Lying, in fact, is the best-case scenario. What happened is that Dick Blumenthal, when asked point-blank whether he supported cap-and-trade, told a constituent ‘no.’ Surprisingly unambiguously, as the video below shows:
Note the ‘cap-and-trade is dead’ bit: it’ll be important later. Continue reading Dick Blumenthal (D CAND, CT-SEN) lies on cap-and-trade support.
I don’t pretend to be familiar with Connecticut newspapers, but judging from this article the J-I must be a Democratic-leaning one: there’s a palpable sense of angry disbelief that… that… that Linda McMahon could possibly be wrecking Dick Blumenthal’s smooth ascension to Countrywide Dodd’s Senate seat. I mean, the author’s saying stuff about Blumenthal that I might hesitate to write, given that he’s – for now – still leading outside the margin of error:
Blumenthal is an even weaker candidate… gives an impression of total obsequiousness as a candidate… A politician who has no respect for himself… A politician who runs away from his party, his president, and his own record… caught in an embarrassing fairy tale about his combat service in Vietnam… this performance was an award winner for political malpractice and tone-deafness…some sort of independent… The man is so afraid of losing that he is headed for a self-fulfilling prophecy par excellence… Democrats in Washington and Chicago, calculating ways to hold the Senate should send their money to Delaware or Pennsylvania or Colorado… Unless Blumenthal gets a guts transplant, this race is gone; this candidate is hopeless, doomed, toast.
Bolding mine. I never thought that I would see a Democrat in Connecticut say that about a Democratic candidate for Senate in 2010 not named Dodd. At least, not before Labor Day. Continue reading DOOM declared in CT by… Journal Inquirer.
Linda, of course, is running against CT AG Dick Blumenthal, who rather famously lied about his war record a few months back. We talked earlier today about the steadily-tightening race in Connecticut:
Linda has sites here and here; the latter is her MyLinda2010 site, and is geared towards activism.
Moe Lane
Crossposted to RedState.
A funny thing happened in Connecticut lately: the Senate race started tightening.
This Reuters article about the likely McMahon/Blumenthal match-up contains at least one major howler – to the best of my knowledge, Linda McMahon has never been an actual professional wrestler* – but the major point seems valid: McMahon has made up considerable ground in the last few months. Of particular note is the latest Quinnipiac poll, which shows Blumenthal/McMahon at 50/40, and with McMahon actually edging out Blumenthal among independents. Reuters suggests that this may be due to McMahon’s targeting of female voters:
[Sacred Heart University Professor Gary] Rose said McMahon’s commercials have effectively targeted middle- and upper middle-class women. Her current TV ads depict two well-dressed women driving in a black SUV and debating the merits of McMahon vs Blumenthal, noting she has not taken any money from special interest groups while Blumenthal went back on a vow not to accept such cash.
This is the district held by Democratic freshman Jim Himes, and is listed as being in play by Cook (Likely Democrat). The primary’s coming up, but Rob took the time to talk to us:
Rob’s site is here.
Crossposted to RedState.
It’s enough to make you wonder whether the White House wants the Democrats to keep Dodd’s seat:
Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday took an unexpected dig at Connecticut Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal (D) for misstating his military service record.
While speaking at a barbecue for wounded soldiers, he commented about veterans coming home from the Vietnam War. Biden, who has a penchant for being loquacious, veered into the Connecticut Senate race.
“I didn’t serve in Vietnam. I don’t want to make a Blumenthal mistake here,” he said according to a pool report.
First off: ‘loquacious’ is not exactly the word that I’d use, as it does not have the same connotations for disaster and embarrassment that, say, ‘going off half-cocked’ does. Second: Dick Blumenthal didn’t ‘misstate:’ he lied. Third: any guesses on Biden’s intent, here? It’s usually safe to assume that he didn’t mean to throw another log on the Blumenthal pyre; but it’s also possible that somebody told him that it was important to push the ‘misstatement’ meme, and this is just Joe Biden’s way of trying to help. Continue reading Joe Biden Opens His Mouth: Dick Blumenthal edition.
I mean, it looked like Connecticut Democrats bullied into submission the only real opposition to Dick Blumenthal’s Democratic nomination for Senate.
“I would like to formally withdraw my name from nomination,” Alpert said shortly before 8 p.m. That line generated enthusiastic applause from the crowd. “We’re going to have an early dinner. Good night.”
Immediately after Alpert’s remarks, Blumenthal was nominated by acclamation.
Alpert originally intended to deliver a speech to more than 1,800 delegates at the Democratic Party convention at the cavernous Expo Center in Hartford’s North Meadows, but the rules committee prevented it, according to Alpert.
(See also Hot Air.)
Not-really-ironically, said candidate (Merrick Alpert) served in Bosnia and is actually a member of VFW: Blumenthal, of course, lied about serving in Vietnam, on multiple occasions. I would say that I’m sympathetic, except that it’d be a lie, and I’m trying not to be like Blumenthal here. Alpert folded like a cheap suit at the first hint of disapproval from the CT Democratic party establishment; and honestly, I’m a little weary of politicians who are principled until it’s inadvisable to be.
Moe Lane
PS: Hey, remember Ned Lamont? Turns out nobody else did, either.
I had the opportunity to talk with Rob Simmons (R CAND, CT-SEN) this afternoon, so of course we discussed the recent art theft in Paris… no, of course I’m joking. We talked about Dick Blumenthal’s lying about his military record:
Rob Simmons’ site is here: details about the Vets for Freedom PAC endorsement here.
Moe Lane
Crossposted to RedState.
Possibly AG Richard Blumenthal (D CAND, CT-SEN) should not have used a VFW hall to host his explanation of why he wasn’t always lying about serving in Vietnam? – Because the local organization is not happy about that. Its head (Richard DiFederico) calledBlumenthal’s claims “false” and “outrageous,” and Blumenthal’s choice of venue won’t help that any:
DiFederico’s statement came after Blumenthal’s dramatic and defiant press conference Tuesday at a VFW hall in West Hartford, an event which took place in response to a New York Times report that the Connecticut attorney general had on more than one occasion said he had served in Vietnam, although his time in the Marine Corps Reserve was in fact spent in Washington and Connecticut
Blumenthal is not a member of the VFW, and national leaders noted that he wouldn’t meet the eligibility requirement if he tried to join because he didn’t actually serve in a theatre of combat. The group’s bylaws also do not allow any level of the organization to endorse political candidates.
Jerry Newberry, the director of communications at the VFW’s Kansas City headquarters, said that the national leadership “did not sanction and was not, in fact, aware that the press conference was going to be held at a VFW Post.”
Continue reading CT VFW lays into Blumenthal for fake military claims.
It’s still a table-running, long-shot, dear-God-everything-has-to-line-up-perfectly, but if Lying Dick Blumenthal is as dead in the water as he looks Connecticut just screeched its way back up on the Big Board. How bad is it? Bad enough that Chris Dodd will be giving his plan to retire a second look. You don’t lie about serving like this. You just don’t.
Fool.
