I Hear from Chris Dodd

You may recall that earlier in the Democratic primaries I supported the campaign of Senator Chris Dodd. Today I got an email from Dodd that I thought I would share:

Dear Jeff,

We have been through a lot in this past year and your friendship and support have meant so much to me. That is why I wanted to let you know of my decision to endorse a Democratic candidate for President – and that I have decided to support Barack Obama.

We all understand how much is at stake in this election and that it is more important than ever that we put a Democrat in the White House.

And while both of our Party's remaining candidates are extremely talented and would make excellent commanders-in-chief, I am throwing my support to the candidate who I believe will open the most eyes to our shared Democratic vision.

I'm deeply proud to be the first 2008 Democratic presidential candidate to endorse Barack Obama. He is ready to be President. And I am ready to support him – to work with him and for him and help elect him our 44th President.

Put simply, I believe Barack Obama is uniquely qualified to help us face this housing crisis, create good jobs, strengthen America's families in this 21st century global economy, unite the world against terrorism and end the war in Iraq – and perhaps most importantly, call the American people to shared service and sacrifice. In this campaign, he has drawn millions of voters into politics for the first time in their lives and shown us that we are united by so much more than that which divides us.

That is why I believe the time has come for Democrats to come together as a Party and focus on winning the general election. The stakes are too high not to.

The last seven years have been as difficult as any I can remember. More than ever, we need a President who will inspire us to take part in the political process and change our country's path.

Today, when we need it most, we are hearing a new call from Barack Obama. And I hope you, like me, will answer it in the affirmative.

Please get involved in Barack Obama's campaign now: http://action.barackobama.com/doddsupporters

Sincerely,

Chris Dodd

Paid for by Chris Dodd for President, Inc., PO Box 51882,
Washington, DC 20091, Info@ChrisDodd.com

(I have no particular comment about Dodd's letter, but I am curious about where this persistent idea came from that somehow the nomination is supposed to have been settled by now and that it is imperative that the national campaign begin before the nominating convention. Has everyone forgotten what traditionally happens at the nominating convention? Things like nominating a candidate, kicking off a national campaign….)

(Now that I think about it, I've been surprised throughout the primary season at the depths of some people's complaints about disenfranchised Florida "voters", superdelegates stealing their "vote", etc. People seem not to realize that primaries are run by political parties as part of their nominating process, and governed by the rules established by the parties. They are not national elections.)

Posted on February 26, 2008 at 13.06 by jns · Permalink
In: All, Current Events

2 Responses

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  1. Written by S.W. Anderson
    on Wednesday, 27 February 2008 at 23.26
    Permalink

    Good points, Jeff, but a little out of phase with current political realities.

    I suspect Dodd would tell you that going on with two candidates taking shots at each other and questioning each other's every statement, vote and arguable inconsistency for several more months is a formula for weakening the eventual nominee's chance to win in November. That's especially so since the GOP has settled its race, leaving its presumptive candidate free to take shots at the Democratic competitors, so that the eventual Democratic nominee will catch it from both sides for a long time.

    On top of that, the longer the primary race goes on the greater the chance Clinton and Obama will descend into ugly mudslining, turning voters off, especially independents and genuine Republican crossovers. Also, the party could be split so badly that large numbers of Democrats would refuse to unite behind the nominee.

    Volunteer and donor fatigue also have to be considered.

    Brokered conventions of yore belonged to a Democratic Party where the powerful bosses of city, county and state machines, and some officeholders and backers — denizens of the famed "smoke-filled back rooms" — often decided the outcome.

    The party-splitting risk today is that superdelegates, anemic counterparts of the oldtime bosses, will vote counter to the expressed preferences of most Democratic primary voters and caucusgoers. That would also likely split the party and weaken the nominee's general election chances.

    So, wrapping up the primaries and focusing on doing battle with McCain, the right-wing noise machine and mainstream media ASAP really is important.

  2. Written by rightsaidfred
    on Thursday, 28 February 2008 at 18.27
    Permalink

    I thought Dodd would endorse Daniel Ortega.

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