a mistake and he apologized, and has continued to apologize whenever anyone brings up Vietnam. When is someone going to bring up the issues- or the fact that he’s been fighting and working for the people of Connecticut for the past twenty years? Richard Blumenthal has done an incredible job as Attorney General- he listens to the people, and is there for them when they need him. What has Linda McMahon done? Exploited her wrestlers? Promoted the use of drugs, sex, and violence? Washington is a place for progression, not entertainment and outrageous antics.
Our next United States Senator should be serious and committed to helping our state move forward, a senator who will work for the people of Connecticut, and there is no doubt that Richard Blumenthal has proven that he is the right candidate for the job.
It is time that we as a state put this issue behind us and begin to focus on the real problems that are directly impacting the voters of Connecticut. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has been fighting for the people of this state for two decades now and it is clear that he has their best interest at heart. Any state would be lucky to have him on their side, and he will be the best advocate Connecticut could ever have in the Senate. He has a proven record of the necessary and relevant kind of leadership and experience needed to bring about real solutions to our states problems. For two decades now Dick Blumenthal has been fighting for us, its about time we start fighting for him.
There are much bigger problems facing the state of CT that the candidates should be focusing on. Mr. Blumenthal is spending his campaign time telling voters that he cares about the issues that are most important and we all know he means it because his record shows his commitment fighting for CT. All I’ve seen from the McMahon campaign is attack after attack. I have no reason to believe she could do anything to help me or my family and community like Mr. Blumenthal will. That is the most important issue right now, not whether or not someone said something incorrectly, which is something I’m sure we have all done at least once in our own lives.
Though Linda McMahon is spending millions of dollars on political consultants, she is about to get drop kicked by a republican. Considering the fact that the Hartford Courant endorsed Rob Simmons and that his poll numbers will quickly surge, it is clear that even as she is attacking Richard Blumenthal, she is about to get beat by Simmons in the upcoming primary. Blumenthal has proven that though he made a mistake, he is a strong candidate who is capable of beating any candidate republican voters choose. But McMahon bringing the Vietnam issue up is superfluous, considering the fact that she is about to get body slammed by Simmons.
When is old news going to be old news? By now everybody in Connecticut has heard the Blumenthal Vietnam story, he served in the Marine Corps Reserves, not in Vietnam. What I want to know is when are people going to recognize Mr. Blumenthal’s service to Connecticut. He was a soldier and should be praised for that, and instead of pursuing a lucrative career in the private sector, he has constantly shunned that route to serve the public. He was US Attorney, State Rep, State Senator, and a revolutionary Attorney General. He will make a great advocate for Connecticut in the United States Senate come November. I think its time to talk about the issues. When is old news going to be old news.
Of course people care about his blatant lie …