Sam Stein On 'Hardball': Linda McMahon Ad Past Its Expiration Date

HuffPost reporter Sam Stein appeared on MSNBC's "Hardball" Monday night to discuss hot-button 2010 races, including the California governor's race and the battle to succeed Sen. Chris Dodd in Connecticut.

Stein took on the new ad dropped by Connecticut's Republican Senate candidate, Linda McMahon -- a "deadly" ad, host Chris Matthews called it -- against Democratic candidate and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.

"The problem for the McMahon people is that they pushed this issue when she was in the GOP convention deliberately so that she would win the nomination, and that was several months ago," Stein told Matthews. "And now to resuscitate it, to bring it up again, it lacks the potency that it would have got on the first airing."

WATCH:

 

Comments

[CT Unaffiliated Voter]

06:09 PM on 10/05/2010

Chris Matthews thinks that the McMahon ad is 'deadly'??

Chris didn't you duck out of military service during the same period that my life was on the line by slithering into the Peace Corps?

Get a life.

[rh654]

03:35 PM on 10/05/2010

Joan Walsh based Conservatives during the Bush \ Cheney Administration for not serving in Vietnam and yet gives a complete pass to a Liberal.

Matthews sent her straight that no man who was around during Vietnam would ever make the mistake of saying that he served in Vietnam by "accident" and the look on her face was great when Matthews made that point.

[rh654]

03:16 PM on 10/05/2010

It is amazing to me how many Liberals who were all over Bush and Cheney for avoiding Vietnam are suddenly not so concerned when a Democrat did everything he could do to avoid going over there.

[SmileDocMiami]

11:42 AM on 10/05/2010

For all of you saying this is "not past its expiration date", please don't complain when Dems continue to remind everyone that the current mess we're in is Bush/Cheyney's fault.

[James in ucity]

12:24 PM on 10/05/2010

1) Because it is.
2) At the 1984 republican national convention, Reagan blamed all his problems on Carter.

So, you're living in a glass house throwing stones.

Get a clue.

[SmileDocMiami]

12:33 PM on 10/05/2010

Um, reread my post. I think we're in agreement. I'm saying if they can still trash Blumenthal for mis-stating his military record in the past, we can still trash Bush/Cheyney for all the damage they did.

Now, who needs the clue? LOL

[softvoice]

08:31 AM on 10/05/2010

I just can't get over watching McMahon kick that guy in the crotch, in a wrestling ring. Blumenthal has on many occasions over the years, correctly stated that he did not do combat duty in Vietnam. He clearly has had a couple of occasions where he insinuated or allowed others to believe he did do combat in Vietnam. I can tell you from experience, he is not the first man of the Vietnam era to embellish his service. It goes on every day all across the country, in VFW halls and bar rooms. It does not take away from the character of the man, it simply says something about the stigma that was placed on those who saw combat duty and those who did not.

[Opygollopy]

10:54 AM on 10/05/2010

No one has even opened the file on McMahon closing her eyes to the steroid use on WWE. Anyone gonna touch that one? Not likely.

[rh654]

03:18 PM on 10/05/2010

Blumenthal flat out lied on many occasions about Vietnam and what he did.

If you don't think that lying about fighting in a war has anything to do with character - what do you think is a character issue?

[jsomerville5]

07:19 AM on 10/05/2010

Sorry, lying about being in Vietnam DOES have potency and will continue to dog Blumenthal for the rest of his life.

This kind of blatant selfserving lie is one that still makes many people angry and the issue is still potent. This is not the kind of thing that has a limited shelf life.

This columnist has written a very cynical column that is nonsense.

[SirCoolBreeze]

06:28 AM on 10/05/2010

Now we find out Linda McMahon and WWE co-produced/bankrolled a Girls Gone Wild pay-per-view event with a felon.

[CT Unaffiliated Voter]

11:02 PM on 10/04/2010

McMahon has spent millions investigating every aspects of Blumenthal's private and public life and this is all several investigation firms have uncovered. Blumenthal is the most vetted person in public service in the US.

Meanwhile she is under criminal investigation for tax evasion, She even attempted to blame Blumenthal for the timing of the investigation into the WWE during tonight's debate. Blumenthal corrected her, informing her that the Connecticut Attorney General's Office pursues CIVIL litigation to protect CT residents, she is under CRIMINAL investigation by state and federal agencies. Whoops...looking good in striped PJs Linda.

[admiralsonasongbird]

10:00 PM on 10/04/2010

huffpost is repeatedly posting O'Donnel interviews she did when she was 18yrs old and stein dont want voters to hold this guy accountable for his repeated lies??? what a blatant double standard.  Let people know I dont take side and if this was repub I would say the samething.

[littleolwinemakerme]

11:47 PM on 10/04/2010

Have another scotch buddy.

[salkoc]

09:04 PM on 10/04/2010

so our choices are a man with a brain but an obvious character flaw .....or a millionare who filed for bankruptcy to avoid paying creditors , watched as her employees took steroids ,watched as many committed suicide , provided no pension or safety net from the millions she made off of them and has one of the most abusive businesses toward woman in the country .
ohh and she used millions to lobby ....which she now says she would fight ,

sorry ill take blumenthal .......i could care less that he exaggerated his service . i seem to remember a president who got 8 years for dodging wars with his sidekick dodger cheney.

[mootown]

08:19 AM on 10/05/2010

F & F

[Opygollopy]

10:56 AM on 10/05/2010

You are soooo F & F for that post.

[RyanC1384]

08:42 PM on 10/04/2010

Finally a Democrat who isn't spineless and has the courage of his convictions, way to go Russ!

http://www.doubledutchpolitics.com/

I really hope more Dems come out in support of their accomplishments. This idea that running scared and looking weak will rally the base is nonsense.

Time to close the so called "enthusiasm gap", motivate the base, and stop fishing in the wrong pond.

[beaverlocal]

08:35 PM on 10/04/2010

Look I would not vote for the daughter and CEO of the WWF or whatever you call it. I server in the Air Force from 1966-1970. I never told anyone that I served in a war zone. I never got out of California. Why would he lie? It has to be a character flaw.If I lived in that state I would write in the name of anyone else. We have to do better than this finding good people to run for office.

[henrypapillon]

12:55 AM on 10/05/2010

When are people going to come to reality?  When there are two main choices and you make a moral commitment to vote for a third party rather than to vote for the lesser of two "not perfect " candidates, you are kidding only yourself. You are in effect voting for the worst candidate, just as if you did nothing to stop them from being elected.

[VikingQuest]

08:11 PM on 10/04/2010

A candidate straight up lying on multiple occasions about his service in war is never past it's expiration date . . .

If he'll lie about something like that, what else wouldn't he lie about?

[henrypapillon]

12:56 AM on 10/05/2010

Well , he wouldn't be lying about his finances like McMahon.

[Seafarer61]

07:36 PM on 10/04/2010

If it was past its "expiration date," you wouldn't be talking about it.

[henrypapillon]

12:57 AM on 10/05/2010

Oh, we still remember Pearl Harbor and W.