Linda McMahon Defends WWE
On This Week, Christiane Amanpour interviewed both Connecticut Senate candidates. First in the ring was Republican contender Linda McMahon, the former head of World Wrestling Entertainment who’s come under fire by groups like Mothers Opposing McMahon for WWE’s portrayal of women. Amanpour asked: What do you really think of the vulgar stunts that happen in the ring? "The girl who is told to get on all fours, I think by your own husband, and bark like a dog? Are you comfortable with that?” the host contined. McMahon pointed out that WWE had since toned down, and is now a TVPG rating. That being said, “From an entertainment point of view, I think that you either elect to go to a movie or you elect to watch a program, so, I'm a strong proponent for First Amendment rights.”
Richard Blumenthal: Less Money, Mo’ Problems
When Amanpour asked Democratic candidate Richard Blumenthal why his 41-point lead had diminished so quickly, especially in a Democratic stronghold like Connecticut, Blumenthal said it came down to money: “We've said from the beginning that this would be a tight, tough, competitive race and a $50-million negative attack machine is bound to narrow the polls, and we expected it, it's happened,” he said.
Axelrod: Secret Donations a “Threat to Our Democracy”
On Face the Nation, White House senior adviser David Axelrod weighed in on the growing controversy over campaign funding, saying special interest spending is “a threat to our democracy.”
Bob Woodward on Using Anonymous Sources
Bob Woodward, who knows from off-the-record sources, told Howie Kurtz on Reliable Sources that he would have loved to do all of the interviews for his newest book, Obama's Wars, on the record, but alas, “If you go in and put a tape recorder down and say ‘This is on the record,’ you’re gonna get a lot of untruth.”
Cantor Slams Faux-Nazi Candidate
In yet more midterm madness, Fox News Sunday had House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) face off against Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) to discuss which party was likely to come out victorious from the upcoming elections. Schultz was confident Democrats have it in the bag thanks to fringe candidates like Ohio’s Rich Iott, a Nazi re-enactor. "What we have got now is a new crop of young leaders energized to go to Washington for the right reasons," Cantor said. "[Wasserman Schultz] knows that I would absolutely repudiate that and do not support an individual who would do something like that."
Christine Lagarde: Girls Rule, Boys Drool
On This Week, Christiane Amanpour asked French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde whether women have “a different way of approaching business.” Heck yes, Lagarde said, in part because women “inject less libido, less testosterone into the equation.”
Illinois Senate Hopefuls Throw Down
Meet the Press hosted a debate between the two senate hopefuls vying for Obama’s vacated seat in Illinois, Democrat Alexi Giannoulias and Republican Rep. Mark Kirk. Giannoulias slammed Kirk’s voting record. "The congressman has told some real whoppers in this campaign, but that might be the biggest one of all," Giannoulias said. "Saying you're a fiscal hawk doesn't necessarily make it true, and your voting record shows it's not true."