Dodd Takes Hillary to the Woodshed

[illinoisprogressive]

DAVENPORT, IA - Yes, tonight's debate has its moments - okay, moment - when Joe Biden went to town on his colleagues, especially Bill Richardson. But the most pointed remarks of the night came from Senator Chris Dodd in the spin room after the debate.

Dodd began with a generic barb that certainly seemed pointed in Hillary's direction:

I believe that results matter. If you're talking about the Presidency, it's not enough to talk about what a good fighter you are. I presume everyone will fight hard, but I think people want to know whether or not you can get the job done.

Asked about Clinton's experience on the issue of healthcare, Dodd took direct aim at Hillary and blasted away with both barrels:

You're experience shouldn't be a parable for personal growth and maturation. I say that respectfully, but if you're experience only talks to a time when we failed - for many reasons, not the least of which was mismanagement. I was there. This was terribly mismanaged as an issue.

There were others factors as well, and we're talking about leadership that can get a job done, and what you point to is a point in time where the policy failed and the leadership failed, it's a little difficult for me to accept that's the kind of experience you want to highlight, it seems to me.

I presume she ought to be talking about some things she proud of having accomplished, but healthcare was a dreadful - in fact, and it wasn't just the scars that people paid politically, the scars that millions of Americans have paid because 15 years ago we didn't get the job done because of mismanagement is something I think is a legitimate subject to discuss.

Q: Mismanagement by ?

By the White House. It clearly was. That was part of the reason. It failed terribly. There were secret meetings in the White House, without letting people know. It was a dreadful event. And we're paying dearly for it, economically and health-wise in this country.

Now if you're going to talk about experience, I'd be reluctant to talk about one that failed, it seems to me. People would like to know your experiences that succeeded. What did you do? How did you bring people together? How did you make a difference?

http://www.time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/

[JNelson6563]

1. Valid points.

He does have good points. But then again, Dodd is a bright guy.

Julie

[MH1]

2. "we're talking about leadership that can get a job done"

Exactly. Sadly, many prefer pleasing rhetoric to actually doing what it takes to get the job done.

[mod mom]

3. Dodd was impressive on Countdown recently. I hope voters pay attention to the "second tier"

candidates before making a choice. We shouldn't let the corporate media (think of what Dan Rather is claiming) make up our minds for us.

[Evergreen Emerald]

4. "terribly mismanaged as an issue" Dodd is no better at managing the spin

We do need a better response to the vast right-wing smear machine. The democratic leadership just cannot measure up. Of course it helps when you have the whole of the media behind you--hard to respond when no one can hear you.

[rosesaylavee]

5. Sensible ideas.

Dodd has quite a few of these if any would listen. I do like him a lot. He's not perfect and as 'sexy' as the next candidate - but he certainly speaks the whole unvarnished truth as he sees it.

[PurityOfEssence]

6. That's a great point, especially since her whole schtick is "competence"

The health care initiative was an unqualified disaster. To use this as some sort of proof of ability is as incomprehensible as most of the rest of her claims.

We're supposed to believe that she'll tirelessly fight against the reactionaries when virtually everything she's done as a Senator is try to reach accord with them. Okay, she made a reasonable excuse for confirming Chertoff, but what about Negroponte and Rice?

We're supposed to believe that she cares about core liberal values when she votes for giveaway trade deals. She's the ONLY one of the bunch who did so on Chile and Singapore; Biden, Dodd and Edwards voted against them. She's the veritable visa goddess at a time when these are being used to import technical experts who'll work for less than the available Americans they displace.

We're supposed to believe that she'll have an enlightened foreign policy when she constantly tries to portray herself as "tough" to dispel the myth of female wimpiness. (Any look at historical female leaders shows you in a snap that they're MORE warlike than males. Whether this is from compensation or not doesn't matter one whit to the widows, orphans and maimed.)

We're supposed to be happy that religion plays such a part in her decision-making and that public monies should go to faith-based groups.

This has got to be the best sales-job of the worst product I can think of.

The one forward-leaning initiative she ever took a risk on was a disaster. Although she claims laurels for this debacle, she simultaneously reminds us that it was all Bill's work anyway. No wonder she believes in god, it's the same believer's doublethink to justify bad things happening: everything good is its doing, while everything bad comes from those who don't really believe, regardless of what they say.

She's literally on every side of every issue. How can anyone trust someone like that? The one thing she can reliably do is get elected, and even THAT has no bearing here; she's only been elected twice and she ran against certified stiffs in a reliably Blue State. There have been times in the last few years when her unfavorables have been as high as 52%; by simple arithmetic, that means she can't be elected in a two-way race. So they're better now, but not by much. So there you have it: the ONLY thing she can claim (electability) is more than just questionable.

This is hollow, baseless PR, and it's breathtaking how suckerable people are on all this

[gorekerrydreamticket]

8. Good post.....n/m

[Inuca]

7. Good for Dood

He is right on this.

[Colobo]

9. Go Dodd!

[Donald Ian Rankin]

10. So *that's* what Aunt Ada Doom saw...

I've always wondered...

[Donna Zen]

11. A passion for the rule of law

I've caught several of Dodd's recent appearances and what has impressed me the most is his absolute authentic passion for the Constitution and rule of law. We cannot go on to another presidency without straightening out the imbalance that currently exists between the WHouse and the other branches. Dodd understands that.

I don't give a damn what tier the media decides to shove people in. Experience tells us that the media doesn't give a damn about the country. Dodd is showing leadership on some very crucial issues.