Chris Dodd for President

Following last night's presidential debate in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party ran a straw poll to see who people thought won the debate...and it was Chris Dodd, winning big!

Candidate % of Vote
Dodd 31%
Edwards 22%
Clinton 18%
Obama 14%
Biden 8%
Kucinich 4%
Richardson 2%

This poll shows that people liked what the saw in Senator Dodd's performance last night. A candidate who spoke clearly, presented bold ideas, and drew real distinctions between himself and the other candidates, from standing up to stop a march to war with Iran to having the vision to stop global warming. Thanks to everyone who voted for Senator Dodd in the PA Democratic Party poll!

This was originally posted on the Daily Kos in response to today's straw poll.

This month's Daily Kos straw poll saw Chris Dodd surge 5% -- a result that I, Tim Tagaris, and all my other colleagues on the Dodd campaign are very happy to see. But looking at the comments on the poll, there remains an all-too common sentiment in the Daily Kos community.

I really like Dodd, and think he would be an outstanding President, but, he's not a viable candidate, unless he comes out of nowhere and wins Iowa.

I have to say this is a common sentiment in these parts. All I can say is this: why in the world would you want to disempower yourself and this community by trying to pick a winner now when you have the ability to make one yourself?

Senator Dodd often says that there are two types of people. On the one side, there are those who want to pick a winner in a political race, to show that they are great prognosticator and ensure that they get on the winning side and look really smart once the votes are tallied. On the other side are people that look at a field of candidates and decide who they want to help make a winning candidate. They decide by finding the candidate who they most agree with on the issues and who they think will be there, standing side by side with his base during the race and into office.

What kind of person are you? Do you want to pick a winner? Or do you want to make a winner?

At the end of the day, the only pundit who matters is you. Do you agree with what a candidate is saying? Do you think someone is leading the ideas race, even if their leadership in the things you care about isn't reflected in the latest Gallup poll?

Chris Dodd is using his campaign to lead on ending the Iraq war now - by setting a date certain for withdrawal and enforcing that deadline by cutting off funding. Dodd is standing with and for the majority of Americans who want Congress to end the war -- and that means he's not going to vote for a bad bill that does nothing to end the war through the Congressional powers of the purse.

The people who share these views and want to see a Democratic nominee who is leading on the issues now are making Chris Dodd viable by standing up with their support. Dodd's at 7% this month in no small part because Kossacks are looking at him and liking what they see.

If you like Dodd, if you want to elect someone who will restore the Constitution, if you want to vote for someone who's leading the fight to end the war in Iraq by cutting off funding now, and who will enact a corporate carbon tax to make polluting too costly for polluters, then now is the time to get on board with Chris Dodd's campaign for President. You want a candidate who you won't have to apologize for and with Chris Dodd, you can know that you're getting a leader for you

Our campaign can't succeed without the support of Democratic activists like you. If you choose to decide what to do along the guidelines that Charlie Cook and Tim Russert want you to use, well, I promise that you'll be missing your opportunity to make the next President. But if you want to make a President, then now is the time to come help Chris Dodd's campaign.

We just jumped 5% in the Kos straw poll and I can promise you that the 7% of Kos voters who want Chris Dodd to be President are not picking him because Chris Matthews or Charlie Cook or Bob Novak told them he was the most electable Democrat. They're voting for Dodd because he is leading on the issues now and has repeatedly stood up for the Democratic base -- for ending the Iraq war, restoring the Constitution, from Bill O'Reilly's attacks and from John Cornyn's smears.

So please, come on over and join the Dodd Squad or make a small-dollar donation. We need your support and you need a candidate worth believing in.

Blue Hampshire's policy straw poll continues this week on the topic of consumer debt

From Senator Dodd:

I am the only candidate who, as Chairman of the Banking and Housing Committee, has taken a leadership role in protecting homeowners from predatory lenders. As President, I will continue to fight for American families. America has become a nation of debtors not investors; our national savings rate is negative for the first time since the Depression. We must restore our economy so we are investing and reaping benefits from our investments rather than moving further into debt, and balance the budget, a major component to our national savings. We need to change the tax code so middle class Americans reap real benefits for saving -- further incentivizing people to save for retirement, their children's education and for buying that first home, and in the process put our nation on a better track for the future.

We must create more opportunities for investments to stay within America. I have authored a proposal to create a National Infrastructure Bank that will leverage billions of dollars of private investment into our roads, bridges, water systems and transit systems.

Finally, we must change the culture of debt and predatory lending that threatens millions of Americans through home foreclosures and usury credit card practices. The previous bankruptcy 'reform' act was a mistake -- I'm proud I voted against it. As Banking Chairman, I have conducted hearings on predatory lending and credit card abuses and pushed the industry to change their abusive practices.

Go vote for Dodd in the Blue Hampshire policy straw poll.

Mike Caulfield of Blue Hampshire is hosting a policy straw poll for the Democratic presidential candidates. This week the topic is health care (last week the topic was Iraq). Here's the statement from Senator Dodd, as submitted to Blue Hampshire:

I am the only candidate that has over 20 years of experience getting things done. We have known what the problems and solutions are for years. What's been missing is leadership that can bring people together to get things done. For example, when I first introduced the Family Medical Leave Act, people thought it would never get done, but I helped bring labor and business, Democrats and Republicans together. Today, 50 million Americans and their families have benefited from FMLA. It is now time to bring people together on health care and turn Democratic principles into American policy. My healthcare plan will provide universal health coverage through universal responsibility. My plan creates a health insurance marketplace based on, and parallel to, the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan (FEHB) so that every American has access to the same health insurance as their Congressperson. Every employer and individual will be given the chance to go to the marketplace to purchase high quality health care or if they wish, keep their existing insurance. Individuals and businesses will contribute based on their ability to pay. Solving the health care crisis also requires us to ensure that every American has access to the services and providers that they need. We need to place greater emphasis on prevention so we can treat illnesses like asthma and diabetes before they require a trip to the emergency room and we must invest in technology and data collection for better care and better efficiencies. Savings in better care and better efficiencies will finance new coverage and drive down premiums. Over time, universal coverage will pay off in terms of improved health, new models of better care, more affordable care, and higher productivity. But if we are going to turn these ideas into reality, we are going to have to have leadership with the experience to get things done."

The straw poll is open at Blue Hampshire now -- all you have to do is vote is be a registered member. I can't say enough about how great Blue Hampshire's efforts are here. They're providing a serious forum where people can compare candidates' positions side by side and without a filter. Hopefully this series will continue to provide a platform for people to see Chris Dodd's bold ideas and experience as a leader. Again, great stuff Blue Hamsters!

The June Daily Kos straw poll is live: Go vote for Senator Dodd!