Last week, Conn. Sen. Richard Blumenthal spoke at an awards ceremony hosted by the People’s World newspaper — the oldest Communist Party newspaper in the U.S. He handed out special certificates of recognition from the Senate and spoke in glowing terms about the organization.
Blumenthal said he was there to acknowledge “the great tradition of activism and standing up for individual workers that is represented by the three honorees.”
The Yankee Institute reported that Blumenthal said one doesn’t have to agree with everything the party or the unions stand for. He was there to acknowledge the activism of the honorees.
So if that’s true, why is he denying knowing that the sponsors of the awards ceremony — the People’s World Communist Party daily newspaper — had ties to the Communist Party?
“My understanding was that this ceremony was strictly a labor event,’’ Blumenthal said Friday in a telephone interview. “If I had known the details, I wouldn’t have gone. … Let me just say very emphatically, I’m a Democrat and a strong believer in American capitalism. I have been consistently a Democrat and a strong supporter and believer in American capitalism.’’
Regarding ongoing criticism, Blumenthal said, “People are going to do what they’re going to do. I’m just going to keep doing my job for the people of Connecticut. There’s a lot at stake in the Senate right now — voting rights, the ongoing pandemic, making childcare affordable, lowering prescription drug prices. That’s where my focus is.’’
That’s a load of crap. Anyone who went to college in the 1960s or 70s knows full well what People’s World is all about and with whom it is affiliated. Blumenthal almost certainly would have known of People’s World when he attended Harvard as an undergraduate. Harvard then, more than it is today, was lousy with Communists. For Blumenthal to claim ignorance doesn’t pass the smell test.
Blumenthal went on to say that the award ceremony was just one of many events he was attending in a short amount of time. Blumenthal said that the awards’ focus on labor were what attracted him, and his attendance had nothing to do with support for communism.
“I go to a lot of events, places, meetings, rallies, and ceremonies in Connecticut. I’m delighted to be invited anywhere, and in this instance, I was invited by local labor unions to honor these three individuals, and that’s why I was there,” the senator told the Hartford Courant. “That’s pretty much it.’’
Sorry, Senator, but nobody is so busy that they “accidentally” attend a Communist Party confab. Would you accept a Republican “accidentally” attending a Klu Klux Klan rally? It’s a ludicrous argument and no one should let Blumenthal off the hook for this.
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The bottom line — and the scary part — is that Blumenthal saw nothing wrong with hobnobbing with Communists and didn’t think anyone would mind.
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