New Haven Independent

posted by: Winston on May 18, 2010  11:15am

I had not realized his opponents had leaked, or sparked, the story.  But given the repetitive nature of these misleading statements, I can’t imagine any sort of denial will suffice.  Even following this good advice, to just apologize, will not help very much with this evidence of deception.  Can you imagine fox breaking a story on a republican contender?

posted by: Cedarhillresident on May 18, 2010  11:31am

one word—- irony

posted by: Esteban on May 18, 2010  11:41am

How quickly they forget!  This is the mayor who signed off on illegal “loans” (no interest and pre forgiven) to his staff, prompting the FBI to come to City Hall and cart off the hard drives!

Did Hizzoner ever genuinely apologize?

Then again, why would he?  This guy routinely gets “elected” with less than 25%  electorate participation…mostly city hall employees.  New Haven deserves him.

posted by: robn on May 18, 2010  12:03pm

Whether or not it was in-country, at least Dick showed up for duty (unlike some other candidates past).

posted by: terrapin on May 18, 2010  12:41pm

Yes, this is quite awful. But I’m still not voting for the Wrestling Queen.

posted by: angelo reyes on May 18, 2010  12:54pm

mr blumenthal, stay focused you have always been the peoples person,of course the republicans are going to ride this.America knows that you stand and always stood on the frontline for your vets whether you served or not.stand your ground AND KICK THIER BUTTS!!!!!!!

posted by: eli antonio on May 18, 2010  12:55pm

This coming from a man who’s never issued a mia culpa of his own for anything despite the damage he’s done.

posted by: Eddie on May 18, 2010  1:04pm

He clearly stated that he served IN Vietnam.  The fact is that he didn’t.  Tell me how this isn’t an outright lie?  Explain to me how this wasn’t outright embellishment of your resume for crass political purposes?

I’m an Iraq vet, and I would tear apart anyone who irroneously claimed to be such…..democrat or republican.  My Vietnam era brothers have every right to do exactly the same.  At some point Blumenthal must have decided that being a Marine Reservist wasn’t sexy enough and he needed to embellish it.  I disagree with him…..to have served is honorable enough.  But don’t lie about your service and say that you did things that you didn’t….it is truly an affront to those who did.

posted by: Uncle Egg on May 18, 2010  3:50pm

I can understand someone misstating the facts. It’s possible he meant to say that he served “during Vietnam” and it came out that he served “in Vietnam” instead. God knows I probably make 50 blunders like that a day without anyone calling me out on it.

What’s more troubling is all the times he seems to have carefully worded his statements so that, without actually lying, casual listeners would come away with the impression that he had actually served in Vietnam.

If he says, “I served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War,” he’s absolutely telling the truth. But most people won’t parse the words carefully enough to realize he’s not claiming that he ever set foot in country.

The fact he allowed the record to go uncorrected for years after multiple newspapers reported that he served in Vietnam suggests a deliberate attempt to muddy the waters and mislead the public.

posted by: Uncle Egg on May 18, 2010  3:54pm

Now, let’s see the NYT apply the same reporting acumen to Linda McMahon, who made a career off soft-core porn and steroids masquerading as “entertainment”.

Maybe we can be rid of both of these clowns and instead elect someone to the Senate who’s actually worthy of our votes.

posted by: Concerned Citizen on May 18, 2010  4:25pm

It is disappointing to learn about this; many of us see Mr. Blumenthal as a dedicated, honest and steadfast citizen, and that he is.  Many of us also see ourselves that way; yet, there isn’t one of us who has not said something that—if taken apart—would be less than 100 percent factual.  It is truly difficult to be always on the straight and narrow. So much is about intent, perception and interpretation. This is a lesson to us all to be vigilant about our presentations.

Hearing that this information was leaked to the NY Times by Linda McMahon’s campaign is really interesting.  This immediately raises the question- can Linda McMahon win a campaign based upon the issues?  Or is dirty pool what she is best at? Mr. Blumenthal has a stellar work record in CT.  It is hard to beat that fact, so McMahon decides to divert attention from his record to his human failing. We have all come to accept and expect dirty pool in the political arena.

I wonder how much real ethical scrutiny Mrs. McMahon’s WWE management record can stand up to.  She took over as CEO of the WWE in 1997.  If a few good reporters were to do some real digging I wonder what they would find on her or her husband Vince’s record and business practices.  People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.  The ditch we dig for others, we are likely to fall into it.

posted by: sam on May 18, 2010  5:04pm

The President has an answer for Dick you do understand that.

posted by: NewHavenerToo on May 19, 2010  8:38pm

Excuse me?...Since when does DeStefano ask for ANYONE to apologize.  Did Blumenthal do anything personal against DeStefano.  Johnny, I wish you’d just apologize to the residents of this city for taking us to the cleaners and leaving our kids and residents high and dry.