On August 17th our newspapers published this brief interview with self-funded Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon about the recent death of 29-year-old Lance Cade, a former wrestler for her family’s company, Stamford-based WWE, who struggled with substance abuse issues.
McMahon has been dogged by questions about WWE programming, how her company has treated talent over the years, their drug policies and the premature deaths of professional wrestlers.
Our story about Cade got a lot of traction in the wrestling press. And McMahon’s comments, viewed as callous by some critics, drew the toughest talk from former wrestler Chris Nowinski, who accused the candidate of “kicking dirt” on Cade’s grave.
Still others defended McMahon and the WWE.
Subsequently other members of the news media delved into the topic of premature deaths in wrestling and the potential impact on McMahon’s campaign, including Connecticut newspaper columnist/talk show host Colin McEnroe and the New York Times’ Peter Applebome.
The Cade tragedy got another round of scrutiny from the main stream media and political pundits Thursday and Friday after the wrestler’s father, outraged by McMahon’s comments in our August 17th report, lashed out at her in an interview published by The New London Day.
As the week drew to a close, the McMahon camp, who have been trying to diminish any concerns voters have about WWE, dismissing it as soap opera, launched a new television advertisement featuring Judy Moorberg, “Linda’s longtime friend.”
In it Moorberg talks about how McMahon “understands people and she feels for people.”
Then the news broke about the death of another former wrestler – 48-year-old Gertrude “Luna” Vachon.
Brian, speaking of premature deaths, will Blumenthal be held accountable for his role in the 50 million deaths of unborn tiny humans?
It was Blumenthal, the Law Clerk for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, who creatively “invoked” the element of “privacy” as the basis of legally enabling at-will abortions in the Court’s decision in roe v wade. Even though, in his majority opinion, Blackmun conceded that “privacy” is not really to be found anywhere in the U.S. Constitution.
It was a construct on Blumenthal’s part to meet a predermined social goal of Planned Parenthood to legalize abortions at the federal level to circumvent the individual states’ jurisdiction. Blumenthal was a legal advisor to Planned Parenthood.
I’ve read that Ms. Vachon battled depression and bipolar disorder, and is believed (though not yet confirmed) to have taken her life shortly after a house fire destroyed most of her belongings. A very sad story, but it’s hard to see how it has any relevance to the Senate race.
I don’t think what happens in the WWE should be used against Linda McMahon- this is a business and these are adult people who work there- they make their own decessions in their lives- not the McMahon’s, plenty of other wrestlers have a great and wonderful lives- it’s how they handle it-not who their bosses are.It’s a shame when one dies so young but it’s happening everyday in all walks of life.