Linda McMahon Defeats Chris Shays In Connecticut GOP Senate Primary

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Linda McMahon Defeats Chris Shays In Connecticut GOP Senate Primary
AP | Posted: 08/14/2012 8:52 pm Updated: 08/14/2012 8:59 pm

HARTFORD, Conn. - Wealthy former wrestling executive Linda McMahon has won a chance to become the first Republican U.S. senator to represent Connecticut in three decades.

McMahon defeated former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays in Tuesday's GOP primary.

It's the second time the state's Republicans have chosen McMahon over a veteran politician as the standard-bearer in the general election for an open Senate seat. McMahon lost in 2010 to then-Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, after spending about $50 million of her own money. She has loaned or given about $15.7 million to this campaign so far.

~snip~

The seat is being vacated by retiring Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent.


Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/14/linda-mcmahon_n_1777506.html

[center rising]

1. Shays is done with!!!!

A moderate Republican has no shot in today's GOP!!

[wordpix]

18. good riddance, now let's end McMoneybags' "political career" for good

[napi21]

2. I'm sad to hear that. Shays was at least a rational Pub. Hopefully the Dem will beat her!

[2Design]

3. what democrat is she running against

[Jennicut]

20. Chris Murphy, my Rep

He doesn't have a ton of money but is well liked here in the 5th district. He is a good guy, a good Dem.

[calimary]

4. Good Grief - she's still at it?

They already voted against you once, girlfriend. You're STILL coming back and trying to get in? Shouldn't you consider how to exit gracefully to lower your laughing-stock quotient?

[RBInMaine]

5. In other words, the base R's elect another TEABAG LUNATIC.

[longship]

6. Executive from a fake sport runs to be a fake Senator.

I would run nothing but ads with her and her sleazy husband promoting their utterly inane and stoooopid WWF.

Shame people who would dare to vote for her.

Is this what you want the US Senate to become?

[Hayabusa]

13. Wow, I guess I'm inane and stupid for watching then...

I like the product they produce and so do many other people. You may not like it, but don't form a political opinion based off of your dislike of the business alone.

That said, the fact that they don't have a union, classify the people that make them tons of money as "independent contracters" without insurance or other benefits, encourage talent to fly their families to their convention surrounding the largest show of the year (on their own dime, no less) and then give them a lower payday than normal, run an anti-bullying campaign where a commercial of which airs on the very same show when her husband mocks a longterm employee with Bells Palsy (who seems to be a frequent target of onscreen humiliation), allow a locker-room culture where someone can be blackballed from the company for not shaking someone's hand with enough enthusiasm (or even being unable to find a commentator to shake his hand) or given an onscreen gimmick if they have too much enthusiasm, and reward a wrestler coming back from a wellness suspension by putting him in a major program, that can influence your political opinion.

That said, I love wrestling despite of all this stuff, but I wouldn't trust Vince or Linda McMahon with anything if I lived in Conneticut.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

14. The fact she married Vince McMahon is enough to roundly reject her

I would have to question anyone who would make that decision in life....

But, most wrestling fans can't wait for her to lose so we can get back to some of the edgier stuff and away from the PG crap.

[wordpix]

19. hopefully seeing the sexist, violent video here -Post #15- will change your mind about this business

Yes I know it's entertainment - it was also entertainment throwing people to the lions during the Roman Empire.

[Hayabusa]

22. I've seen it before.

and it certainly didn't. Yeah the whole "Trish barks like a dog" went too far, but the main point is that Vince was a villain at the time and got his comeuppance. He was supposed to do things that made people hate him or want to see him get his butt kicked. The majority of the clips of violence against women in the video were done by villains. In fact, you can hear the head announcer condemn the "bark like a dog" order in that same clip. Also, ironically, Trish Stratus became one of the greatest women's wrestlers in that very same company a few years later.

Finally, the last clip in that part of the video is of Chris Jericho and Christian taking on Lita and Trish Stratus in an intergender match. To fully understand this, you have to know that Lita (the red-haired woman) was almost always booked as a tomboy who would wrestle men and often get physically involved in the matches of the two brothers she managed. I once saw her give her future boyfriend a hurricanrana off of a ladder. Once again, Jericho and Christian were villains in the context of the storyline.

The fact is the majority of the stuff in the video happened when the primary demographic for wrestling were teenagers and adults. It still is the primary demographic whether or not the company wants to admit it.

Pro wrestling in general has a long way to go in regards to gender equality, but it's come a long way from the days when the women were just eye candy and the only way to be booked as a woman wrestler was to be married to a promoter or sleeping with him. Now there are at least three somewhat well known womens wrestling promotions in America: Shimmer, Womens Superstars Uncensored and Shine (which is just starting and has ties to Shimmer).

There's a lot of stuff behind the scenes that should be used against Linda McMahon, but should on-camera stuff marketed primarily at the time to adults and teenagers be used against her? I don't really think it should, personally.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

23. Stephanie McMahon comparing the feds prosecuting Vince....

....to 9/11 was worse, and that wasn't scripted in the context of fiction.

Also, as far as scripted stuff, the Stephanie monologue where she claims Vince offered her to his business partners when she was underage was more disturbing than the Trish segment. But, it's also stuff that been done in soap operas, which is all wrestling is.

[Hayabusa]

24. I'll give you guys that one.

I have heard some justifications that you should think about it in the context of a ~16 year old girl whose father may go to prison for a few years, but I think those were very poor choice of words for her to use.

As for the latter part, that and the incest storyline that Vince kept pushing until they went to a PG-rated product (though a little appeared with Paul Burchill and storyline sister Katie) makes me think that he's not quite that right in head...

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

25. The night Owen Hart died....

....Dave Meltzer got a call from a longtime wrestler who worked for Vince who insisted it was a work. His quote to Dave was "You have no idea just how sick Vince really is".

By the way, it's not a "you guys" thing. I watch wrestling, although I refuse to put a dime in Vince's pocket. I also accept the fact that there are a lot of fucked up people in that business, and nothing shocks me anymore (after Benoit).

[Hayabusa]

26. Sorry about the "You guys" bit

That said, I have put a couple of dimes in Vince's pockets lately, buying tickets to a Raw event and an action figure of one of my favorite wrestlers.

As for the Owen Hart accident, I wish that it would have been a work. I really wish that it was...

[brooklynite]

7. Let's run the numbers...

Murphy: 89,283
McMahon: 83,413

Total (D): 132,418
Total (R): 114,718

[DFW]

8. I used to think Shays wasn't too bad

He regularly attends a gathering I attend in South Carolina. But last time, he had gotten a little more hard-line. Maybe the time out of office has pushed him further to the right, and maybe it was just looking ahead to the primary (fat lotta good it did him, if that was the case).

At any rate, now both Shays and McMahon are political toast. Blumenthal should walk away with this.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

9. Blumenthal is not up this cycle

He beat her last time....it's Chris Murphy.

[DFW]

12. You're quite right. I need more sleep

Thanks for the correction!

[wordpix]

16. Chris is a great guy and will need some money to beat Linda McMoneybags

The R's have been gunning for Chris ever since he got into office

[FSogol]

10. 1st Republican in decades? What about Lieberman?

McMahon is a truly pathetic candidate.

[Javaman]

11. LET'S GET READY FOR STUUUUUUUUPIDDDDDD!" NT

[ellie50]

15. Linda McSteroids

I guess we in CT will have to put up with a few more months of Linda McSteroids, the crotch kicker.

Because we all know how professional wrestling respects women.

Maybe if she gave up wrestling for dressage....

http://www.mothersopposingmcmahon.org/

[wordpix]

17. McMoneybags needs to go. MUST SEE video - I just joined mothersopposingmcmahon

Anyone who promotes this violent sexist crap should be exposed!


We need a mothersopposingmcmahon pac. I would give.

[Jennicut]

21. This is a retread of the race vs Dick Blumenthal

Except Chris Murphy is less well known, younger (he is 39) and has less money. I hope he can pull it out against her because he would make a wonderful Senator.