ALS Fighter has a great diary up on Daily Kos explaining why he will be caucusing for Chris Dodd on January 3rd, 2008.
In roughly two weeks, I will be proudly joining thousands of people across the state by participating in the Iowa Democratic Caucus. As a relatively new resident of Iowa and first-time caucus goer, I am eagerly awaiting the opportunity to show my support for the candidate I believe will be an agent of change and is best qualified to be our country's next president. I desire an individual with decades of leadership experience, a person with strong principles who will strive to restore the Constitution, and someone who all Americans can be proud to call their president. That is why, on January 3, I will be supporting Chris Dodd.
ALS Fighter goes on to write that Dodd's leadership to restore the Constitution, his history of serving in the Peace Corps and the military, and his ability to bring people together from both parties to get things done has convinced him that Chris Dodd is the best person to be President.
ALS Fighter - whose Daily Kos handle comes from his fight with ALS - makes another point that I think merits highlighting:
I want a Democrat elected next November. But that's not enough. I want someone who can unite rather than drive the wedge between "blue states" and "red states" deeper into the fabric of this great nation. I believe Dodd has the skills to achieve that.
Dodd has a proven record of getting results. He takes progressive Democratic policies and finds Republicans who will work with him to make them law. Family & Medical Leave. Child care. Head Start. Housing assistance. The list goes on and on, but ALS Fighter is right: In a Dodd presidency, you can expect results and the leadership needed to bring Americans together.
You can read ALS Fighter's blog here.
Comments
Senator Dodd is an honorable man of distinction who has served his party and his state admirably in the United States Senate.
However, history is filled with good and admirable statemen and women that simply are unable to ignite energy around their campaign for the nation's higest office (e.g., Senator Bob Graham in 2003).
At a certain point, you have to recognize that you are unable to change the grim reality of a faltering campaign. It's not your fault -- you and your campaign team have performed well. Alas, it clearly wasn't meant to be.
My suggestion -- drop out of the race. Do it today. Save your dignity. You gave it your best shot. This just isn't your time.
And my second, and perhaps more important, suggestion -- endorse Senator Clinton.
In a tight three-way race among the frontrunners, there's only one candidate who can even come close to matching Sen. Dodd's experience. And that candidate is Hillary. We cannot afford to let our party's nominee fail again. And if either of the other two frontrunners wins the nomination and somehow manages to win the White House, we're setting ourselves up for disaster in 2012.
We live in a time that doesn't afford our next president an opportunity for on-the-job training. We need a leader on day one. That's why we need Hillary. And Sen. Dodd's involvement in her campaign lends hope to the idea of a spot for him in her administration. Even if he's not in the Oval Office, "Secretary Dodd" has a nice ring to it.
Thank you for your contributions to the presidential contest. But it's time to make the tough choice.
Thank you.
Looks like desperation time has arrived for Clinton supporters
Some character in the Boston Globe is betting that Dodd drops out first. Must be the talking point of the day.
Only two mentions of the scandals connected to the 1996 election, but one suspects that with Thompson a Republican candidate, there will be more.
"And Sen. Dodd's involvement in her campaign lends hope to the idea of a spot for him in her administration."
So the idea is government jobs for the loyal. How much an ambassadorial roll? Am I qualified? Well, no, but I'm loyal to the administration. There is a little voice in the back of my head that says I've heard this somewhere before.
One piece of advice for Sen. Clinton supports. Stay off the Chris Dodd blogs for your own best interest. You don't want to mess with the real thing. Too much for you to handle.
Whatever you do, Chris Dodd....DO NOT listen to JM above. I for one, will be caucusing for Chris Dodd in the Iowa caucus and I know several other individuals who will as well. Many of us were not looking at Dodd until his terrific showing in the last few debates. We then looked at his stance on the issues and then the whole FISA situation is the tipping point. The reason the Iowa caucus is first is because Iowa voters are known for thoughtful consideration of the best PERSON for the job....if you want a leader the first day on the job, then we need Chris Dodd, he has a lengthy history of excellent voting and service. He's proven he can lead and has *specific* plans for how to solve many of the problems for our country. Here is a recent opinion just published in the press citizen of Iowa City that I think sums up where many of Dodd's recent supporters are coming from. If Hillary is so fit to "lead" where the heck was she on MONDAY when Dodd was blocking FISA?!? Talk is cheap.
From today's opinon column in the press-citizen:
DARK-HORSE DODD BEST BEST CANDIDATE FOR THE JOB.
After the first televised Democratic debate before Thanksgiving, I asked myself why I was considering only the three frontrunners, when one dark-horse candidate, Sen. Chris Dodd, demonstrated deeper experience and presented more persuasive positions. By disregarding the best candidate, I was shirking my responsibility to keep the Iowa caucuses unique by giving dark-horse candidates a chance to be considered on their merits. For all my grousing about the unholy union of power and money in politics, I was missing a high leverage opportunity to make a real difference by participating in one of the last strongholds of grass roots, person-to-person presidential politics. I made a decision. On a snowy night before Thanksgiving, I went to the Salvation Army and met Dodd, who was having fun serving meals with a few volunteers. I pledged my support to him.
Quixotic? I don't think so. Iowans are famous for confounding the pundits. Dodd did a great job in the Dec. 13 debate, presenting the most specific and courageous energy policy (praised by former presidential candidates Al Gore and Bill Bradley), a clear vision of a tough, fair China policy and a vision for restoring America's moral standing in the world -- all with less allotted time than any candidate. The Iowa Independent declared him the winner. None of this surprises me given his outstanding Senate record. His achievements for children and families earned him the nickname "the Children's Senator."
Recently a volunteer for John Edwards challenged my wife: "You know he's not viable." I decline this invitation to waste my caucus vote by jumping on any bandwagon that gained its momentum from the national media's coverage of the frontrunners, and their resulting success in raising money for advertising.
I admire all of the frontrunners, but they have some flaws. Dead Republicans will claw their way out of their graves to vote against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Sen. Barack Obama is untested. His social security proposal, to eliminate the cap on wages subject to the payroll tax, is facile and politically dangerous for Democrats. Only a bipartisan solution can work over the long term, especially if it involves a tax hike. Otherwise, Democrats would arm the Republicans with a political club they could wield for decades.
Edwards' combative style may mobilize Democrats but will not attract disaffected Republicans and independents. He promises to end Congressional health benefits unless Congress passes his health reform proposal, even though the President has no constitutional power to carry out such a threat. Doesn't he know that this kind of disingenuous rhetoric will blow up in his face in the general election?
I don't know that Chris Dodd's candidacy will fail. I hope and believe that enough Iowans will notice Dodd to give him some momentum in the remaining primaries. He would stand the best chance of winning the general election and would do the best job as President.
Gary Whittington, an Iowa City resident, has spent his professional life as a real estate lawyer on Wall Street and in Iowa.
Don't worry IowaLiberal, Chris Dodd won't be taking JM's advice on this one. With support of people like you, a strong showing in Iowa can propel Chris Dodd to the nomination. Thanks for your help!
Dodd left out again!!!
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton tops the list of "anti" candidates in a poll that asks Americans who they would most want to keep out of the White House, The Washington Times reported on Tuesday.
Forty-percent of Americans said they would vote against Clinton, a New York Democrat, according to a Fox 5-The Washington Times-Rasmussen Reports poll.
Clinton scored more than twice the total of the No. 2 "anti" pick, Republican Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor.
"Hillary Clinton is better known than any (other) presidential candidate on either side. She has a lot of people who love her and a lot of people who hate her" said pollster Scott Rasmussen.
Sixty-four percent of Republicans and more than half of adult men under 40 said they would use their vote against Clinton, the poll found.
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