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Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy’s campaign did it during the U.S. Senate primary with Susan Bysiewicz.

Republican Andrew Roraback’s campaign pulled a similar move in his heated race in the 5th Congressional District against Democrat Liz Esty.

And today Republican Steve Obsitnik adopted the same strategy as he seeks to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Himes.

The new trend in Connecticut’s 2012 campaigns is to write an oh-so-serious letter to a television station or stations strongly objecting to an opponent’s advertisement, releasing, of course, that letter to the rest of the media world so voters also know just what dirty liars are slinging mud for the opposing campaign.

It’s a nice break from the days when campaigns would file ethics or elections complaints for the same purposes, knowing full well those complaints would not be addressed prior to the election.

Oh. Wait a minute. That stunt was pulled this month by Republican Linda McMahon’s campaign and the state Democratic Party.

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Retiring state House Speaker Chris Donovan, D-Meriden, who was unable to salvage his congressional bid in the wake of a federal influence-peddling probe, has been pretty quiet after losing the 5th District August 14 primary to Elizabeth Esty.

But today Donovan emerged from political seclusion in the form of an email to supporters asking them to pitch in $5 to help retire his campaign debt.

According to the Federal Elections Commission, Donovan as of late July was trying to pay down an $84,668 bill.

Donovan’s message did not mention Esty, a former state representative who he eventually endorsed for the 5th seat.

I’m sure some loyal Democrats are torn between giving that $5 to Donovan or to Esty as she campaigns against Republican Andrew Roraback.

———-

Friend,

It’s been a few weeks since the primary, so I wanted to drop you a brief note to say thank you. We had a difficult few months, but I’m proud of how hard we fought for the working families of Connecticut – and I’ll be proud to cast my ballot for the Democratic ticket in November! So thank you – your support made my campaign possible.

I know I asked you for a lot during the campaign, but I have one more request. Our campaign finished with some debt, but I want to make sure that everyone gets what is owed to them. Can I count on you to donate $5 to help me retire this debt?

Thanks again,

Chris

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World Wrestling Entertainment’s “attitude era” has gotten plenty of unwanted attention since Linda McMahon, whose family owns the Stamford-based wrestling empire, became interested in politics.

McMahon has run on her experience as a “job creator” and used her wrestling fortune to fund her campaigns.

Although WWE programming is today family-friendly and rated either PG or G, her critics love alerting voters to the period about a decade ago when the company’s scripts contained plenty of sex, violence and other material that could turn off some voters.

In fact WWE earlier this month announced it was removing clips of some of the more controversial material from the Internet to “protect its brand” from being tarnished during campaign season.

So a couple readers found it interesting that in late November – just a few weeks after the election – WWE is releasing an “Attitude Era” Blu-ray.

The implication? The company, still run by Linda’s husband, Vince, is protective of its brand when it helps Linda’s political career, but happy to profit off of those raunchier programs any other time.

Except that according to WWE spokesman Brian Flinn, the Blu-ray will be rated PG and consistent with how the company has marketed itself for the past several years.

Here’s the description from Amazon.com: In the late-90s, WWE was struggling for ratings survival while a cultural shift in the viewing audience’s taste was occurring. Saying your prayers and taking your vitamins had lost its luster among the rebellious masses who preferred “flipping the bird” and “laying the smackdown.” Enter Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Mankind and the notorious crop of edgy and fearless Superstars who ushered in The Attitude Era. Now in this 3-Disc DVD set, fans can own all the infamous moments from this controversial and revolutionary era that redefined sports entertainment for an entire generation. Over 8-hours of envelope-pushing content includes all the aggression, antics and innuendos that proved to be the perfect cocktail for an explosion of popularity.

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Here’s a recipe for political controversy: Take the well-attended Women’s Expo this weekend in Hartford, give Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon a much higher profile role than Democratic opponent Chris Murphy, and mix in the fact the women’s vote helped sink McMahon’s 2010 campaign and that she has been actively cultivating that group of voters in 2012.

“Everyone’s trying to read into it there’s something there,” said Nick Curci, president of Westport-based Connecticut Expos, as well as a registered Republican.

As a result, Curci said, McMahon will no longer give remarks as part of seven “stage events” scheduled for Saturday. McMahon was supposed to speak from 10:30 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. under the title “Linda for Senate.” McMahon will, however, still cut the opening ribbon with Miss Connecticut U.S.A. Marie-Lynn Piscitelli and her campaign will, like Murphy’s, have a more modest presence.

“She’s going to be there but not to address the crowd with a speech,” Curci said.

Curci said McMahon, a Greenwich millionaire who, like in 2010, has been self-funding her campaign, is a sponsor of the Women’s Expo. She and husband Vince earned a fortune running Stamford-based World Wrestling Entertainment, which Vince continues to operate.

Curci said neither her money nor her candidacy had anything to do with his decision to contact McMahon and ask her to play a more prominent role than Murphy, who has paid for a booth tucked away among 139 other exhibitors.

McMahon attended last year and proved to be popular draw, Curci said.

“It has nothing to do with anything other than she’s a woman, well known and a figurehead,” he said. “It’s the same reason I got Miss Connecticut. She’s a woman, a celebrity, she’s well known … I’m there to promote my show, period.”

McMahon’s role did not sit well with some Democrats who viewed it as providing the candidate an unfair platform in her battle with Murphy for female voters. Polls show their race is tied.

“They can certainly add anyone that they want,” Democratic State Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo said. “I just think they should have given Chris Murphy equal time to speak.”

Setting aside the ribbon cutting, it is fair to say a 20-minute speech by McMahon stood out from the list of other expo presenters – dance demonstrations and lessons; kickboxing and other fitness activities; and fashion shows.

Murphy’s campaign indicated that, after learning the full extent of McMahon’s participation, they asked organizers for opportunities for equal time but were not given clear answers about their options.

“Their manager called me, angry,” Curci said. “I said what do you want? We’ll put a package together. (They said) we don’t have any money. I said what do you want? For me not to take money from Linda because she’s willing to sponsor?”

But Curci again emphasized McMahon’s sponsorship had nothing to do with his decision to try and feature her.

“It’s not a home show. It’s a women’s expo. Last I checked, Murphy’s not a woman,” Curci said.

WWE also has a large role at the Women’s Expo. WWE Superstar David Otunga and WWE Diva Eve are two of three celebrities making appearances this weekend.

Democrats have continually tried to use some of WWE’s past business decisions and past, edgier programming against McMahon, in particular video footage that might offend women. And they have also claimed – but never actually proven – that Vince has used WWE to assist his wife’s chances of winning a Senate seat. That accusation was made again last week when WWE suddenly announced it was removing older, less family-friendly footage of televised matches from the Internet because the clips have been taken out of context for political purposes.

Brian Flinn, a WWE spokesman, said this is the second year the company has participated in the Women’s Expo.

“Our return to the event is a result of CT Women’s Expo organizers asking WWE to participate again following the overwhelmingly positive response we received last year,” Flinn said.

He added, “Any implication or assertion that WWE is coordinating with Linda McMahon’s U.S. Senate campaign is false; to do so would be unlawful and in violation of Federal Election Commission regulations.”

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The latest mailing from Linda McMahon to hit my Fairfield County mailbox.

McMahon, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate, is, as was the case during her first run in 2010, mostly self-funding her 2012 campaign with the family’s professional wrestling fortune.

No expense is being spared on mailings. Trust my mailbox, which is getting a steady 2 or 3 per week.

The McMahon family lives in Greenwich and the headquarters of their company, World Wrestling Entertainment, is in Stamford.

Her opponent, Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, has admitted that, since he currently represents the 5th Congressional District, he needs better name recognition in Fairfield County, which is in the 4th District.

Sure he’s buddies with U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Greenwich, but that will only get Murphy so far.

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Hartford Courant reporter Daniela Altimari gives Connecticut residents a glimpse at the 31-year-old whose decisions are driving much of Connecticut’s political discourse these days and driving Democrats coocoo craaaaaaaaazy – Corry Bliss, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon’s campaign manager.

It’s worth reading just for the part where a spokesman for the McMahon campaign, which recently misrepresented a quote from a Hearst newspaper story in a flyer, complains newspaper articles about staff are “gutter politics.”

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Republican Linda McMahon scoffs at “career politicians” but today state Democrats want to remind voters she’s turned into a professional candidate.

Connecticut Democrats are commemorating McMahon’s decision three years ago to resign from her executive position with the family’s World Wrestling Entertainment company to run for a U.S. Senate seat.

She lost that first 2010 race to Democratic Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.

But recent polls show that McMahon has a better shot against Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy in 2012′s battle to succeed retiring “independent Democrat” Joseph Lieberman.

The Democrats are using this third anniversary to focus on how much of the family fortune McMahon has so far spent on the two races – around $66 million so far.

McMahon’s campaign has been working hard to try to diffuse her wealth as an issue, playing up her humble roots and portraying the candidate as someone never forgot where she came from and still “gets” the average person and their struggles. She and her team also like to say that because she is self-financed she will not be beholden to special interests if elected.

Critics argue McMahon is just an out-of-touch millionaire who profited off of cold business decisions and has spent a perverse amount of loot trying to buy a political position while covering her opponents with as much mud as money can buy.

———-

Three Years of Millionaire Linda McMahon Trying to Buy CT Senate Seat: Estimated at $66,000,000 and Counting….

McMahon spent over $60,000 A DAY for three years, or roughly the median household income of a CT family every day on her three-year run of negative attack ads and political makeovers

Democratic Party asks: “What could $66 million buy here in Connecticut?”

(Hartford, Connecticut) Today, State Party Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo released the following statement and fact sheet on the three year anniversary of failed 2010 Republican candidate and current 2012 Republican candidate Linda McMahon’s announcement that she will be attempting to purchase a Connecticut Senate seat.

“Three years and close to $70 million later, Republican millionaire Linda McMahon is still trying to lie, distort, kick up mud, say, do, and spend whatever it takes in her desperate quest to pull the wool over the eyes of Connecticut voters and buy this election. Well, it’s not going to work.

“Middle class families here in Connecticut understand Linda McMahon’s history of gaming the system at the expense of the middle class, they know about her plan to cut taxes for millionaires like her, and they know about her history as a wrestling tycoon laying off 10% of her workforce while taking $10 million taxpayer-funded giveaways. Republican Linda McMahon can spend every last penny she took in peddling wrestling and taking advantage of her workers, but she can’t change the facts.”

“Republican millionaire Linda McMahon could have made much better use of her $70 million than her three years of lies and mud-slinging.”

LINDA McMAHON’S $66 MILLION WOULD PROVIDE…

9.5 of the $7 Million Tax Cuts That McMahon Could Receive Under Her Extreme Right Wing Tax Plan. [Hartford Courant, 8/31/12]

$33.60 to Each Active Voter in Connecticut. According to an annual report published by the Connecticut Secretary of State’s office, the total number of “active” voters in the state is 1,962,905.  [New Haven Register, 7/13/12]

8 ¼ Years Of Work For The 60 People McMahon Laid Off In 2009. The Associated Press reported in January 2009 that “Sports entertainment company World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. said Friday it will cut more than 60 jobs, or about 10 percent of its staff…yielding expected annual savings of $8 million in compensation and benefit costs.”  [AP, 1/9/09]

15,000 Employer Health Insurance Premiums, to Help Cover the Hundreds of Workers McMahon Refused to Provide Health Insurance Coverage to For the Next Few Years. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average employer contribution for a single premium for employer-based health insurance coverage in Connecticut was $4,390. McMahon and WWE classify a significant but unknown number of their workers as “independent contractors” to avoid paying them health insurance and other benefits. [StateHealthFacts.org, accessed 9/15/12; New York Times, 7/16/10]

1,894 Connecticut Residents A College Education.  The tuition at the University of Connecticut for a resident of the state is $8,712 for the 2012-13 academic year, thus, $34,848 for a four-year education. [UConn.edu, 2012-13]

1,045 Teachers for Connecticut Classrooms For One Year. According to the National Education Association, the average teacher salary in Connecticut is $63,152 [NEA.org, accessed 9/15/12]

1,047 Police Officers to Keep Connecticut Safe For One Year.  The Connecticut Department of Labor’s Statewide Occupational Employment & Wages for Q1 2012 show an average salary of $62,995 for police and sheriff’s patrol officers. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, Q1, 2012]

1,171 Firefighters to Protect Connecticut’s Neighborhoods for One Year. The Connecticut Department of Labor’s Statewide Occupational Employment & Wages for Q1 2012 show an average salary of $56,326 for firefighters. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, Q1, 2012]

1,229 Registered Nurses to Care For Connecticut’s Sick For One Year. The Connecticut Department of Labor’s Statewide Occupational Employment & Wages for Q1 2012 show an average salary of $53,700 for licenses practical and licensed vocational nurses. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, Q1, 2012]

120 More Powerboats for the McMahons to Name the “Sexy Bitch.” Coast Guard records to indicate that the McMahon’s boat is a 47-ft power boat manufactured by Fountain Powerboats Inc.  Fountain Powerboats 47’ boat is the “Lightning.”  According to Powerboat Magazine, the new version of that boat retails at $550,000. In March 2010, the Stamford Advocate reported that the McMahons’ boat was named the “Sexy Bitch.” [Powerboat Magazine, undated; Fountain Powerboats Official Site, undated; Stamford Advocate, 3/14/10]

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Perhaps because the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee wasn’t expecting a close race in blue Connecticut, the group’s first ad attacking Republican Linda McMahon recycles the slogan Democrats used against the self-funded professional wrestling maven in 2010: “Profits before people.”

Try to envision how that discussion went…

DSCC Strategist 1: “Oh crud. You see these Quinnipiac and Rasmussen polls? Linda McMahon’s three points ahead of Democrat Chris Murphy in Connecticut!”

DSCC Strategist 2: “And Murphy doesn’t have the contributions to compete with her wealth! She’s been on television all summer! We’d better help him out ASAP!”

DSCC Strategist 1 and 2, together: “Democratic anti-Republican powers, activate!!!”

DSCC Strategist 1: “Yeah, but we weren’t planning on this at all. It’s Connecticut for crying out loud! What does the ad say?”

DSCC Strategist 2: “Well, how’d we beat her in 2010 when she ran against Dick Blumenthal?”

DSCC Strategist 1: “We had Dick Blumenthal.”

DSCC Strategist 2: “True. But now we’ve got Murphy. Get over it. What else did we have in 2010?”

DSCC Strategist 1: “We portrayed her as a rich, out-of-touch executive who made a fortune while mistreating her wrestlers.”

DSCC Strategist 2: “So let’s try that again! Now we just need a catchy slogan!”

DSCC Strategist 1: “…………”

DSCC Strategist 2: “…………”

DSCC Strategist 1: “…………”

DSCC Strategist 2: “…………”

Time passes. Coffee and lunch are ordered, delivered and eaten.

DSCC Strategist 1: “…………”

DSCC Strategist 2: “…………”

DSCC Strategist 1: “Um, what slogan did we use against McMahon in 2010?”

DSCC Strategist 2: “Profits before people.”

DSCC Strategist 1: “Run with it. Really, how many of these ads will we have to air for Murphy? It’s Connecticut, right? How original do we have to be? Those polls were an anomaly.”

DSCC Strategist 2: “……….”

DSCC Strategist 1: “I said, ‘It’s Connecticut, right?’”

DSCC Strategist 2: “……….”