Thursday, January 03, 2008

Nice Withdrawal Notice from Chris Dodd

Just got the following by email:

Dear Brendan,

I count the past year of campaigning for the presidency as one of the most rewarding in a career of public service.

Unfortunately, I am withdrawing from that campaign tonight.

But there is no reason to hang our heads this evening -- only the opportunity to look towards a continuation of the work we started last January: ending the Iraq War, restoring the Constitution, and putting a Democrat in the White House.

I know a lot of you came to this email list through a shared desire to return our nation to one that respects the rule of law, and I want to make one thing clear to all of you:

The fight to restore the Constitution and stop retroactive immunity does not end with my Presidential campaign. FISA will come back in a few weeks and my pledge to filibuster ANY bill that includes retroactive immunity remains operative.

You've been an invaluable ally in the battle, and I'll need you to stick by my side despite tonight's caucus results.

So, one more time, thank you for all of your efforts throughout the course of this entire Presidential campaign.

We made a real difference in shaping the debate, and we'll continue to do so in the coming days, weeks and years.

I'll never forget you, and what we've fought for, together, over the past year.

Chris Dodd

Okay, I really don't think it came to me alone, and it's not like he was my first choice for president. But I do admire Sen. Dodd's lone voice on the FISA issues, and so I'm reprinting his email here, since he probably won't be getting a lot of attention for the next few weeks. More info on the FISA fight is available on his campaign site, although that may not last for long. Check his Senate home page if the campaign site goes dark.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

He got 0.03% of the vote in Iowa. Can you imagine? I think there are more bug parts in hot dogs.

bjkeefe said...

Twin:

I know what you mean. On the other hand, I don't think that number is a true measure of his appeal. Recall that candidates running in the Democratic primary in Iowa have to get at least 15% of the vote in a given precinct. Otherwise, the supporters have to choose someone else. That 0.03% is the number of projected delegates that he won, not the actual percentage of voters who wanted him as their first choice. So, Dodd's numbers, while certainly still low, are artificially reduced because of this.

Anonymous said...

Oh, good point, I hadn't thought about that. I was feeling bad for Dodd when I saw that 0.03%, so I'm glad you clarified. Dodd was one of the (many) Democrats I would have been happy with. I never understood why he, and even more, Biden, didn't get more traction. But I'm pretty happy with Obama's big win.

bjkeefe said...

I think part of the Dodd failure to gain traction was the competition. Not only were the big three better known from the start, there was the added newness factor of a woman and black man. Dodd looks like a politician out of central casting, and I think that actually worked against him this year. Now that I think about, he looks to me like a Senator out of central casting. We haven't had a viable presidential candidate with the all-white pompadour since when? Jack Kemp, kind of? Probably well more than half a century at least.

I like Biden when I listen to him in interviews, or in the one debate I could stand to sit through (NPR's), but I think his problem is he's just been at the dance too long. The MSM doesn't take him seriously, and he's just familiar enough that he can't re-package himself and build a grassroots movement.

I also think some on the left will never forgive him for his association with the Thomas/Hill mess. I don't hold that against him, but I don't think others are as charitable about the matter.

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