Why I will not Vote for Chris Dodd

PLEASE NOTE: This blog contains references to Star Wars, Winnie the Pooh and The Wizzard of OZ.

On my drive home last night (Friday) my I-pod qued up some CCR. (Credence Clearwater Revival for you guys that don't know what good music is.) Anyway, one of the best songs J.C. Fogarty wrote was soon cranking out of my truck's speakers. As I listened to "Fortunate Son" I began to think about you guessed it., the son of U.S. Senator Thomas Joseph Dodd, Christopher John Dodd. (Or as I like to call him John Kerry lite.)

The topic today:

Why I am not voting for Christopher John Dodd.

This nut that has fallen far from the tree.

As a refresher for those that have a limited musical memory, the song go like this:

Fortunate Son by J. C. Fogarty, (Credence Clearwater Revival)

"Some folks are born made to wave the flag,Ooh, they're red, white and blue.And when the band plays "Hail to the chief",Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son.It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no,Yeah! "

"Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,Lord, don't they help themselves, oh.But when the taxman comes to the door,Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no.It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no. Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! yoh,It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son.It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, one.It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no,It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no."

Who is Chris Dodd?

This fortune son is a 2nd generation Career politician and was Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's second congressional district as part of the "Watergate class of '74" and was hailed as brining "a fresh burst of liberal energy to the Capitol." (I submit to you that fresh burst has spoiled.) He was reelected twice, he served from 1975 to 1981. Dodd was elected to the Senate in the 1980 election and was subsequently reelected in the 1986, 1992, 1998, and 2004 elections. He is the first Senator from Connecticut to serve five consecutive terms.

From 1995 to 1997, while Clinton was in office, he served as General Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Dodd briefly considered running for President in 2004, but ultimately decided against such a campaign. This might be because of his family history of losing elections to Bushs. His father lost a Senate election in 1956 to Prescott S. Bush who was the father of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush and the grandfather of current President George W. Bush. (History … don't make me repeat myself!)

Dodd has announced in a letter to the Federal Election Commission that he is no longer a candidate for the Senate in 2010. (THANK GOD!)

On 11 January 2007, Dodd announced his candidacy for the office of President of the United States on the "Imus in the Morning show". (Please, no nappy headed comments.) In May of 2007 he trailed in state and national polls and acknowledged he wasn't keeping pace with rival campaigns' fund raising. However, he said that as more voters became aware of his opposition to the Iraq War, anti-war protesters would support his campaign.

Dodd's rankings from Americans for Democratic Action (The ADA is a political organization advocating liberal policies.) have been 95 percent and above since 2000. Understandably, Dodd receives low ratings from conservative groups, such as the John Birch Society, the American Conservative Union, and the Christian Coalition of America.

Ok, here's a little back ground on this Millionaire's son. Dodd attended Georgetown Preparatory School, a Jesuit boys school in Bethesda, Maryland. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Providence College in 1966. He served in the Peace Corps while less Fortunate sons were serving in Vietnam. In 1969, Dodd then joined the U.S. Army Reserve, and served until 1975. He didn't go to war in Vietnam he instead went to law school.

In 1972, Dodd earned a Juris Doctor at the University of Louisville, where he served as vice magistrate of the law school's student body. The following year, he was admitted to the Connecticut bar, and began practicing law in New London.

In July 1970, he married Susan Mooney; they divorced in October 1982. After their divorce, he became one of Washington's most alluring divorcees. For a whiles dating Bianca Jagger (She was formerly married to Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones and has devoted her life to more liberal causes than Jane Fonda ever thought about most of her activities could be classified as extremely liberal or Anti-American. Example: Earning the World Achievement Award from Mikhail Gorbachev and earning an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)Award ).

He also dated Carrie Fisher (Wow, he actually boned Princess Lea. I wonder if she wore her metal bikini that Jabba the Hut made famous.).

In 1999, he married his second wife, Jackie Marie Clegg, who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (So, he went from being a Jesuit to being a Moron …I meant Mormon … Way to stick to your convictions there Chris.)

Christopher John Dodd is almost the bi-polar opposite of his father, the late Senator Thomas Joseph Dodd. In fact, this nut has not only fallen far from the tree but has rolled so far from across the 1000 Acre Woods that he should change his name to Christopher Robin. (There's the Winnie the Pooh reference I promised.)

OK, lets just compare The late Senator Joseph Dodd to his son the liberal Senator Christopher Dodd.
+ Joseph was an FBI special agent that tried to capture depression era gangster John Dillinger in the 1930's.

- Christopher is soft on crime and wants to legalize marijuana.

+ Joseph prosecuted members of the Klu Klux Klan in the 1930's.

- Christopher wants to force all high school kids to perform a minimum of 50 community service hours per semester. (He wants slave labor for liberal causes.)

+Joseph prosecuted a major spy ring case in 1942 where five of five defendants were convicted or plea guilty of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 by conspiring to gather and deliver U.S. Army, Navy and defense information to Germany or Japan.

-Christopher placed a hold on a Senate bill revamping the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a procedural move that denies the party leadership the unanimous consent they needed to bring a bill to the Senate floor effectively preventing the search for terrorist inside the United States.

+Joseph was vice chairman of the Board of Review and later executive trial counsel for the Office of the United States Chief of Counsel for the Prosecution of Axis Criminality at Nuremberg, Germany, in 1945 and 1946. (Joseph tried NAZI war criminals in a military court).

-Christopher has called our troops war criminals and has pushed for turning Terrorist POWs over to civilian courts for trial and for giving these same terrorist the same civil and legal rights a US citizen would receive.

+ Joseph pushed for the embargo on Cuba. Phil Ochs references Joseph Dodd in his song "Draft Dodger Rag": "I believe in God and Senator Dodd and keeping old Castro down."

-Christopher has vowed to end the embargo of Cuba if elected president.

I think the above comparison clearly shows that Christopher Dodd is not half the man is father was and I am pretty sure his father is spinning in his grave.

Now, I will compare Christopher Dodd to a flash light battery.

+A flash light battery has a positive side.

-Christopher Dodd does not.

OK, so I have explained who Christopher Dodd is not, now let me explain who he is. Well, at least where he stands on some of the issues.

Foreign policy

The Iraq War: Dodd voted for the war. Then he Flip –Flopped and but has consistently voted against funding it. Of the 2008 presidential candidates, he was the only one to co-sponsor the Democrats' most aggressive anti-war bill. On 16 November, 2008 he was the only Democrat in the Senate to vote against a bill which would have funded the war while requiring the beginning of troops withdrawals, because, he said, the bill did not go far enough to end the war. Dodd has criticized his congressional colleagues for failing to be more forceful penetrating President George W. Bush's Iraq War troop surge of 2007. "This was debating about debating. This was the House and the Senate at some of its worst. ... I think we missed an opportunity to put our foot down and stop [the surge]." (Wonder if he regrets that the Surge actually worked.)

Trade policy: Dodd voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and said in 2003 that such trade agreements have "...brought increased cooperation and communication. They have been positive forces that promote political and economic stability, as well as growth and democracy." He believed then that "successful efforts to achieve a Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and eventually in 2005, a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), will help further these goals. As well, the United States stands to benefit along with our neighbors from increased trade relations throughout the hemisphere." Then he Flip Flopped and on 9 November 2007, and said of both the CAFTA and NAFTA "Americans are looking for change - but there's nothing new in supporting the failed trade policy of the last six years, which is partially responsible for the loss of 3 million manufacturing jobs." (Well, duh even a huge Idiot like Ross Perot knew NAFTA would cost jobs. But Dodd the DoDo voted for them anyway.)

Latin American relations: Dodd is highly critical of the United States embargo against Cuba. In January 2005, he met with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and brown nosed him so much that it was hard to tell were Dodd head's stop and Chávez's butt began. (I was going to make a Dirty Sanchez joke here but thought it may offend people. I'm trying to be P.C. but it's like a shoe that is too small.) Dodd's views on Latin America terrorist groups, like the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and the Farabundo Martí rebels in El Salvador, border on treason. Speaking of borders, Dodd favors more lenient U.S. immigration laws. (Guess it's a good thing he is fluent in Spanish.)

Domestic policy:Civil liberties: Dodd supported the interests of the American Civil Liberties Union between 60 and 80 percent of the time from 2000 to 2006. And has proposed laws to protect journalist from having to revel their sources. His "Shield Law" is so sweeping that if reporter had 1st hand knowledge of a terrorist cell's plans for attacks, the reporter could not forced to testify as to information and/or sources of information obtained during the newsgathering and dissemination process. (Oh and BTW anyone with a web blog would be considered a reporter under his proposed "Shield Law" unnamed sources say.)

Homeland Security: On 18 October 2007, he placed a hold on a Senate bill revamping the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a procedural move that denies the party leadership the unanimous consent they need to bring a bill to the Senate floor. (Effectively he made it easier for terrorist to operate inside the United States.)

Environmental issues: Dodd has proposed a "carbon tax" as a measure to reduced carbon dioxide emissions and reduce global warming. (Had his proposal passed, I wonder how much San Diego would owe for our recent wild fires which released an estimated 26 million tons of carbon. And you thought global warming was not only real but manmade.)

National service: Dodd has proposed mandatory community service for all high school students. (Basically free slave labor for liberal causes.)

Child care: Dodd has spent almost a decade fighting to enact the Family and Medical Leave Act, which would give yet another government hand out to people who can not afford to have kids. (Democrats are all about expanding the welfare class.)

Gun control: Dodd was one of 16 senators who voted against the Vitter Amendment, which under the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006 prohibits the confiscation of a firearm during an emergency or major disaster if the possession of such firearm is not prohibited under Federal or State law. (So, basically if you were a law bidding citizen and a natural disaster happened like …lets say … Hurricane Katrina …then Dodd thinks it's a good idea that you give up you guns so that you won't feel compelled to shoot the looters as they cart off all your stuff.)

Health care: He is for socialized medicine and has been a champion of mental health patient's rights. (I guess he know which side of his bread is buttered.)

Marijuana decriminalization: Dodd said during a recent debate, "So I would decriminalize, or certainly advocate as president, the decriminalization of statutes that would incarcerate or severely penalize people for using marijuana." (I guess he thinks if everyone smoked enough pot maybe they would figure out who Obama is.)

Tort Reform: Trying to figure out where he stands on this issue was like watching a tennis match until I figured out he votes his pocketbook.

Immigration reform: (I hate tennis by the way.) But here we go again. On a December 4, 2006 Democratic Hispanic radio address he said we need to "bring millions of undocumented workers out of the shadows." In May 2007, Dodd expressed support for a version of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 that would give about 22 million illegal aliens free citizenship without having to pay back taxes or go thru a background check and criticized Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain for abandoning the debate. The immigration reform bill ultimately failed a cloture vote on 28 June 2007, despite Dodd's vote to close debate. (His aim in doing this was to force the Senate to vote on it before anyone was really able to read it.) But during the Democratic presidential debate on 30 October, Dodd expressed opposition the proposal by New York Governor Eliot Spitzer to allow illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses, calling a license a "privilege" and contrasting his position to the equivocations of Senator Hillary Clinton, who came out in support of the proposal the following day. I guess he thought I would have forgotten his earlier position and the fact that he is fluent in Spanish.

My Take? If you're not a liberal at age 20, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by age 40, you have no brain.

He ain't the Tin Man … He's the Scare Crow … and we all ought to be afraid of him.

I ain't no senator's son.
I ain't no millionaire's son.
I ain't no fortunate one.
This ain't my Dad's Senator Dodd.
I ain't voting for him.