Chris Dodd for President

Chris Bowers at Open Left makes an observation about Chris Dodd's dedication to winning the nomination:

Throughout this campaign, I have admitted not only Dodd's leadership, but also that he is playing to win. For Dodd, no matter how much a longshot he has been, it isn't just about influencing the policy debate, or jockeying for a high-level position in the next administration. He has run hard, and made a full-throated case for why he should become the next President. That is something to be admired, and Dodd supporters should be proud.

DavidNYC, in a front-page post at Daily Kos, directs reader's towards Mike Caulfield's endorsement post of Chris Dodd for President on Blue Hampshire. DavidNYC takes the opportunity to use Caulfield's extensive research of Dodd's record of leadership to draw attention to just how Chris Dodd succeeded in passing the Family & Medical Leave Act -- and the lesson Democrats should take away from Dodd's dedication to passing FMLA.

So I see two lessons here. The first is that Democrats need to trust their instincts when it comes to passing progressive legislation. The GOP will always and forever have our worst interests at heart - why would you ever listen to them? Chris Dodd didn't, and his pushback rallied Democrats and sundered the Republicans.
The second is that progressive change takes time. Dodd waited over five years to see the FMLA become the law of the land. It was undoubtedly a long, frustrating wait, a sort we've grown bitterly accustomed to under the current Bush regime. But changing this country for the better has never been easy. We need to take the long view, but remain ever vigilant in keeping up the pressure - just like Chris Dodd.

I think this is spot on. Time and again, Chris Dodd has succeeded in taking Democratic principles and making them national policies. That's no easy task and it's one that has taken time and coalition building. By standing up on principle, Chris Dodd has been able to get the results that America needs throughout his career. It's a lesson that all Democrats need to keep in mind as they work to make America a better place and it's one of the best examples of why Chris Dodd should be our next President.

Dan McGinn, in the comments, leaves a great note about Dodd's leadership in the FISA fight.

If you look at the official flag for the State of Iowa you can see the state motto:

"Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain".

As an Iowan I am proud that Chris Dodd honored our state motto with his action in Congress to stop retroactive immunity for the telecommunication companies by filibustering the FISA bill. This truly was an effort to treasure our freedom and liberties and to maintain our rights. Thank you Senator.

John Edwards always talks about wanting to fight corporate interests and corruption in Washington as President. How about consideration for Senator Dodd, who actually put up a fight against corporate interests and corruption in Washington and WON the fight, right in the middle of a presidential campaign!

The other candidates keep talking about change, wanting to make change, hoping for change, working hard for change. How about Senator Dodd, who entered the Senate 26 years ago and and has made a career of making change happen and getting results.

I like the Chris Dodd "12 Days of Results" tour. Dodd actually took time off of this tour to produce more results. Imagine what he could do in the Oval Office.

Today Senator Dodd has picked up another great blogger endorsement. David of Blue Mass Group, Massachusetts' leading community blog, has a ringing endorsement post up now.

[T]here's only one candidate among the current crop who has really stood out on multiple occasions when true leadership was called for. Even when it meant taking a lonely stand that was going to annoy not only the president, but the head honchos of his own party. Even when it meant leaving the campaign for an indeterminate period of time, because what was going on in the US Senate -- his day job -- was more important. Sure, other Democrats quickly fell into line once he got the ball rolling. But on Michael Mukasey, on habeas corpus, and most recently on FISA, one guy has taken that all-important first step, regardless of the cost to his campaign and to his comfort level in the go-along-to-get-along Senate.

That guy is Chris Dodd.
...
At the end of the day, I want someone whose leadership I can count on when the going is really rough. Obama, Clinton, and the rest of the gang may well be able to deliver that, and I hope they can. But we really don't know, because they haven't done it yet. (And no, telling auto workers that cars need to get better gas mileage doesn't count.) Dodd was the first Dem to publicly oppose Mukasey when the rest of the Dems seemed resigned to the notion that if we don't confirm this guy, Bush will just give us someone worse; and he probably annoyed Harry Reid no end with his FISAbuster, thereby making life more difficult for himself should he remain in the Senate. He has consistently led the pack on some of the most important issues to have hit the Senate recently; the others have followed.

Finally, a word about "electability." Dodd, of course, is not favored to win the nomination, nor is he expected to come close in any of the early caucuses or primaries. I don't care. I am not interested in basing my vote on what I, the pollsters, or the media think that other voters are going to do. I cannot control their votes, and of course it's possible that the predictions may be wrong in any event. The only vote I can control is mine, and I plan to cast it for the candidate who I think would actually make the best president. Hopefully he will remain in the race through February 5 so that I have the chance to do so.

As I said above, on some very big recent issues, Dodd has consistently led, and the others have followed. I want the leader.

Absolutely! Leadership is what this country needs, and as we saw earlier today with Jason Rosenbaum's post on MyDD, Dodd's supporters are people who think the best way to pick our country's leader is by looking at who is leading now. That person is Chris Dodd and David makes a great case for why. Welcome to the Dodd Squad, David!

Jason Rosenbaum has his weekly Dodd-focused post up on MyDD. Today, not surprisingly, the subject is Dodd's leadership to secure a victory in the fight against retroactive immunity. While the recognition of Dodd's remarkable work on this issue has been widespread, Jason makes a convincing case that this is why we need Chris Dodd in the White House.

It was Presidential leadership that we saw on display.

...

Chris Dodd demonstrated uniquely Presidential leadership when he stood up for the Constitution... If you believe Dodd's defense of the Constitution demonstrated he has right stuff for higher office, then just come out and say it: This man should be President.

It seems some out there agree. People have responded in incredible numbers to Dodd's Constitutional argument (which I explained last week and which I believe was central to the success of Dodd's rhetoric on Monday). According to the Dodd campaign, over $200,000 was raised with an average donation size of under $50. 25,000 new people have joined Dodd's email list. 615,000 emails were sent through Dodd's website (not counting those that emailed through other sites). 21,000 comments were left in support (again, not counting comments left on other sites, like Firedoglake and Crooks & Liars). I submitted 4 stories on Dodd to reddit.com on Monday and received over 4,300 votes and 18,000 visitors.

Dodd's strong actions have translated into real, broad based, grassroots support for Dodd's presidential campaign. This movement isn't something that's going to evaporate after the Iowa caucuses. These citizens want to see Democrats protecting the Constitution and fighting for what they believe in. And they want someone who has shown the ability to do those things not as Majority Leader, but as commander and chief in the White House.

Of course, I agree with Jason's argument here. We're looking for a leader who will stand up for the Constitution and wage the hard fight against the Bush administration and get the results that our country sorely needs. Chris Dodd is leading through action now. In 2007. He's not waiting until 2009 to do something about what he sees as the ills in America. That's presidential leadership and it's exactly why America needs Chris Dodd in the Oval Office.