Dodd

Seen in the Courant:

“It’s obviously getting to a point where people are speaking pretty loudly,” Dodd told reporters after a speech to the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce. “Eleven contests. My hope is that we’ll get closure on this pretty quickly.”

Meanwhile, over at Redstate, the word of the day is “schadenfreude”:

A week from tomorrow, Texas will either prolong the bloody battle for the Democratic nomination or give the nomination to a self-admitted former cokehead. Either way, we should thank Texas.

It’s about time. From Reuters:

U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd said on Wednesday he is determined to move federal flood insurance legislation through the Senate promptly, despite resistance from Louisiana lawmakers.

“I intend to do all I can to move this legislation to the president’s desk as soon as possible,” said the Connecticut Democrat, a former presidential candidate who outlined his 2008 priorities at a press conference.

Dodd chairs the Senate Banking Committee, which in October voted unanimously to reform federal flood insurance while refusing to follow the lead of a House of Representatives bill that would expand the program to cover wind damage.

From Reliable Politics:

Senator Joe Biden of Delaware will drop out of the race for the Democratic nomination. Biden came 5th place in the caucus. Biden originally said a third place finish is what his campaign needed to continue beyond Iowa.

And from the Boston Globe:

Democrat Chris Dodd, who moved his entire family to Iowa for the last weeks of the campaign, dropped out tonight after his poor showing in the caucuses, CNN and the Associated Press reported.

The Connecticut senator had hoped to finish at least fourth, but was seventh with almost all precincts reporting.

In their shoes, I probably would have still tried to hold on for five more days, until New Hampshire, in hopes of a miracle…but these announcements were inevitable.

With the Iowa Caucuses on Thursday, I thought I’d go ahead and make my endorsements for the primaries. (I’ll apologize for my brevity here, since I’m writing this just before making an evening visit to check on our dog at the animal hospital.

Republicans

1. Ron Paul gets my nod, if only because it would be hypocritical for me to not put him at the top of my list, when I’m planning to vote for him in February. I disagree with many of his views, or find them just plain nutty, but the fundamental concept of practicing fiscal responsibility with government funds while protecting individuals’ liberties is a combination that is sadly too lacking among today’s leaders. I’d like to see Dr. Paul continue to attract some media attention if only to remind others that it’s OK to want the government to manage its books better while leaving us the heck alone. Thus, I’ll do my part to help his poll numbers along.
    
2. My second-choice among the GOPers would almost have to be determined by rolling a die. I think most of them are likely to be able administrators and many of them would likely be adequate foils against the excesses of a Democratic congress. I appreciate McCain’s willingness to stick to his guns even when they’re unpopular. I’m still somewhat enamored by the idea of having someone with a “nice guy” image in the White House, even though my prior fondness for Huckabee has come back to reality. And, I appreciate some of the fiscal discipline exercised by Romney in Massachusetts even if he reeks so badly of spoiled politician. So, if you can’t bring yourself to cast a protest vote for Paul…well, I think the die roll method will probably be not much better or worse than selecting any one of the other candidates.

Democrats

1. Among the Dems, Chris Dodd is the candidate I’m most inclined to like, for the balance of seeming realistic (at least about things other than his own candidacy), his experience, and his stances on privacy and technology issues. He does, however, also suffer from the stink that seems common among many politicians. And, given his lack of support, he’s probably not a viable nominee for President. However, unlike the GOP field, among the Dems I do find a reasonable second choice.
    
2. Barak Obama is my clear second choice among the Dems. I worry about his inexperience, and I wonder how much of his “crossing the aisle” spiel is act rather than reality…but among the viable candidates, he is clearly the least of the evils from my viewpoint. I can’t support Edwards for his campaign tactic of demonizing the insurance industry (not to mention his being a trial lawyer). And Hillary…although she’s an impressive candidate, whom I suspect would be a more able administrator than her husband was…I can’t get over the fact that I think it’s dangerous to throw support to Hillary because we liked the world her husband reigned in, given that some analogous thinking is how we we got saddled with Bush 43.

So, I don’t know if any of this that I’ve written will influence an Iowa caucus-goer or a New Hampshire voter…but on the off chance you fall into either category, perhaps those comments will provide some food for thought.

Seen at Ballot Access News:

Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut did not file to be on the New York Democratic presidential primary. 5,000 signatures are required for Democrats in New York. The six Democrats who did file in New York are Biden, Clinton, Edwards, Kucinich, Obama and Richardson.

So, are we getting close to Connecticut getting its Democratic senator back?

I can empathize with the disappointment that some Dodd supporters are likely feeling…or will likely feel sometime in the next month and a half. If Dodd had gotten his legs in this campaign / if he wasn’t facing a number of heavy-hitting competitors, a number of his positions definitely appeal to me, almost to the extent of his radiating “creepy politician” vibes on the occasions I’ve met him.

I’ve written a few times previously that I think it’s time for Dodd to get a clue and bow out of the Presidential race.  It seems that I might not be the only person with such a thought.

A new Quinnipiac University poll, in addition to mentioning that Dodd is at 5% in the Connecticut section of the primary race, includes this fun observation:

Dodd is spending too much time on the presidential campaign trail and not enough time serving as Senator, voters say 55 - 29 percent. And voters say 70 - 21 percent that he should drop out of the presidential race. Even Democrats say 68 - 26 percent that Dodd should drop out.

Senator Dodd: It’s time to step aside and let us focus on the more viable candidates, please.

With the deadline for adjusting party affiliation for the Super-Duper-Tuesday primary approaching, I had been getting curious about polling numbers in Connecticut, to see if my vote would be more useful in either the D’s or the R’s primary.

(Annoyingly, to vote in a primary in CT, you have to predeclare a party affiliation, despite the fact that our tax dollars pay for every party’s primary. The deadline to switch parties in Connecticut for the February primary is 7 November, and you can use the regular voter registration form to make the change.)

Quinnipiac University appears to have addressed my curiosity with one of their recent releases:

Clinton dominates a Connecticut Democratic primary with 43 percent, followed by Obama with 16 percent and Edwards with 8 percent. Sen. Christopher Dodd gets 7 percent.

Giuliani rules the Republican race with 42 percent, trailed by McCain with 14 percent, Thompson with 10 percent and Romney with 9 percent.

In the presidential face-off, Clinton gets 44 percent to Giuliani’s 42 percent.

The passage quoted doesn’t mention that Obama and McCain are running third in their respective races, behind “don’t know”.

With Connecticut looking “safe” for Clinton and Giuliani, I don’t think I need to hold my nose and vote for a viable candidate for either party. Instead, I’m thinking I might re-affiliate with the pachyderms in order to cast a Ron Paul vote, in the hopes of helping some libertarian…or at least fiscally conservative…ideas get a bit more mainstream attention.

Oh, and you’d think that with Dodd drawing only 7% of the vote in his home state, he might get the message that perhaps it’s time to help thin the Democratic candidate field?

The Q Poll also provides information on polling in New York and New Jersey:

• New York:
  • Dems: Clinton 49%, Don’t Know 16%, Obama 12%, Edwards 11%
  • Reps: Giuliani 45%, Don’t Know 15%, Thompson 12%, McCain 9%
  • Prez: Clinton 50%, Giuliani 36%, Don’t Know 9%
• New Jersey:
  • Dems: Clinton 46%, Obama 20%, Don’t Know 14%, Edwards 9%, Romney 7%
  • Reps: Giuliani 48%, Don’t Know 13%, Thompson 12%, McCain 12%, Romney 7%
  • Prez: Giuliani 44%, Clinton 44%

In other words, I foresee a potentially sleepy primary up in this corner of the country…but the presidential race could actually be competitive in Connecticut, for a change, if Giuliani gets the nod.

You have to think that it’s time to reconsider your candidacy when a “fringe” candidate is out-fundraising you. From Washington Wire:

The antiwar libertarian raised more than $3 million in the third quarter, up from $2.4 million in the second quarter and $641,000 in the first three months of the year.

For the three months ended Sept. 30, Paul out-raised old Washington hands including Democrats Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, who took in $1.5 million, and Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, who raised just under $2 million.

The flip side of the story is, of course, that Ron Paul is having such financial success and that he’s been particularly effective with the funds he has raised.

I’m glad that in the (albeit limited) press exposure he’s received, Dr. Paul has come across far less shrill than he did a few months ago, and I can’t help but wonder if his support is more from Libertarians donning Republican clothing. However, it’s still encouraging to see that someone preaching fiscal discipline and smaller government appears to be in the race for a good while longer.