Blumenthal's Lonely Life

Official Portrait - Richard Blumenthal

Richard Blumenthal is dying a slow political death. After waiting for the perfect opportunity to join the U.S. Senator, the former state Attorney General is lost in the seniority quagmire of the world's most exclusive club. 


Dick is near the bottom of the pile with very little time to move up and assume any meaningful role in national public policy.


Probably the worst indignation was the dismissal of his legacy by his able successor, Attorney General George Jepsen, who summarily closed hundreds of Blumenthal's meritless investigations and files on businesses and individuals. Corporate leaders and politico's are remarking the breath of freedom they feel from not having to deal with Blumenthal's army of lawyers or waiting for the Man to appear for his five minutes of attention at local events.


The new gig in the Senate is not built for Dick Blumenthal's narcisstic demeanor. Blumenthal is also a loner's loner, a personality not conducive to the back slapping, bourbon sipping protocols of Senate life. And since he has no core beliefs, Blumenthal doesn't have a cause to run with and burn a national image. And at age 65, there are not enough days left to make an impression.


Dick Blumenthal is about Dick Blumenthal and his validation is derived from being bathed in public view. After spending 20 years as the Zelig of Connecticut political life, Blumenthal is now The Man Who Never Was.


Desperate for the attention and deprived of a dutiful Capitol press core who gave unfiltered coverage of every frivolous lawsuit or public shaming of evil corporation, Blumenthal has digressed to his vaudeville act that served him so well in the past.  Really, you can't expect Dick Blumenthal to be reduced to committee work or presiding over the Senate during quorum calls.


Over the last month, Blumenthal came home to talk about dangerous toys, cable charges and most recently has derided feeds charged by businesses for lay-a-way purchases.


Meanwhile, the national debt has soared to $15 trillion, unemployment remains at historic levels, the Middle East is on fire and Dick Blumenthal has been talking about whether kids should be left alone with their Lego's.


Slowly, the media is calling him out. They have figured out this act and are pondering - whydid we elect Dick Blumenthal to be a serious member of the U.S. Senator, rather than a consumer affairs barker?


John Bowman of the Greenwich Time launched a pointed tirade from his blog recently, saying:

"I guess he doesn’t realize he got promoted to a new job.  Funny, I don’t recall Joe Lieberman ever ranting about Metro North fares or any such local nonsense after he was promoted from AG to US Senator."

That, from the hometown paper, assuming Dick has a hometown.


And The Day of New London, one of the more liberal periodicals who vilified Republican Linda McMahon, slammed Blumenthal with a full throttled editorial blast.

"The appearance, and the message, didn't seem very senatorial and harkened back to the senator's two-decade-long stint as Connecticut's attorney general, when his video-friendly news conferences made him a regular on local TV news."

Not that this will discourage the 97th Senator from informing us on the dangers of twist-off bottles, prickly heat or radio emissions from cell towers. The good news is that voters are already forgetting him.