Chris, we hardly knew ye.
The Republican smackdown for U.S. Senate is turning out to be Linda McMahon in a walk. For the handful actually following this very important race, Shays has adopted a bizarre “Where’s Waldo” strategy. He has let McMahon dominate with a vague jobs plan and not bothered to even challenge a brilliant re-branding that has re-fashioned Linda as a working mom and grandmother who has weathered life’s hard knocks.
And who is Chris Shays? Thus far, his cringe-worthy campaign narrative consists of being some guy who used to be in Congress who moved back to try become relevant again.
We thought we were going to get the Chris Shays who made a name for himself as an aggressive, sometimes cranky, highly effective congressman for years in D.C. Instead 
we’ve seen a lap kitty who thinks he is still running to protect a safe seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. I’ve seen the other Shays in action at hearings on Capitol Hill. Where did this guy go?
On Thursday on the University of Connecticut campus, Shays has what will be one of his last chances to disrupt what’s looking now like a McMahon romp in the August primary.
This is the first of an anemic two debate schedule. Shays will fade away entirely unless he makes news and gets under McMahon’s skin. As one Republican insider told me, “it’s got to be no more Mr. Nice Guy.” That means bringing up McMahon’s WWE background. It means asking why a candidate who has never won an election deserves the chance in a vote that could tip the balance in the U.S. Senate. It means asking Linda why the company she used to run is threatening legal action against those who bring up WWE’s racy past.
Is this a referendum on the New England Republican? If so, Shays ought to make it clear he’s one of the last of the fiscally conservative, socially liberal party leaders.
I don’t really think Shays is down by 29 points as the Q Poll suggests. But he will be unless the debate at UConn is something different from what we’ve seen.
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10 Responses to Republican Debate: Last Call For Chris Shays?
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Without Television or a Kick Ass Shtick I agree with you Rick. Very dissapointing that Shays can’t get in the game. Linda has been in hiding from the press for years and if The Republican voters don’t know she has competition most will stay home.
Rick,
I think you nailed it right on the head in this piece.
Chris Shays needs to come out strong now and challenge Mrs. McMahon HARD or he’s done.
I agree with one thing in particular and that’s the Q-poll result. It’s not to be a serious measure of where Mrs. McMahon is. BTW, even with nobody challenging her credibility, she’s still below 50% approval. That is NOT good news for her.
I happen to like Mrs. McMahon personally quite a bit. I’m probably a lot closer to her in terms of my personal political philosophy than I am to Mr. Shays, but despite that, I endorsed Chris Shays. I go into a long explanation as to why at http://www.gettingctright.com, (pardon the shameless plug).
But getting back to my point, Mrs. McMahon has not been challenged at all by ANYONE. She has spent a fortune (what’s the surprise there) and you can’t go anywhere without seeing or hearing her in this new image. That’s the secret of advertising…views…Smackdown, pardon the deliberate pun, the message until you’ve hammered it into people’s heads.
Considering that there hasn’t been a single peep out of Chris Murphy or Chris Shays to counter that message, of course she’s going to rise and rise dramatically in the polls. But it won’t go that way through November.
The Democrats will more than remind everyone about all of the things that you’ve pointed out here and then they’ll bring up all t he other unpleasing things too. It’s then that you should watch the poll numbers. IMHO, they’ll drop faster than taxes go up in this state.
Regardless though, if Republicans are hoping to pick up a win in November, we must all pull together regardless of who the nominee becomes and work exceptionally diligently and make a strong case to the citizens of this state or you should get used to the words, Senator Chris Murphy, because that’s what’s in store.
Personally, I think Chris Shays gives us the best chance to prevent that…
Interesting and convenient that somehow you seem to believe that the Q-Poll results are innaccurate. I imagine if the roles were reversed and Shays had that kind of a lead, you’d be celebrating the poll’s accuracy. Further, why is it even a relevant question to ask Linda McMahon why “the company she used to run is threatening legal action against those who bring up WWE’s racy past”? To your point, she doesnt run the company anymore. Why don’t you ask the WWE that question. Did anyone in California ask Carly Fiorina questions about what Hewlett Packard was doing during the time she was running for office? It’s relevant to discuss all things WWE while Linda was CEO, but it’s ridiculous to hold her accountable for anything that has occured since she left her position at WWE. I also don’t get why it is SO important to have “won an election” in the past. That philosophy doesn’t have a proven track record of success in Congress. I hardly think Shays has been “Mr. Nice guy” up to this point. He’s just losing.
Shays hasn’t been passionate since the days he defended waterboarding, CT Military Contracts, and abortion—all of which I find offensive
Wait – waterboarding, CT Military Contracts, and abortion? Isn’t that the Democrats agenda? Or is it drones, war in Pakistan, and LGBT marriage?
Richard…the only group that looks worse than the Hope and Change crowd is the Nobel Peace Prize selection committee…Barry wasn’t even sworn in and he had it in the bag! Egg meet face!
Am I missing something…drones still kill people right? Comedy writers couldn’t write better stuff than the stuff we’ve seen from Team Obama.
The silence from the antiwar Democrats is deafening.
Panetta was in India this past week and unabashedly talking about the US War in Pakistan while trying to enlist India as a regional peacekeeper to aid in the police action on the Pakistani border. This promoted seceral world leaders to phone the White House with a “WTF are you doing”?
Today Russia is accusing the US of arming Syria’s opposition and will escalate if the UN continues. Hillary is saying the same thing.
Earlier in the day a US drone killled 9 in Yemen with the usual accusations of civilian kills.
Al Jazeera misses none of this stuff.
http://news.yahoo.com/syria-now-civil-war-un-official-says-021641332.html
The World Bank is warning of a bank run like 2008 if the Eurozone doesn’t cooperate.
It’s 2012! Do you know where your antiwar Democrats are? I don’t see them marching Bushnell Park with their caskets.
Maybe they are out appropriatng and subverting another issue (like school reform) to push the abortion, LGBT and Union agenda?
Sure is funny that when the Q-Poll favored Chris Shays’ electability, his supporters were drooling like hungry kids standing in line at MacDonald’s. Now that the Q-Poll shows a different picture, the real Shays weakness is revealed.
Bottom line: Love her or hate her, Linda McMahon offers a clear choice from the regularity of status quo Connecticut politics. She has a 50/50 chance of winning. The voters would be well advised to select the outsider.
Chris Murphy, widely acknowledged as the crown prince of Connecticut’s elected Job Killer Elite, and genuinely regarded as Chris Dodd Junior, is a New England Obama. If you like Obama AND Governor Dannel Malloy, your man is Murphy. If you identify with common sense conservative fiscal principles, Linda McMahon is your friend.
America would have greatly benefited if Chris Shays and John McCain had retired from politics in 2007. Those tired old men have done enough damage. Career politicians have made a shambles out of America’s great economic engine. Democrats AND Republicans share the blame. In 2012 let’s do the right thing! Let’s balance Connecticut’s representation in the Senate. Send Linda to Washington for six years. She’s nobody’s yes man. She will kick some butt!
Bysiewicz has it in the bag if she can commit to an Independent bid.
The CT progressives will never vote for a woman but the Moderates from both parties will.
Good point Palin! Looks like the delegates got it right and now the Q-Poll is catching up. It’s hard for Shays to hit McMahon on electibility when his whole argument in favor was the Q-Poll said so.
Shays is doing exactly what everyone thought he would. He’s going to have to pay off his old campaign debt or he will never win.
I would never vote for a deadbeat who was not minding the store in his campaign or his congressional seat. Stiffing all of those people who provided credit to HIM and hiding behind the excuse that someone stole from him on his watch is inexcusable. If he couldn’t mind his own store and takes no responsibility for his employees, that’s a career politician. Private sector job creators pay their own bills.
No wonder his candidacy attracts so many deadbeats like “the king” to worship him.
Rick, Do you really think Linda should be commenting on why the WWE is doing anything related to the campaign? Isn’t that against FEC law? You should know better.