Sunday, September 16, 2012

Linda McMahon Putting the Sleeper Hold On Connecticut Voters

With  the most contested Presidential race in over  a decade occurring a strange and disturbing race is playing out in the land of steady habits, better known as Connecticut. With something right out of the Pete Campbell play book Linda McMahon has been  effectively taking over the narrative in this very tight Senate race against Democratic Chris Murphy. Much of the national attention, and soon Super Pac monies, will be drawn to this race and rightly so if the Democrats are to hang onto their slim control of the Senate. As of August 28th McMahon had Murphy on the ropes with a  49% to 46% lead over likely  voters. If you look closer McMahon is leading over men with a dominating 54% to 42% over likely voters. These  number do not  improve much for Murphy with likely women voters as he only has a four point lead.

McMahon has spent over $65 million of her own  money since her  previous lost Senate bid against former AG Richard Blumenthal. In that race the majority of Connecticut voters disliked Linda McMahon and it was clear why they did. Her  carpet  bombing of their mail boxes with daily multi-color mailings attacking one of the most beloved and effective Attorney Generals in Connecticut history left a  bitter taste in most sensible people's mouths. Blumenthal did  beat McMahon by 7% in 2010 after she  spent nearly $50 million dollars of her own money.
Fast forward to 2012 and that sensible attitude has given way to ousting the incumbants and career polticans coutesy of the Koch brothers.

 Today McMahon has  taken a  page right out of the Obama playbook and has used her  unlimited resources to create a social media power house through her endless TV commercials and her very effective online and social media presence. One just has to look at her own very attractive and user friendly web site  as it  drips with tea party inspired talking points and nostalgic U.S exceptionalism web design. Comparing this to Chris Murphy's site which pales in comparison by failing to excite you by coming to, or even entering the site, and it gravely fails to get his message out clearly. There are no mentions of his voting record and accomplishments in Congress or his passions for  fighting for the working class. On a Google search of Chris Murphy for  Senate, McMahon's paid ad attacking Murphy's skipping committee hearing  comes up first right above his web site link. That is what $65 million dollars will buy you along with three fired campaign mangers.

This race is not about issues but image and Linda McMahon has built her vast personal fortune, which is estimated at over $350 million, doing just that. The other shocking truth is if elected this would make her the wealthiest Senator eclipsing John Kerry. This empire has been created by the use of degrading and manipulating characters in their concocked warp reality of the WWE. They call it entertainment but the majority of  it borders on the rediculus and absurd, jump to 9:14 to see what Linda has to say about her two children. The campaign has even started to ban and have removed older clips that could, and do,  make McMahon look like an idiot. The WWE has  used violence, and sexism to amass it  millions but Connecticut voters sadly seem to be giving her a pass on this. She is a professional  through and through and has learned much from her own company's moronic soap opera story lines as her aggressive and relentless  attacks against Murphy are working and winning over white middle class  voters.This would make even Karl Rove proud.

Connecticut may claim to have some of the most educated voters in our  country but you  have tio start to wonder. Begin by just diving into the details of McMahon's web site and her six point plan, which is short on details and specifics or gasp... references and citations. It is  just the 1% recycled talking points. If one is to just consider her middle class tax  cut, which  would benefit singles making $86,000  a year or  families making $143,000 a year. Sadly the median income in Connecticut is much lower for the majority of Connecticut families than her tax plan would  help.Plus she does not even mention how these and all the others tax cuts would be paid for. It just more of the trickle down economics which is not what our country need rights now. Murphy along with Connecticut voters should be demanding to see her tax returns and the specifics of her fiances and where she would truly stand for Connecticut working families in the Senate.

Instead we have been hoodwinked into watching a  played out story line in which the one with the most money controls the discussion and focus of the campaign and if Connecticut voters do not wake up soon, McMahon will win reinforcing the dominance of special interests and multi- millionaires in Congress and in our democratic process for years to come.
It would be  wonderful to have the first ever woman Senator from Connecticut but Linda McMahon is not what the 99% of Connecticut residents needs in these difficult and challenging times. Her lack of any previous public service in any elected position is cause for great concern as Connecticut needs a proven fighter for  our state, the entire state, not just the gold coast of Fairfield county.There is too much at stake for our futures and our country and Linda McMahon is not working class America. Sadly she left that behind decades ago.