Second in a series of BMG Editor endorsements for president. Bob endorsed Obama here. If you’re another Dodd fan, here’s how to help out. We await Charley’s endorsement with bated breath!
I like most of the Democrats running for president, and I’d be happy with just about any of them as the nominee. In particular, I like each of the alleged front-runners — Clinton, Obama, and Edwards — and if one of them ends up being the Democratic nominee, I will happily do whatever I can to get him or her elected.
But there’s only one candidate among the current crop who has really stood out on multiple occasions when true leadership was called for. Even when it meant taking a lonely stand that was going to annoy not only the president, but the head honchos of his own party. Even when it meant leaving the campaign for an indeterminate period of time, because what was going on in the US Senate — his day job — was more important. Sure, other Democrats quickly fell into line once he got the ball rolling. But on Michael Mukasey, on habeas corpus, and most recently on FISA, one guy has taken that all-important first step, regardless of the cost to his campaign and to his comfort level in the go-along-to-get-along Senate.
That guy is Chris Dodd.
Dodd is, of course, qualified for the job, considerably moreso than the front-runners according to the traditional measuring-sticks. (26 years in the Senate, Foreign Relations Committee, Peace Corps, US Army Reserves, blah blah blah.) I don’t think that stuff should be the deciding factor, but it’s a factor all the same. Dodd has also been quite good in the debates, when he’s been given a chance to speak; I see no reason to think he couldn’t easily best any of the Republicans. On the issues generally, he’s very much in the same ballpark as the rest of the gang, and on some he has stood out as superior.
To be sure, again on the traditional measuring-sticks, Dodd isn’t perfect. He voted for the AUMF in 2003, though he has since said that doing so was a mistake. He doesn’t favor gay marriage, though neither do the front-runners, and he’s as good on GLBT issues as any of them. And he’s a white guy from a small northeastern state when that combo hasn’t worked great for the Dems in recent years, and in a year when there’s a chance to “make history” by electing Obama, Clinton, or Richardson.
But the other guys aren’t perfect either. Just a couple of examples: Obama retreats to vague talk about being a Christian when asked why he doesn’t support gay marriage (as if there aren’t Christians who support gay marriage), and he badly (and perhaps revealingly) mishandled the Donnie McClurkin episode. The recent decline in Clinton’s poll numbers is a modest crisis at best, yet she hasn’t handled it terribly well, and her screwup on the Spitzer/driver’s licenses question reinforced the suspicion that she’s a compulsive triangulator. Edwards yells a lot.
At the end of the day, I want someone whose leadership I can count on when the going is really rough. Obama, Clinton, and the rest of the gang may well be able to deliver that, and I hope they can. But we really don’t know, because they haven’t done it yet. (And no, telling auto workers that cars need to get better gas mileage doesn’t count.) Dodd was the first Dem to publicly oppose Mukasey when the rest of the Dems seemed resigned to the notion that if we don’t confirm this guy, Bush will just give us someone worse; and he probably annoyed Harry Reid no end with his FISAbuster, thereby making life more difficult for himself should he remain in the Senate. He has consistently led the pack on some of the most important issues to have hit the Senate recently; the others have followed.
Finally, a word about “electability.” Dodd, of course, is not favored to win the nomination, nor is he expected to come close in any of the early caucuses or primaries. I don’t care. I am not interested in basing my vote on what I, the pollsters, or the media think that other voters are going to do. I cannot control their votes, and of course it’s possible that the predictions may be wrong in any event. The only vote I can control is mine, and I plan to cast it for the candidate who I think would actually make the best president. Hopefully he will remain in the race through February 5 so that I have the chance to do so.
As I said above, on some very big recent issues, Dodd has consistently led, and the others have followed. I want the leader.
Clearly, not only does he need to stay in the Senate, but he’s proven that he can effectively lead the Senate too. We need Reid out and Dodd in, as a President of different kind – the Senate.
that would be great, and I think not unexpected.
(and, by implication, not for the top spot)
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p>since the President of the Senate is the Vice President of the United States.
i.e., someone with some influence in the Senate beyond breaking ties. But I’ll let Ryan clear that one up.
I did mean Senate Majority Leader.
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p>Brain fart.
Who would be Dodd’s running mate?
i meant senate majority leader, but had a temporary brain fart.
I tried out his family Christmas cookie recipe tonight, and they are really good! A bit complicated admittedly — grating a lemon rind not really something I expect to be doing when making cookies — but worth it. Despite the instructions, I found it easy to simply spoon out the dough and tap it flat on the cookie sheet (though it does harden surprisingly quickly). The cookie has the intriguing flavor of gingerbread without that unpleasant spicy molasses aftertaste, and has very much a New England taste, though I did replace half the cloves with nutmeg.
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What I don’t say here, I say here.
A diary rose to the top of the recommended list at Daily Kos on just this proposal the other day,Chris Dodd for Majority Leader by Hesiod.
I like Dodd a lot, and hope he becomes a more prominent Senator in the future.
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p>You should fix your graphic, so that all will know that Charley is still uncommitted. Maybe if the MTA had more trains, he would be able to get to his computer to finish up.
The graphics department is on it!
I agree with just about everything you say about Dodd. And I would be very pleased to see him get strong consideration for the VP slot.
Unfortunately for Dodd, he’s not even going to appear on the NY ballot. Seems to me that he expects to be out of the running by Tsunami Tuesday.
While I am an Obama supporter I am glad to see that you will support the candidate you like no matter how viable they are. I supported Deval Patrick and Howard Dean way back when they were longshots so Ive been there before. In the case of Patrick the longshot turned out to be a bullseye, and Dean went from obscure Governor of a small state to National Chairman with a party rebuilding goal so longshots can go a long way. Dont discount the Firefighters endorsement or a bruising three way slug fest in Iowa as helping Dodd get a surprise showing. Furthermore he could do better than expected in NH. While the path to the nomination is tough even if he doesnt make it hes definitely set the tone of the race in many regards and has a good shot at a cabinet post or larger prominence in the Senate.
How refreshing to see someone willing to swim against the tide and do their own thing. Chris Dodd is a fine candidate, worthy of more than his also-ran status. I can easily see myself casting my primary vote for him, as well, just on principle alone. In all likelihood we will be forced to cast our votes for one of the Big Spineless Three, but it sure would feel nice to delay that as long as possible.
I’m voting for him too if he makes it far enough. Whenever people ask me who I’m for, I say Dodd and they look at me like I’m crazy, but he has the right policies and has done the right things. Isn’t that more important than making some sort of statement about women or minorities. I agree with your points about Hillary and Obama.
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p>But let’s see what happens. I was honestly hoping that Gore would run, and I’d definitely vote for him if he was running, but that looks rather doubtful at the moment. Frankly, I like Al Gore, because he was principaled enough to oppose our war in Iraq even before the United States invaded, and because of his excellent record on the environment and many other things.
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p>Btw, did anybody get to see Al Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth when it first came out? It was a wonderful film..well done, too.
One of the few endorsements from any organ that doesn’t read like a slightly re-worded press release. There’s a lot to like about Dodd, and through it all it’s a bit of a crapshoot as to who catches fire and who doesn’t. He’s a good man, and there aren’t too many ways to better cast a primary vote.
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p>(As for VP, interesting idea. Could balance out Obama well, but would be a poor match for the junior senator from New York. I have a real concern though, and that is letting Republican governor Jodi Rell appoint a replacement, when the Senate is so closely divided.)
I have a lot of respect for him and I especially like how he has made upholding the Constitution a centerpiece of his campaign. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an AG who remembers that we have a Constitution?
I am impressed with Chris Dodd’s courageous political leadership, diverse professional experience, bi-partisan political skills, and thoughtful political approach to domestic and foreign policymaking.
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p>Dodd’s wide intergenerational reach, as a sixtysomething parent of two very young school age daughters, also puts in him touch with the diverse social, economic, and political concerns of a wide swath of generations in the United States. I appreciate the fact that his life experience extends beyond the development of the IPod and text messaging, and that he has the long-term concerns of the youngest generation of Americans at the forefront of his mind and in his heart.
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p>As Secretary of State, Dodd would bring instant worldwide credibility to a nation badly in need of constructing a multi-lateral diplomatic approach to resolving complex issues international such as global climate change, international terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and Iraq.
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p>Finally, I must admit it would nevertheless be a welcome relief to have a President who speaks a foreign language other than sixth-grade pigeon Spanish. Overall, David, you have made a persuasive case, but I am not ready to abandon my girl, Hillary,….at least, until after the NH primary results on Jan. 8.
Whoever wins (and it won’t be Richardson), I want them to pick Bill Richardson for their secretary of state.
Chris Dodd sounds like a good candidate. However I’m not so sure he’d even get the nomination.
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p>Barack Obama probably doesn’t stand to get the nomination either, since the American electorate is still not ready to elect a black guy as president of the United States.
Dodd: if he wins the primaries, he’ll get the nomination. That’s how it works.
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p>Obama: similarly, if the part of “the American electorate” that votes in Democratic primaries votes in big enough numbers for him, he’ll get the nomination. Maybe he’d win the general, maybe he wouldn’t. My guess: if he’s the nominee, he’ll win pretty handily.
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p>There’s something of a cognitive dissonance between the gist of your comment and your signature line, no?
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p>However, Dodd may well be too far to the Left for many Americans, even Democrats, which is why I questioned the possibility of his getting the nomination.
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p>Obama I’m really not sure about, and, since there is still so much racism here in the United States, I’m admittedly somewhat doubtful. But, you’ve got a point there, David. In either case, who knows what may happen?
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p>I’m admittedly undecided at this point about who I’m supporting, but..well, seeing is believing, as the saying goes.
I believe earlier on you were leaning towards Richardson. What moved you from him – obvisouly not electability.
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p>BTW – I too am moving on from Richardson, I’m just not sure where I’m going to land.
in debate after debate. He looked unprepared and, frankly, amateurish. I know he isn’t as lame as he appeared. But that’s how he looked, and it was really off-putting. If you want to play in the big show, you’ve got to be ready.
a great old-fashioned liberal. He really showed how to contend in the deliberative Senate environment with the telecom immunity debate. Orrin Hatch came thiiiis close to breaking a blood vessel.
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p>Myself, I am supporting Obama — reasons I have stated before. I always cross-donate to Dodd though because I think he is honest to a fault and of all the candidates the best start right out with a sensible liberal/progressive agenda.
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p>I agree with Sabutai—it would be a shame to lose him in the Senate esp with the repub governor Jodie Rell who can make an appt to replace him
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http://search.barnesandnoble.c…
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p>These are the letters from Chris Dodd’s father when he served a prosecuter at the Nuremberg trials.
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p>If you are stuck for a last minute Christmas gift–this book is a keeper. It is good for people who are old conservatives because Thomas Dodd was intensely anti-communist and it is good for a romantic because it is a collection of letters to his wife. How things worked at Nuremberg on a political-legal-personal level is revealed the the letters.
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p>I picked up a copy at Borders in Downtown Boston
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p>Buy the book——Cant go wrong!
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I might buy it sometime. Thanks, cadmium.