Chris Dodd for President

Yesterday Senator Dodd was interviewed by Jack Rice of CBS News Radio from our campaign headquarters in Des Moines. The interview ranges from Pakistan and foreign policy experience to the housing market crisis to what it's like being out on the campaign trail.

Senator Dodd sat down with Jerid Kurtz of Buckeye State Blog for fifteen minutes yesterday. Jerid has posted the podcast of the interview here. Give it a listen: it's a wide-ranging interview that touches on Dodd's American Community Initiative, habeas corpus, using the Dodd energy policy as a vehicle for job creation, and expanding broadband access to rural communities. My favorite part of the interview actually came at the end, when Senator Dodd talks to Jerid about the role bloggers are playing in the presidential campaign.

Jerid: Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule Senator. I hear you're off to another campaign stop. Sen. Dodd: I am, you bet I am. You're great to come along. You're invited all the time to be with us. I want to thank bloggers generally. You've made it possible for guys like me to be able to reach an audience. A lot of the so-called national media don't want to pay attention, except to the celebrity candidates. And what bloggers are doing is making sure that those of use who are not celebrities at this point get heard. So on issue after issue, were it not for the bloggers, my efforts on habeas corpus and torture wouldn't have gotten as much currency. Bloggers made it possible. My views on the Corporate Carbon Tax to deal with global warming got a great expansion of coverage thanks to the bloggers. My national service idea yesterday got great coverage. It was a hard time to get the national media to cover an important issue - bloggers cover it and you're reaching a huge audience. You're making possible for a lot of Americans to learn about those of us who think we deserve a better chance to be heard on our views. So I'm very grateful and you're invited to be a part of everything we do. I look forward to seeing you out there.

Visit Buckeye State Blog to hear the whole interview.

Speaking of interviews, Senator Dodd took part in a Q & A session with the sports bloggers at Deadspin. For those who are wondering, Senator Dodd has the conviction to state without equivocation who his favorite baseball team is:

We know politicians don't want to offend any potential voters, but who's your favorite team? Leading is often about making the tough choices. In a state that's dominated by Yankee fans, I'm proud to say I'm an unabashed Red Sox fan. You can't root for both.

Here's something to look forward to next week: Senator Dodd will sit down for an interview with Jerid of Buckeye State Blog over the weekend, which will be posted on Monday. Jerid is an Ohio blogger who's covering the presidential primary in New Hampshire this summer and his dedicated efforts at citizen journalism deserve wider recognition and praise.

Jerid has covered a number of Dodd events before. I'm looking forward to reading his interview with Senator Dodd.

The Anon Guy of Dullard Mush has posted Part II of his interview with Senator Dodd. Part I can be read here. Here's a clip from Part II:

TAG: What would be the one message you would hope Americans learn from your campaign? CJD: At a time when the stakes could not be greater, I offer proven leadership that all Americans can trust. From my service in the Peace Corps to my service in leadership on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as Chair of the Senate Banking Committee, I am a proven leader in strengthening our families and our country. My proven leadership gives me the ability to bring people together to get things done, which I did when I authored and helped pass the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the FIRE and SAFER Acts, which have provided more than $3 billion in essential training, equipment and staffing resources to our nation’s fire departments. After six years of on-the-job training that has weakened the middle class at home and diminished our standing in the world, we need proven leadership that we can trust to do the right thing and get things done.