Dodd to retire

[sciwizam]

Conn. Sen. Dodd expected to announce retirement

Embattled Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) has scheduled a press conference at his home in Connecticut Wednesday at which he is expected to announce he will not seek re-election, according to sources familiar with his plans.

Dodd's retirement comes after months of speculation about his political future, and amid faltering polling numbers and a growing sense among the Democratic establishment that he could not win a sixth term. It also comes less than 24 hours after Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) announced he would not seek re-election.

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is widely expected to step into the void filled by Dodd and, at least at first blush, should drastically increase Democrats' chances of holding the seat.

Looks like he might actually be doing the Dems a favor. But the Dems could have asked for a better start for a new year, with Sen. Dorgan & Colorado Gov. Ritter (just today) announcing they are not running for their next term.

 

[sciwizam]

bah, repost. Mods pls. delete.

EDIT: Maybe not, looking as that thread got off to a fine start.

 

[Patranus]

LOL - I guess Democrats do look at polls after all.

I guess he would rather retire over getting his shit pushed in during the next election.

 

[lothar]

Good riddance.
Chris Dodd is the "Bush" of CT.

 

[FoBoT]

now they just need to prosecute him and put him in jail

 

[Lemon law]

Both Dodd and Dorgan are rather old, and if they decide for whatever reason not to stand for re-election, they owe it to their political party to let everyone know. So their party can field the strongest possible field and a replacement is ready for the general election. that is now 11 months off.

We can probably expect similar announcements coming from the GOP side also.

Not all politicians feel a need to die in office.

 

[werepossum]

Both Dodd and Dorgan are rather old, and if they decide for whatever reason not to stand for re-election, they owe it to their political party to let everyone know. So their party can field the strongest possible field and a replacement is ready for the general election. that is now 11 months off.

We can probably expect similar announcements coming from the GOP side also.

Not all politicians feel a need to die in office.

I'm guessing it was very little lack of need to die in office and very much lack of ability to die in office.

 

[Lemon law]

Cheer up werepossum, I fully expect many politicians will soon join the group of rascals thrown out of office. And for the very crime of being rascals.

But on the whole, it may be largely the GOP who pay the bulk of that forfeit, because they have not quite figured out how to be for anything at all since the year 2000. Such is the legacy of Newt Gingrich;s empty contract with America and the partisan at any cost politics Newt taught and brought.

Gone are principled GOP legislators like Warner, Dole, DeMedici, and so many others and all that is left is a few aged folks like Lugar and McCain who still understand something about principle over party.

 

[alphatarget1]

Good riddance.

 

[werepossum]

Cheer up werepossum, I fully expect many politicians will soon join the group of rascals thrown out of office. And for the very crime of being rascals.

But on the whole, it may be largely the GOP who pay the bulk of that forfeit, because they have not quite figured out how to be for anything at all since the year 2000. Such is the legacy of Newt Gingrich;s empty contract with America and the partisan at any cost politics Newt taught and brought.

Gone are principled GOP legislators like Warner, Dole, DeMedici, and so many others and all that is left is a few aged folks like Lugar and McCain who still understand something about principle over party.

Oh, I'm a pretty cheerful guy; having decided that both parties intend to enslave us, I no longer have to worry so much about which party is in power. I totally disagree about the Contract with America, though; everything got its vote as promised and several items were adopted (and claimed by Clinton.) That level of promise-keeping is very rare in politics, and personally I'd say doing what you promised to do is more important than playing nice with the other side. At the moment it's the Democrats who are hurting in the polls, but I agree it's far from over. We still have ten months and 80% of the Stimulus Maximus left, and that's a hell of a lot of walking around money. Plus the media at the moment is concerned with ratings, but as we near the election they'll fall in line for the Democrats and tell us all how everything is once again sunshine and rainbows, most of which were personally excreted by Obama, Pelosi and Reid. I think people who assume the Republicans will sweep into power (not to mention assuming they'll be much better) are being way premature.

 

[colonel]

we want to get rid of Liberman for sure in CT, I will be voting for Richard Blumenthal since the Republican got a small fingerprint in the state.

 

[Craig234]

Oh, I'm a pretty cheerful guy; having decided that both parties intend to enslave us, I no longer have to worry so much about which party is in power. I totally disagree about the Contract with America, though; everything got its vote as promised and several items were adopted (and claimed by Clinton.) That level of promise-keeping is very rare in politics, and personally I'd say doing what you promised to do is more important than playing nice with the other side. At the moment it's the Democrats who are hurting in the polls, but I agree it's far from over. We still have ten months and 80% of the Stimulus Maximus left, and that's a hell of a lot of walking around money. Plus the media at the moment is concerned with ratings, but as we near the election they'll fall in line for the Democrats and tell us all how everything is once again sunshine and rainbows, most of which were personally excreted by Obama, Pelosi and Reid. I think people who assume the Republicans will sweep into power (not to mention assuming they'll be much better) are being way premature.

The Contract on America was pretty badly honored, and it had a lot less to do with the election than most think. A minority who voted had even heard of it.

What it was was Gingrich's most effective, clever trick for grabbing the initiative out of Clinton's hands. The news cycle became about this and that item from the list that was just the Republican agenda mostly.

Those who remember the time would remember the constant media message, "the presidency is now irrelevant."