That Linda McMahon Is Running For U.S. Senate?

That Linda McMahon Is Running For U.S. Senate?

I never connected the "McMahon" running for U.S. Senate in Connecticut with the family guilty of producing WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment, or whatever you call it). So it was a shock to see this piece from the February 16, 2010 Hartford Courant:

I do not want Linda McMahon representing the good state of Connecticut in the U.S. Senate. Her business, legal, money-making and successful, at its center, sells soft-core porn. Now, that's not to say there isn't a place for soft-core porn in the world. The hard-core stuff is a little too much for most people, so soft-core offers just enough titillation without causing a person to lose control. Some may even find WWE romantic.

I don't. I'm not a wrestling fan, obviously. I used to be when I was around 13 years old, about the age level WWE is aimed at. It was vastly different then. Dick the Bruiser and Vern Gagne were dominating. Women wrestlers put on a good show, but there was virtually no sex involved. It was all muscle, even for the girls. My friends came over on Saturday morning while I was baby-sitting my brother and we'd watch it on TV, but after a couple years, we grew out of it. By the time we were driving, the interest was gone.

...

But, since that time, WWE has descended into the darkest regions of human behavior, purely for exploitation. I don't know what the audiences look like now, but I've seen clips of what they're watching and I'd be embarrassed to take anyone in my family.

I've never actually watched WWE. The promos so off-puttingly low-brow that even if I were interested in wrestling, I would find have preferred staring at a blank wall instead. I would also have assumed that someone putting together trash like this would be a Democrat, rather like Jerry Springer. I guess that McMahon is running as a Republican shows what a big tent we really have.

I don't have any strong opinion about Rob Simmons, who is also trying to get the Republican nomination, but from visiting his campaign's web site, I think the contrast is pretty dramatic. Simmons is retired CIA operative--and to hear the left holler about him, he sounds closer to Jack Bauer than I would expect anyone running for office in Connecticut to be.

UPDATE: A reader suggested that I look into Linda McMahon's campaign contribution history. While it turns out that she has been contributing to Republicans over the years--she has also been contributing to a lot of Democrats, too. Like $2300 maximum legal contributions to the campaign of Rep. Rahm Emmanuel (D-IL). Yes, that Rahm Emmanuel. And the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ($10,000 in 2006, $5,000 in 2007). And individual Democrats running for Congress. Like most corporations, she gives to both sides in the hopes that no matter who wins, when it comes to getting favors from the government--she wins.