Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Rich Lowry's Unfair Smackdown of Linda McMahon

So I guess it's safe to say that Rich Lowry of National Review isn't a fan of professional wrestling.

But I think his article on former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO and now Connecticut Republican Senatorial candidate Linda McMahon is unfair.

All Lowry does is slam the WWE. He doesn't make any comment on McMahon's positions on public policy issues. Apparently, the mere association with professional wrestling is sufficient enough to disqualify her from seeking public office:

There was a time when association with something so vulgar would have foreclosed the possibility of public office. But we’ve come a long way since Harry Truman was looked down upon for being a haberdasher. Judgment and discretion aren’t what they used to be in business, entertainment, or politics, fields where profits, ratings, and success tend to trump all other values.

It is safe to say that Linda McMahon is the only person to have run for the U.S. Senate who has ever been on the receiving end of a tombstone piledriver. So I understand that the WWE isn't to the liking of everyone. But if Lowry wants to make this about the WWE then at the very least he should have the courtesy to acknowledge all the support they have given our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Every Christmas since 2003, the WWE has done a show for the troops in either Afghanistan or Iraq called Tribute to the Troops. And if Lowry doesn't think these visits don't matter then he really doesn't know much about the men and women serving on our behalf. When you consider how celebrities score points by showing how anti-war they are the WWE has become the 21st century version of the USO.

I don't know what kind of Senator Linda McMahon would make. But if conservatives have objections they should be directed towards specific policy positions rather than just preening about pro wrestling.

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