Jackass of the Week

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"Agent Orange" Richard Blumenthal

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By now, only political junkies living under a rock haven't heard the bombshell (Please pardon the numerous battle terms that are sure to follow.) story broken by the New York Times, which unearthed that prior claims by current AG and 2010 Senate candidate Dick Blumenthal (D - CONN) that he served in the Vietnam War were patently false. On numerous instances he wrapped himself in the service of real Vietnam soldiers, using the word "we" when describing the return of soldiers back to the states after service. And he has a documented history of saying he served "in" Vietnam, instead of "during" the Vietnam War years. (What is it about Democrats, and ones that spent years as lawyers learning to parse words, that we are supposed to believe they get confused on the use of the smallest, simplest words like "in" and "is?"). Though he never claimed he was on the front lines during the Tet Offensive or spent Christmas in Cambodia like a former recent presidential candidate, Mr. Blumenthal had skated through his political career with supporters and media alike (I repeat myself, sorry.) believing he had honorably served overseas IN the Vietnam War, not just doing his part in the Reserves thousands of miles away.

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Quick: What does a good, high-profile DemocRAT do when caught embellishing his military record? Take his medicine like a man, apologize for lying all these years, then bow out gracefully? Of course not. The key word in the question was "DemocRAT." The patented strategy for this area of crisis management is as follows. 1) Claim the story a "hit piece," the charges are false, and most importantly, you, the honest Democrat, are victim of a malicious smear. 2) Call a press conference or another organized event whereby you can surround yourself with American flags and military veterans, authentic and/or phony (More on that in a minute.). 3) Insist you always told the truth, except on a few occasions where you "misspoke" or "misplaced words" that NEVER were intended to mislead anyone about the nature of your service. 4) Feign outrage that anyone would dare question your character, integrity, and service to the country while wearing any military uniform. And finally, 5) Remind everyone that the most important thing you have to do is return to doing the hard work "the people" demand. After following this recipe, any further investigations into the story become about "old news," and the investigators part of the "right-wing attack machine."

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But what makes Mr. Blumental more than an ordinary Jackass on the heels of this story is that at least one of his surrounding "veterans" at his pathetic presser the other day was an already-outed phony soldier. The gentleman circled in red to Blumenthal's back right is actually William Joseph Trumpower, aka Elliott Storm.

Although he is an actual Vietnam vet, POW Network’s Phony Vets Database lists that Mr. Storm (or Trumpower, or Whats-his-face) claims a Bronze Star with Valor he never earned and a rank he never reached (claiming 2nd Lt.). Per the Database for Mr. Shitstorm: ACTUAL – National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Purple Heart w/1*. Served 11 Oct 1968 to 30 Jan 1970 as a USMC rifleman (MOS 0311). Has enlisted service number (not officer’s).

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And as a kicker, it turns out this phony soldier didn't just independently show up to offer his support to an embattled Blumenthal. According to The New Haven Independent,

Elliott Storm is a Blumenthal supporter. The campaign called him and asked him to show up; he called up his friends in the “Vet Pack” to join him, friends who, like him, travel around the country talking about ex-soldiers who contend with post traumatic stress syndrome.

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Dick Blumenthal (who bears a strange resemblance to former NY Gov Elliot Spitzer), once the apple of Conn Dems eye after saving them from certain defeat of now-retiring Senator Chris Dodd, took a seat that was a lock to be retained by his party and likely to kept by him for as long as he wanted and made it a horse race for the fall, no matter who his GOP opponent. His non-apology apology that doubled down on arrogance, coupled with recruiting a press conference prop that is also a proven liar, and then expecting Connecticut voters to look past the entire matter and bless him with a U.S. Senate seat, rightfully earns Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal our Jackass of the Week.
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- AZDB