Posted on 01/15/2007 2:21:18 PM PST by Graybeard58
Besides the usual kneepad journalism from The Hartford Courant, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd's entry into the 2008 Democratic presidential field last week produced a big fat yawn in Connecticut and barely registered nationally; even his fellow travelers at The New York Times buried the news.
His decision did touch off some discussion about why he was abandoning Connecticut -- overall, not a bad thing -- to be Don Quixote to the windmills of Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. Some speculated he's jockeying for a future Cabinet post, but more than a few Democrats whispered about vanity. That's more plausible, and compels a brief examination of how his ego got this big.
Sen. Dodd is popular in Connecticut. Why not? He's a liberal from a liberal state who reflexively supports liberal, socialist, even communist causes. But his next tough campaign will be his first. All he's done to win and keep his Senate seat is beat the Forgettable Five -- Republicans James Buckley, Roger Eddy, Brook Johnson, Waterbury's Gary Franks and Jack Orchulli.
Sen. Dodd fancies himself a tough campaigner, but he shows all the symptoms of Barbara Kennelly Syndrome (BKS), which afflicts many Connecticut Democrats. For 14 years, Mrs. Kennelly was the biannual shoo-in congresswoman from the 1st District, among the safest Democratic districts in the nation. She had a political reputation and pedigree rivaling Sen. Dodd's, but frequent electoral successes and constant adulation brought on delusions of grandeur, popularity and invincibility, the main symptoms of BKS. And so it was that on her first foray outside her fiefdom, she ran into a formidable candidate (then-Gov. John G. Rowland), who dispatched her to the political graveyard.
Like the similarly afflicted, Sen. Dodd shows all the signs of BKS, hence his presidential bid. But it won't be long before Sens. Clinton and Obama and the rest of the field pierce his pomposity and smoke his presidential aspirations.
It's pretty funny that Dodd thinks he has a chance.
I mean, it's bad enough Biden thinks he has a chance, and Biden, at the very least, has a personality, which is more then I can say of Dodd.
And Biden isn't winning either.
Dodd is just a non starter. He has no appeal.
I agree with you. Everyone who's announced their candidacy so far is a non-starter.
Better than Paul Harvey!
Bingo! It's the slush fund, my pretties. Unless I'm totally wrong, he gets to spend it all on meals, trips, whatever, after he withdraws. Someone please enlighten me if I'm wrong.
White-haired Christopher Dodd is basically a boring guy, even for a liberal politician. A senator from a smal state that is very over-taxed and has a horrible business climate (anti-busineess is more accurate). The major cities are mostly unlivable. Schools are mediocre. Connecticut is a good example of what happens when liberals move in and basically take over the political landscape. It's a mess. Oh, it still looks nice - but the cost of living is outrageous, taxes are ridiculous and the political leftists run almost everything, including the state legislature.
Chris Dodd does next to nothing for his state except show up at photo-ops or when the Groton submarine base was threatened with closure. He knows that he can get away with doing nothing because, like Ted 'The Swimmer' Kennedy in next-door Massachusetts, the citizens of Connecticut would vote for almost anyone who had a 'D' after their name on the ballot. Chris Dodd is a bad joke and a lazy, do-nothing senator. His candidacy is an insult to the intelligence of any voter, even a Democrat voter, who gives him a moment of serious consideration.
Very entertaining! Thanks!
His old man was a crook, so why not him.
Just what this campaign needs ... another lapsed "Catholic" who espouses abortion, has been divorced and remarried (shades of Kerry, Giuliani and Ted Kennedy).
Sorry. Correction...
He's not bitching about our state flag. Which is beautiful, by the way...
He's bitching because we have the audacity to fly a Confederate Flag at the state capitol.
And now Plugs Biden is bitching about the same thing.
Here's more:
Dodd making an ass of himself.
Biden playing copycat.
Waterbury is a great American City -- tells Jane Fonda to go to hell, and now this.
Perhaps his pal Ortega's victory has encouraged him to make this pointless and hopeless run.
I would support a Constitutional Amendment banning any current Senator from running as President or Vice President. Pompous windbags, all.
Just imagine ...Tubby Dodd....running around the exercise track at the White House...
FOTFLOL.
That poor waitress.
I want Dodd to run for the nomination. The Senate is now 50 Dem and 49 GOP. (Johnson won't be back for months). Senators have to show up on the floor to vote. With Dodd, Biden and Kerry all spending their time campaigning, the vote is 47-49. And with mccain also campaigning, it's even more likely that the GOP positions will win. (He'd make many votes 48-48, with Cheney to break the tie. Without him, the votes would likely be 47-48)
Well, the booze talks better than him.
Ain't that the truth!
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