Linda McMahon is going all Tom Clancy on Christopher Murphy.
The Republican’s Senate campaign claims that her Democratic opponent, a three-term member of the House, used stock footage of a Norwegian submarine in a television ad promoting his work to create jobs in Connecticut.
Thanks to Murphy’s efforts, the 30-second spot says, those jobs “launched new subs in Groton.”
The commercial is, of course referring to General Dynamics Electric Boat, the venerable sub-builder.
With the bitter foes scheduled to face off in a debate tonight sponsored by The Day newspaper in New London — the backyard of Electric Boat — McMahon says the footage used by Murphy is of a Norwegian submarine.
McMahon’s charges appear to have merit.
“It’s too, too funny. It’s certainly a Norwegian Ula class submarine,” Norman Polmar, a naval analyst and author, told Hearst Connecticut Newspapers Monday morning.
A former adviser and consultant to three secretaries of the Navy and a former section editor for Jane’s Fighting Ships, Polmar reviewed the footage for Hearst.
“No U.S. yards have ever built a sub for Norway,” Polmar said. “It just shows a lack of attention.”
Eli Zupnick, a campaign spokesman for Murphy, dismissed questions over the content of the ad.
“This is another ridiculous attack from a candidate who will do anything to distract from her extreme positions on the issues voters here in Connecticut care about,” Zupnick told Hearst. “Chris is focused on creating real middle class jobs in Groton and across the state, while Linda McMahon is focused on gotcha attacks that don’t create a single job for families in this state.”
McMahon campaign manager Corry Bliss said Murphy’s ad raised many eyebrows in the state’s submarine community.
“Our campaign received several phone calls from both workers at Electric Boat and veterans who served on submarines, both of which were amazed that Congressman Murphy would feature a Norwegian sub in a television ad claiming it was from Groton,” Bliss told Hearst.
This would not be the first time that a politician used the wrong footage of U.S. military assets.
Organizers of the Democratic National Convention inadvertently showed images of Russian war ships during a military tribute at the party’s conclave in Charlotte, N.C. in September.
Polmar confirmed to the Navy Times that the ships were not American.
According to Polmar, the Norwegian underwater fleet is comprised of six Ula class subs that were built in Germany in 1989-90.
“This is not even an American design,” Polmar said.
Polmar suspects the error didn’t go over well at Electric Boat.
“I think their first reaction is to start laughing,” Polmar said. “I would say this is ridiculous.”
Unlike Chinese subs, which are rarely photographed, Polmar said there is a wealth of footage of American subs.
“If he helped Electric Boat, they’d knock themselves out for him,” Polmar said.