The Connecticut Senate race has seen its share of ups and downs, but one of the most recent question, about Blumenthal’s Vietnam statements, has raised the temperature even more. The front-runner within the race for much of the last year, Richard Blumenthal has banked on Vietnam service also as his political record. Blumenthal’s opponent, Linda McMahon, is the previous CEO of World Wresting Entertainment and has given her campaign 14 million dollars in no fax payday loans funding. What are the accusations being leveled about Blumenthal’s Vietnam service, and are they true?
Richard Blumenthal Vietnam statements
The accusation, leveled by the New York Times and claimed by McMahon’s campaign, is that Blumenthal Vietnam statements are contradictory. Though he served in the Marine Reserves in the 1970s, Richard Blumenthal was never stationed in Vietnam. There have been multiple speeches the article points to. There are two statements that make the best example of this question:
“We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam.”
And then:
“Although I did not serve in Vietnam, I have seen firsthand the effects of military action, and no one wants it to be the first resort…”
The Blumenthal Vietnam story began with McMahon campaign
While it is not unusual for political opponents to feed the press stories about each other, McMahon’s campaign has taken the unusual step of claiming the Blumenthal Vietnam story. A Republican contender for the Connecticut Senate seat, McMahon has consistently fallen behind Blumenthal within the polls. At the same time, her campaign has been gaining ground in the last few months. The Blumenthal Vietnam questions, as outlined by the McMahon campaign, are part of saying ” what comes of $ 16 million, a crack opposition research …” Political spending on opposition research is an accepted and expected part of the spending of campaigns, but the $ 16 million allegedly spent to discredit Blumenthal is one of the highest figures for a recent Senate race.
Response of Blumenthal campaign to Vietnam accusations
In reaction to the Blumental Vietnam accusations leveled by the New York Times and McMahon campaign, the Blumenthal campaign came out guns blazing. The Communications Director for the campaign said “It’s no surprise Republicans would want to smear the Attorney General, considering all of the debauchery at the WWF under Linda McMahon’s watch,” while the Campaign Manager took a less slanderous approach by saying “Unlike many of his peers, Dick Blumenthal voluntarily joined the Marine Corps Reserves in 1970 and served for six months in Parris Island, S.C., and six years in the reserves. He received no special treatment from anyone. Dick has a long record of standing up for veterans.”
Tell me what you think? Did Richard Blumenthal deliberately mislead voters, or did the media just misunderstand his intentions?
Resources
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/nyregion/18blumenthal.html
Daily Caller
http://dailycaller.com/2010/05/18/mcmahon-campaign-says-they-fed-blumenthal-story-to-new-york-times/
Politico
http://www.politico.com/playbook/
