As the sun sets on Senator Christopher J. Dodd's years in elected service, I'd like to take the time out to toast our latest Democratic retiree.
A couple of years ago I had many good things to say about Chris Dodd's presidential campaign; though I was a Biden guy, it was great to see Sen. Dodd's campaign come out with great ideas while standing up for civil liberties throughout the campaign. But his career was more than a collection of campaign gimmicks.
Many have remarked that Dodd's retirement is not retrograde to our desire when it comes to holding his Senate seat. Nevertheless, much of his record begs for another term in office: his leadership on the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act of 2009; his hold and subsequent work against FISA; his decade-long fight for the Family and Medical Leave Act; and most recently, work to crack down on overdraft fee abuse.
Though he steps aside for the collective good, bills like FMLA live on, as will his record of service to the people of the United States.
More below ...
Many of us remember fondly the Chris Dodd of fall 2007, the Dodd that fought against warrantless wiretapping when no other Senator or Presidential candidate had the courage to stand up and defend our rights as Americans. I've already seen a lot of "I supported Chris Dodd for President for a month" comments, and that's a testament to his commitment to his principles
Dodd did some fine work during his career, and perhaps the best work was done on the HELP committee. In addition to FMLA, he was a strong supporter of expanding SCHIP, expanding access to community health clinics, and as he mentioned on Daily Kos a couple of months ago, the public option:
First, and let me be very clear about this: I am going to fight for a strong public option. The simple, undeniable fact is that a public option will save money – and it will introduce more choice and competition into an industry that badly needs both. It is the single best way to keep costs low for middle class families – and keep the insurance companies honest. And I am by no means ready to back down on making that argument.
Unfortunately, we lost the FISA fight and have all but lost the public option battle. And Dodd has some blemishes on his record. There are reasons why his poll numbers would have been hard to overcome, and I'm not a supporter of some of the things he did that favored the banking industry.
But his policy work has helped the downtrodden while expanding the safety net that allows the working class to live a life of dignity. There are thousands of mothers who get to be with their children today because of Senator Dodd's work, and we should afford him the praise due to a stellar career.
Cheers to Senator Dodd, and best of luck in the future! Thank you for your honor and the courage it took to make a hard decision.
PS - Forget Dodd's presidential campaign creativity? A refresher can be found here:
his campaign itself is near flawless; his argument is pitch-perfect and attuned to his audience. He regularly creates landfill between himself and his opponents; he's the first out of the box with attractive policy ideas, like a carbon tax. And, especially for a campaign run largely by veterans of Washington, he's used emerging technologies more fruitfully than just about everyone else.
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Dodd's lack of progress in the polls might be frustrating, but he can take heart in knowing that his innovations and policy boldness may outlive his candidacy.
PPS - Wondering where the title of this diary comes from? It's one of the first lines in a Phil Ochs protest song called "Draft Dodger Rag." Edit: As I should have mentioned earlier, the song is ironic and about Chris Dodd's father.