Yes, yes. Cue the trumpets, open the champagne, and sprinkle rose petals across my path. Likely the same 12 people who always read my shit will be the only ones aware, but whatever.
I'm new to politics. Never voted before last election, believed the media about everything, gave Bush my moral and vocal support in both of his elections. Obviously, someone opened my eyes (thank you again, by the way, in case you read this), and here I am. Discouraged, disillusioned, and desperately seeking someone to support, someone who I can get behind.
My lack of support has nothing to do with purity. People are people, and none more so than politicians. If I was holding out for a Pure Candidate, then I'd likely be silent the entire primary process. Every candidate has political skeletons, whether from past donors, policies, votes, or whatever. We have to judge our candidates not only on what they have done, but what they are doing now and who they have become. The past is important, but it is not the ultimate measurement on a candidate.
I'd like to quote Congressman Tim Ryan from his diary Why I support Chris Dodd (in the literary world, we'd call that "foreshadowing"):
You know, it would have been easy for me to endorse Senator Clinton, after all, a 33 point national lead is daunting. It would have been easy for me to endorse Senator Obama. He is an amazing candidate. But this isn’t about poll numbers, and dare I say, this isn’t about who can raise the most money. This is about who has the leadership to end the war in Iraq and take care of the mess that the Bush Administration has left us.
Indeed it is, and no other quote can more perfectly sum up my feelings in this race.
This is not an "Anti-Candidate" diary. I will be perfectly happy with any of the Top Three candidates should they win the primary. All have their downsides, but all also have many, many great sides.
But I'd be happier with Chris Dodd, and that's why I'm supporting him.
He has his downsides as well. He was the recipient of campaign contributions from Enron and Arthur Andersen and has worked hard on behalf of the accounting industry. He also received the Golden Leash Award, given by Public Campaign, an NPO dedicated to reducing / eliminating the effects of big special interest money in American politics. The Award is a dubious one, showing ties to the Securities, Investment, Accounting and High-Tech Computer industries.
Of course I'm not happy about this. Of course it's a problem, and of course it will make people uncomfortable.
I don't have a great deal of links to things he's done (not right now, those WILL be coming eventually). All I have is my sense that progressives are willing (and in many cases eager) to throw their support behind Chris Dodd.
In many of the higher-volume Dodd diaries, I've seen a very common sentiment: "I like Chris Dodd. He's my second choice." That's interesting, and I think the reason Dodd is a popular second choice is because he brings forth the same plus-sides as the Top Three.
He's got the experience that Hillary supporters tout. He served three terms in the House of Representatives, and then was elected to the Senate in 1980, where he's been ever since. He's the first Senator from Connecticut to serve 5 consecutive terms. He's got the support and trust of Connecticut residents.
He's got the progressive passion that Edwards supporters tout. He consistently gets low ratings from Conservative organizations and has gotten 95% or higher from the Americans for Democratic Action organization. He co-sponsored a bill that would restore Habeas Corpus, ban torture and uphold the Geneva Conventions. He's an outspoken critic of the war and has voted against the continued funding of said war, something much of the progressive community is clamoring for.
He has the fresh thoughts and ideas that Obama supporters tout. Dodd is as outspoken against the war as nearly anyone, and has many ideas about the environment, health care (he's been at the forefront of helping families with this), and education, amongst other issues. Chris Dodd has been active in all of these things, not only "saying," but also going that extra step and "doing."
Books can be written about his dedication to families and children. He spent nearly a decade trying to enact a bill that would allow family members to take unpaid leave from a job to care for sick family members, including newborns.
The bottom line is that Chris Dodd has everything we want in a candidate. He's got experience, passion, and ideas for change which would benefit those who have been getting screwed the last 7 years.
So why is he only the second choice of many, many? progressives?
I think the main reason is that he doesn't have the fund raising capabilities of the Top Three.
And that's an unfortunate reason to discount him.
If Dodd lacks the fundraising capabilities it is because we, Dodd supporters, are failing him. It's because the progressive community is looking to other, easier campaigns. Edwards has long been a darling of the progressive community, Clinton has the best network and mechanism as far as campaigns go (arguable, I suppose, but I believe it to be true), and Obama can be said to be our day's JFK, riding a massive wave of popularity and soaring on it. Any of those three are attractive campaigns to support, and not only because of the ease. As I said above, all three are impressive candidates and if we truly had any reason to complain, it would be that we can only pick one of them.
But I think for me, it comes back to this quote, again from Ryan's diary:
It is time that we stop just electing the first person to reach some money threshold or pay too close attention to national level poll numbers that don’t accurately reflect who is going to be voting in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Money is important. Polls are worthy of notice. But we shouldn't make those the most important criteria of who to support.
The more I look at Dodd, the more I like. I really think if people got over the money and got over the polls, Dodd would gain traction. It's no coincidence that he's such a popular "Second Choice" candidate. The only thing holding him back are the is the importance we place on a candidate's poll numbers and money.
If that is how we judge, then we lose an impressive candidate and a passionate progressive champion in Chris Dodd.
Pay more attention to him. Read more about him. Check his record, check his actions. The more you learn about him, the more impressed you'll be.