Does anyone here support Senator Dodd for President?

[Sapphire Blue]

I'm just curious. I haven't seen any threads posted about him, and the ones that I've posted have gotten almost no response.

If you haven't visited his website, please consider doing so: http://www.chrisdodd.com/


(No, I haven't defected from Edwards in favor of Dodd; I do like Dodd as a candidate, though.)

[Tom Joad]

1. there are literally dozens and dozens of people throughout the USA who support Dodd.

[TahitiNut]

3. Yes, indeed!! They're in almost every State of the Union, too!!

:party:

[BlooInBloo]

18. That's cold.

[Nutmegger]

2. No

But he is an interesting candidate.

:hug::hi::pals::loveya:

(R & K)

[Snotcicles]

38. I think an EDWARDS / CUOMO administration could get shit done.nt

[rpannier]

45. Which Cuomo????

The ex-Gov or his son?

[saltpoint]

54. Mario Cuomo is a giant as far as I'm concerned. At first glance I

thought maybe he would not be interested in the vice presidency, but then again, I believe he might take it to bring the country back to its intended level of moral direction.

In other words, he would be a public servant and would contribute however he could if asked.

It wouldn't piss me off one bit to have Mario Cuomo on the Supreme Court either.

[Snotcicles]

56. Yep the more populists we get into our next administration the better for the country. nt

[Nite Owl]

4. I like Dodd a whole lot

and an Edwards/Dodd ticket would be great!

:)

[Sapphire Blue]

5. I'd love to see an Edwards/Dodd ticket!

[waiting for hope]

35. Now that would be nice -

Considering he is one of only two candidates on the Dem side with a war record.

Kick!

[machka]

39. I agree

Dodd caught my attention during the Howard Univeristy debate - showed a flash of fire, he did.

:)

[Inuca]

7. Wouldn't Dodd/Edwards make more sense?

WHY is Edwards better than Dodd, except that he is better looking?

[Captain Hilts]

10. Yes, it would. Dodd's got the experience, the smarts, and is just mean enough. nt

[eleny]

6. He could be in the cabinet and do us proud

[Captain Hilts]

8. Yes, I sure do! nt

[bluestateguy]

9. Nominating someone with a 32 year congressional voting record is just asking for trouble

I think we ought to have learned that by now.

[4_TN_TITANS]

50. very good point. There's gotta be some skeletons in there..

[MethuenProgressive]

11. He's certainly more qualified than Edwards or Obama

No offense, but Edwards was nominated as a VP candidate and went into hiding, and although Obama really did make a nice speech at the convention a few years back, he has done litte of note in office since.

[MADem]

12. He doesn't have a group here, so there doesn't appear to be critical mass. Then again,

this website leans well left, even for the Democratic Party. It's not entirely representative of the true spectrum of our broad constituency. It also is peppered with vigorous partisans who have already made up their minds, and are stumping, sometimes aggressively for their own candidates.

I wouldn't be surprised, if there were any Dodd-erers, here, that they might be a bit afraid to put their heads up, for fear of getting them chopped off by the more vociferous candidate supporters, who aren't always kind to people who support candidates other than their own.

[Sapphire Blue]

14. I'm unabashedly stumping for Edwards, but as I said, I also like Dodd.

I'd like to see more threads about Dodd... and a Dodd Group, too.

[BeyondGeography]

13. Not here, but I am an admirer

Dodd's smart and funny, a good guy. Gives well thought-out answers in the debates as well, especially compared with someone like Richardson, who has the resume but can't seem to avoid embarassing himself at least once or twice a night.

[sandnsea]

15. I like Dodd

He's had a few votes I haven't been wild about, but overall I think he'd be a good President. I think he's more consistent on the issues than Edwards, that's for sure. But these old guys just aren't what the younger generation is looking for, so I don't think they have much of a chance. It's 1960 redux, time to pass the torch. I wish boomers had done more with their opportunity.

[goodgd_yall]

24. Agree about the age thing

And he looks even older because of his white hair.

[Sapphire Blue]

28. Perhaps all of our candidates should shave their heads... then we can get to the issues.

[goodgd_yall]

32. Yeah, wish we could get to the issues

But "image" still is a strong influencer.

[spanone]

16. no

[BlooInBloo]

17. A fine man. Just not different enough from the top-tier to jusify my interest.

[Sapphire Blue]

19. Please consider visiting his website to learn more about him...

http://www.chrisdodd.com/

[BlooInBloo]

20. Please consider what the word "enough" means.

[goodgd_yall]

21. In the unlikely event he won the Primary

I'd have no problem voting for him is about all I can say as far as my support goes. That happens to apply to all of the candidates from where I stand at this point in time.

[HughMoran]

22. I forget he's running until I see a reminder like this

I guess that means "no"

[Blue_In_AK]

23. I like Dodd a lot

I would happily support him if he were our candidate.

[grasswire]

25. Dodd certainly looks presidential

I was wondering about him the other day. I don't like Hillary or Obama or Edwards. I don't trust Biden. What about Dodd? What's he saying?

[Sapphire Blue]

26. Yes, he does.

Lots of info on his website: http://www.chrisdodd.com/

[LWolf]

27. I am not supporting Dodd for the '08 nomination. n/t

[sharp_stick]

29. I'd take him in a second

I think he has a decent record and it's still a long way out who knows what's going to happen.

[hfojvt]

30. His website is not a selling point IMO

Unlike Edwards, he does not have an inspiring theme. I see only 3 issues mentioned, other than in Press releases. Energy policy, where he is calling for a carbon tax. A tax increase. Like he wouldn't get bludgeoned to death with that. Walks right into their 'tax and spend' right hook. Iraq. Yawn. Every Democratic candidate is against Iraqinam. And National Service. Probably does not apply to me, but are voters under 25 really gonna be inspired to vote for a candidate who is asking them for more service? Most people want a President to do something for them, for me, (you know - create jobs, clean the water, keep us safe, give us health care, etc.) not the other way around.

I'd say if he does not pull over 10% in the Iowa straw poll, he might as well pack it in. As for a Veep candidate, right now it looks like we will have a Senator on the ticket - Clinton, Obama, or Edwards. A double-senator ticket is probably not advisable. Need a governor or an AG who can carry a swing state, like Pa, Oh, or Mo. Maybe Richardson could give us Az and NM and make California even more of a lock.

[Octafish]

31. Dodd is an excellent candidate.

Smarts, experience, backbone, integrity.

There's a lot more.

[stevedeshazer]

33. I would be delighted to have a President Dodd

I really like the guy.

Anyone who is for a corporate carbon tax gets my support.

So he has white hair. He's only 63!

[Sapphire Blue]

34. ..

:kick:

[creeksneakers2]

36. I'm considering him

I haven't made up my mind yet.

[rox63]

37. I like Dodd - I wish he had a chance of winning

But alas, I fear he doesn't. :(

[jillan]

40. I like Dodd.

But I like Biden more.

I'm just a second tier kind of girl.

Dodd is my second choice. I hope he stays in to the end.

[NMDemDist2]

41. I like Dodd

and still haven't settled on a candidate out of the field currently running

[antigop]

42. No, Dodd was responsible for getting override of Clinton's veto on Private Securities Litigation Act

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/december95/business_12-22.html

[antigop]

46. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act and Enron

http://www.consumersunion.org/finance/securdc202.htm

>>
In light of the Enron debacle, consumer groups today urged Congress to amend a 1995 law that restricted investors' ability to sue for securities fraud and undermined the accountability of accountants, lawyers, and others associated with Enron.

Consumers Union and Consumer Federation of America believe that the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (PSLRA) may have helped pave the way for the Enron disaster.

"This law weakened the threat of liability for securities fraud to the point that it may have contributed to the lack of oversight of Enron," said Sally Greenberg, Consumers Union's senior product safety counsel.

When Congress approved the PSLRA in 1995, President Clinton vetoed it, but lawmakers voted to override the veto. At the time consumer groups said that the law would make it much harder for individuals and pension funds to recover their financial losses from fraud

"Congress was warned that this law would help protect financial swindlers from being held accountable," said Travis Plunkett, legislative director of Consumer Federation of America. "It diminished the legal threat that helped keep auditors honest (Note: A CFA white paper on a plan to overhaul public audits is online at www.consumerfed.org/enron_auditor_rpt.pdf )."

>>

[antigop]

43. Take a look at Dodd's top industry contributor

http://opensecrets.org/politicians/indus.asp?CID=N00000581&cycle=2006

[Sapphire Blue]

47. I did; I also looked at ALL of the candidates top 5 industry contributors; Clinton & Obama...

... received more than Dodd in contributions from Dodd's top contributor, Securities & Investment. My goodness, we can't have that, can we? If any of those 3 win the nomination, I guess I'll just have to vote for a third party candidate! :sarcasm:

Biden

1 Lawyers/Law Firms $950,329

2 Real Estate $249,584

3 Misc Business $233,551

4 Securities & Investment $157,550

5 Retired $140,651

Clinton

1 Lawyers/Law Firms $3,057,135

2 Securities & Investment $1,747,200

3 Real Estate $1,443,280

4 Retired $1,342,831

5 Business Services $884,950

Dodd

1 Securities & Investment $1,367,550

2 Lawyers/Law Firms $562,090

3 Insurance $440,150

4 Hedge Funds & Private Equity $394,800

5 Real Estate $391,758

Edwards

1 Lawyers/Law Firms $5,065,860

2 Democratic/Liberal $1,323,538

3 Retired $501,000

4 Securities & Investment $500,450

5 Real Estate $314,700

Gravel

1 Retired $1,300

2 Computers/Internet $500

2 Health Professionals $500

2 Business Services $500

2 Non-Profit Institutions $500

Kucinich

1 Retired $20,800

2 Education $8,650

3 TV/Movies/Music $7,550

4 Health Professionals $7,050

5 Lawyers/Law Firms $6,950

Obama

1 Lawyers/Law Firms $2,924,008

2 Retired $1,477,850

3 Securities & Investment $1,382,790

4 Education $686,176

5 TV/Movies/Music $684,684

Richardson

1 Retired $547,875

2 Misc Business $465,279

3 Lawyers/Law Firms $370,850

4 Democratic/Liberal $244,385

5 Real Estate $195,000

http://opensecrets.org/pres08/index.asp

[antigop]

48. Please read about Dodd's involvement in the PSLRA and it will make sense n/t

[Sapphire Blue]

51. He co-sponsored it; Reid, Pelosi, Harkin, Kennedy, Pell, Mosely Braun are some who voted for it...

Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Legislative History

The PSLRA was enacted into law by the U.S. Congress over a veto by President Bill Clinton. The U.S. House of Representatives approved the bill by a 319-100 margin, and the U.S. Senate approved it 68-30. Every Republican in the House voted in favor of the legislation, and only four Republicans in the Senate voted against it: William Cohen, John McCain, Richard Shelby, and Arlen Specter. Prominent liberals in the Democratic Party like senators Tom Harkin, Ted Kennedy, Claiborne Pell, and Carol Moseley Braun voted in favor of the legislation while many conservative-to-moderate Democrats such as senators John Breaux, Robert Byrd, Fritz Hollings, and Sam Nunn and representatives such as John Murtha and Gene Taylor voted against it. Both the current Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, and the current Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, voted for the bill. This event was one of two times during Bill Clinton's entire two terms in office that Congress successfully overrode one of his 37 presidential vetoes to enact a bill into law.

The PSLRA was originally developed as part of Newt Gingrich's Contract With America. Its principal authors in the House were Representatives Thomas Bliley, Jack Fields and Chris Cox. Senators Chris Dodd and Pete Domenici sponsored the legislation in the Senate.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_Securities_Litigation_Reform_Act

[antigop]

53. Yes, they voted for it -- and Dodd was responsible for overriding Clinton's veto

Please read what the ramifications of this bill were.

For the record, Kennedy also voted for NAFTA. Just because Kennedy votes for something, doesn't mean it's necessarily a good idea.

[antigop]

55. Frontline: Bigger than Enron

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/regulation/etc/script.html

>>
HEDRICK SMITH: Pressed by the high tech and accounting industries, the House and Senate passed the bill by large majorities. But President Clinton vetoed it, asserting that it would close the courthouse door on investors with legitimate claims. Some Senate Democrats rallied behind their president.

Sen. RICHARD BRYAN (D-NV): It's safe to say that crooks will be emboldened, investor confidence in our markets will go down, and defrauded investors will not be compensated.

HEDRICK SMITH: But what happened next stunned observers.

Sen. CHRISTOPHER DODD (D-CT): But I believe that the override is the proper course to follow here.

HEDRICK SMITH: Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut, then head of the Democratic National Committee, led the effort to overturn Clinton's veto.

Sen. CHRISTOPHER DODD: It is with a deep sense of regret that I'm on the opposite side of my president on this issue.

CHARLES LEWIS, Center for Public Integrity: Chris Dodd, here he is, he's Chairman of the Democratic Party, but he's also the leading advocate in the U.S. Senate on behalf of the accounting industry. And he helps overturn the veto of his own president, who installed him as Democratic chairman. Chris Dodd might as well have been on the accounting industry's payroll. He couldn't have helped them any more than he did as a U.S. senator.

HEDRICK SMITH: By way of thanks, the accounting industry gave Senator Dodd nearly one quarter of a million dollars in political donations, even though, at the time, Dodd was not up for reelection.



RICHARD WALKER, SEC Enforcement Chief (1998-2001): The accountants were the big winners with the Litigation Reform Act. The law imposed a proportionate liability standard, which means that if the accountants only contribute to, say, 20 percent of the loss, then they would only be responsible for 20 percent of the amount that would have to be paid.
>>

Please read the whole thing.

Arthur Levitt describes the entire saga in his book. Although Levitt lost credibility with me when he went to work for the Carlyle Group, he details Dodd's involvement in getting the PSLRA through. Levitt has some very damning documentation about this saga in the appendix of his book.

[rpannier]

44. He isn't my first choice -- I like Edwards

But...I'd vote for him in the general election.
I just haven't read anything about him that makes him my number 1 or 2 candidate.

[antigop]

49. Dodd also voted for NAFTA

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=103&session=1&vote=00395

This is what Dodd's website says:
>>
Enforce Trade Laws at Home and Abroad. Chris Dodd will insist that every trade agreement America enters into is fair, by ensuring that workers in those countries are guaranteed fair wages, fair working conditions, and strong environmental protections. Above all, Dodd will insist U.S. trading partners open their markets to American products.
>>

I don't see him calling for a repeal of NAFTA or any of the existing bad trade agreements.

[saltpoint]

52. If Dodd becomes our nominee I'm first in line to cast my vote for him.

Intelligent and experienced and compassioante. Everything Dubya isn't.