Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Minimum Wage Gaffe Is Linda McMahon’s Fatal Turnover

As usual, Chris Powell of the Manchester Journal Inquirer is on the money. See “McMahon’s money fails in debate with Blumenthal,” http://www.journalinquirer.com/articles/2010/10/05/chris_powell/doc4cab228a3bc2b818022198.txt.

Highlights:

* “Having been mocked as an insensitive plutocrat since [the minimum wage imbroglio], McMahon at the debate now was certain that she wouldn’t reduce the minimum wage after all. But McMahon insisted on pursuing economics further and became incoherent.”

* “Blumenthal assailed McMahon’s wrestling business for purchasing its promotional products abroad, for neglecting the health of its employees, for receiving tax breaks while laying off employees, for hiring lobbyists, and for ‘marketing sex and violence.’ McMahon’s answers were weak and in the latter instance there was no answer at all.”

* Conclusion: “The ‘career politician’ of McMahon’s sneer … posed triumphantly as anti-establishment.”


In the big picture, I now see this campaign as similar to the 1985 Villanova-Georgetown NCAA basketball final. It’s not that McMahon couldn’t win it, but like Villanova she’d have to play “the perfect game.” The minimum wage gaffe is Linda’s fatal turnover.


Irv Muchnick

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