With my feet firmly planted in Chicago a full 24 hours before Yearly Kos kicks off, the Dodd campaign already has some pre-convention business to report.
In fact, we have a 2 for 1 this afternoon.
1.) Senator Dodd will appear on Bill O'Reilly this evening.
2.) Senator Dodd released a timely statement on News Corp's takeover of the Wall Street Journal.
The O'Reilly taping starts at 5:30 P.M. Eastern tonight, and I'll report back here with what to expect before the show even airs.
First, on O'Reilly: Here's an email that just went out from the campaign moments ago.
This Saturday, Senator Dodd will join other Democratic primary candidates at the Yearly Kos Presidential Forum -- an event being broadcast on CNN and DTV.
A Presidential forum put together wholly by grassroots activists; you would think that is an encouraging sign for our Party, and our democracy.
It is, of course, unless you work at Fox News and your name is Bill O'Reilly.
O'Reilly has gone on a tirade against the netroots for the past two weeks, essentially declaring war on Yearly Kos, its sponsors, and participants ... and that includes Senator Dodd.
He tried to get our campaign to distance itself from the event -- we pushed back. I don't think he expected that.
He invited us on the show -- we accepted. I don't think he expected that either.
Will you stand with Senator Dodd as he faces Bill O'Reilly tonight on "The O'Reilly Factor" at 8 P.M. Eastern?
http://www.chrisdodd.com/...
You can read the entire email at the link provided above.
And here's the statement on News Corp's WSJ takeover.
"I am deeply troubled by the incredible amount of consolidation occurring across the American media landscape. The power of the media is swiftly being limited to a few controlling hands, which poses a serious threat to our democracy. The foundation of our democracy rests in our ability to hear from a diverse array of sources so that we can make informed decisions. The Wall Street Journal has provided a valuable and important news choice to the American public for years.
"With News Corp's purchase of the newspaper, I am concerned that it will be very difficult for the Journal to offer fair and balanced reporting under the pressures of a giant-media conglomerate."
I'd like to thank everyone for their support. You won't want to miss what goes down tonight.
Tim
Relevant Disclaim: I couldn't be more proud to work for Chris Dodd