Chris Dodd,

a good man and a fine senator, has decided to pack it in thanks to his near invisible showing in Iowa.

Now I'd like to see the s.o.b. Kucinich out.

Campaign Notes.

I say "ouch" to these comments.

Dodd is right, of course.
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Undoubtedly knowing where the biggest threat is coming from, Obama steals some of Edwards' ideas about populism, although in his case it's obviously as fake as he is.
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What the polls don't tell you, Adam, is who is ahead in the second-choice category, and that person is Edwards for the Democrats.

Oh, and even though Chet Culver hasn't "endorsed" anyone, which is always the case with the Iowa caucuses, his wife HAS endorsed John Edwards, which in effect is an endorsement from the governor.
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Call me cynical, but I seriously doubt Bill Clinton is going to sit to perform ceremonial functions if by some miracle his wife gets elected.
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Campaign Notes.

Bill Clinton goes on the defensive on behalf of his scheme to circumvent the 22nd amendment and questions the Audacity of Hype's experience.
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Thanks to Mouthzilla's dumb stunt in 2003 to reject public financing of his primary campaign and losing in the process, Democrats have now rejected a key plank in their agenda. John Edwards, Joe Biden, and others are committed to it, but now the media naturally question their motives.
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Dodd questions Hillary Clinton's electability in the general election, which stands at precisely zero.
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Campaign Notes.

Just in case Senator Chris Dodd ever gets any traction in the Democratic primary race, the NYT's Elisabeth Bumiller will make sure people are reminded of his father's misdeeds and censure of decades ago.

Never mind the younger Dodd had nothing to do with it.

Campaign Notes.

Obama continues to get support from the big donors.
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Elizabeth Edwards has been getting a lot of flak for telling the truth regarding Hillary Clinton.

Now if Bill were running again overtly (we know he is covertly), he would win in a landslide of FDR or LBJ proportions. Of course, if he were not barred by the Constitution. But Hillary, unfairly, has high negatives thanks to years of Republican smears.

And since most people think it is Hillary who wants the White House, and not Bill, they are going to reject her.
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The local paper has more about Chris Dodd's visit yesterday in Reno.
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Last Group of Several Pictures I Took of Dodd.

Dodd spoke with some local media after his speech.





As I mentioned in an earlier post, Senator Dodd enjoyed posing with and talking to children.

More Photos from the Dodd Rally in Reno.

In addition to speaking in Reno, Dodd is scheduled to speak in Vegas later today.




Dodd makes a point as to why he feels he is the best candidate to lead.



Senator Dodd appreciated the support given him by the IAFF.

Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, welcomes Senator Chris Dodd to the stage at the Reno Firefighers Union Hall. The union endorsed the Democratic presidential candidate this past week.

I Just Returned

from a small rally for Senator Chris Dodd about a block away at the local firefighters' union hall.

Chris Dodd spoke for perhaps 15 minutes thanking the IAFF for endorsing his candidacy. That can be considered a major endorsement in the campaign. It will help Dodd a lot. He spent much time talking about the importance of firefighters to the community, and that he was committed to supporting them in addition to supporting organized labor and families. Recall if you will he helped sponsor the Family and Medical Leave Act, which helps families who need the extra time to care for babies and sick relatives. We in the United States were lucky to get that. Granted, PAID leave would be much better, but we can be thankful corporate America got overrruled.

Dodd gets asked quite a bit why he is running. He said on the way to Reno during one of his visits (he makes many out west since his wife, Jackie Clegg, is from Utah and has family there), and a woman he spoke with said she believed our best days in this country are "behind us." Dodd said that remark made him mad. He didn't want our generation to be the one to believe in such a thing. He said he wants the citizens of this country to believe the best days for America "are AHEAD of us." I can't quarrel with that, even as our dictator has made a huge mess of things.

Dodd said in effect that also as a parent of two young daughters (one of whom was born on September 13, 2001, after Dodd's wife took some medication to delay labor after the 9/11 tragedies), he wants this country to be a better place for them to grow up. Dodd's remarks were brief and to the point, and, after he finished, he met with the few dozen supporters, mostly from the firefighter union (and some of us wore the t-shirts of the union in support of Dodd) and a smattering of the public, including yours truly. Dodd, who years ago after his first marriage ended in divorce and before his second was known as a bit of a womanizer and such, absolutely loved the little kids who were there and readily posed with them for pictures. I shook hands with him and he signed my IAFF sign.

Dodd is sincere and friendly to everybody. He took time to talk with every person there. He may still be down at the union hall (as I am typing this it is 11:30 a.m.) talking with supporters.

Presidential Notes.

I have to get up so goddamned early tomorrow and drag myself out of bed by 10 a.m. to make the truly strenuous and treacherous trip down to the Reno Firefighters Union Hall on Kirman Avenue, which will take me about 3 minutes to get there. Senator Chris Dodd will be campaigning there.

It's about a block or two away from my place.

Dodd, who appeared in Reno in July while I was in Italy, will be the sixth Democratic candidate out of eight (and the last of the legitimate candidates) I have seen in person.
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GOP longshot contender Duncan Hunter will be in the Carson City area this weekend.

It'll be on Monday, so I will drag my ass to the state capital, provided it is an open event.
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Presidential Notes.

Good for Chris Dodd.

Obama will NEVER get my vote based on his ignorant stance on "merit pay."

This would reverse decades of civil service and tenure law. Of course, Obama doesn't know shit about education or much else.

More Presidential Notes.

John Edwards will return to Las Vegas on the 11th:

When: Noon, July 11, 2007
Where: Sheet Metal Workers Local #88
2560 Marco St
Las Vegas, NV
RSVP (702) 434-3978

And Chris Dodd will be in Carson City, but I will be out of the country during this time:

CARSON CITY: Dodd will be in Carson City on Friday, July 13th for a picnic lunch. Please save the date and plan to come meet one of our outstanding Democratic candidates.

When: 12:15 p.m. Friday, July 13th
Where: Fuji Park located on Clear Creek Road across from Costco.

He, too, will be in Vegas:

LAS VEGAS: Join Chris Dodd for the grand opening of his Nevada Campaign Headquarters!

When: Thursday, July 12th, 5:45 p.m.
Where: 2801 South Valley View Boulevard, #3 (one block South of Sahara on Valley View)

RSVP: 702-256-DODD (3633)

It sounds like he's not bowing out anytime soon.

Presidential Notes.

The Nevada town of Pahrump got mentioned in the NYT thanks to Chris Dodd.
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Thanks to our dictator's reputation and numerous scandals, the Republicans are having a hell of a time trying to raise money and finding candidates not embarrassed to run.

Who'd have thunk it?

Now some need to dispense with that impeachment talk.
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Former senator Gary Hart endorses Rudy Giuliani for president.
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Presidential Notes II.

Expect a lot more punches being thrown during the primary campaign.
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Money talks and bullshit walks, as politicians still try to court celebrities rather than give a shit about union support and support of other large groups.

It's not so much whether celebrities should be involved in politics, it's a question of whether they actually care about issues or they want to pump up their egos by cozying up to politicians.
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John Edwards attempts to sell to New Hampshire voters the novel idea he is one candidate who has substance.
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Senator Dodd can do without this endorsement.
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Presidential Notes.

If you vote for Hillary Clinton, you also get her husband.
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John Edwards was wrong when he said Clinton and Obama should chill.

I say they should go after each other and knock each other out of contention.
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President Gore is tired of getting phone calls from former President Jimmy Carter urging him to run for re-election next year.

Al insists he doesn't want to do it.
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Governor Richardson should get a lot more attention than he is getting.

I have been giving money to the Edwards campaign, as he is still my top pick. However, I am seriously considering giving money to Dodd and Richardson because I don't want the goddamned media to tell me who I should pick in next year's caucus.

I already gave a small amount of money to Biden.
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Presidential Notes.

For the first time in his career Tom Vilsack has gotten the national recognition he craved.

It was just the wrong kind of recognition.

I am pissed qualified candidates have to drop out.

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A real estate deal by the Audacity of Hype gets looked over.
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Bill Clinton wasn't good enough because he covered up the crimes of the BFEE.
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I found this article about candidate Christopher Dodd's second wife, Jackie Marie Clegg. Predictably, she's a lot younger than Dodd but not to the point of the absurdity of Dennis Kucinich's wife.

Apparently the husband has put his diplomatic skills to work:

The liberal Eastern Catholic Democrat married into a family of LDS Utah Valley Republicans, "and we all love him. We think he's great," says his brother-in-law, Dr. Michael L. Clegg, who now is among very few Utahns (along with four sisters) who can say they have an in-law running for president. Dodd is married to Orem native Jackie Marie Clegg, who was an aide for 10 years to former Sen. Jake Garn, R-Utah. She also was a top official at the Export-Import Bank, formed her own lobbying and strategic planning firm, and is on several boards of national corporations.

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