Long-Shot Dodd May Yet Make a Big Difference: Albert R. Hunt

Commentary by Albert R. Hunt

Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Experience. Achievement. Respect. Likeability. These are all traits commonly considered requisites to winning the U.S. presidency. They are also terms commonly used to describe Senator Christopher J. Dodd.

Yet the Connecticut Democrat, who's seeking his party's presidential nomination, remains mired in the low single digits in national polls and in the critical early caucuses and primaries. Media pundits and pollsters say it's a three-way race: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards.

That says something about both this particular contest, with its unusual number of political heavyweights, and the presidential-selection process in general, which too often ignores the crucial question of qualifications for the office.

Dodd, 63, says he is unfazed by his lowly status in the polls: ``This race is still very open and a lot can happen.'' He says campaigning this year has been ``tremendously uplifting for me to see how, despite our problems, optimistic Americans are, how serious they are, and how much faith they have in the system.'' More than Iraq or any other major issue, he says, there is a central question on voters' minds: ``Are you listening to them?''

There are few questions about his political or policy skills. ``He is very effective, with a great temperament for public office, a willingness to listen to competing points of view, yet a strong advocate for his principles,'' says former Democratic Senate leader George Mitchell, who served with Dodd for 14 years. ``I never heard any senator say anything negative about Chris Dodd; in itself, that's striking.''

Reservoir of Strength

Some political heavyweights, such as Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, have held off entreaties for support from the frontrunners, mainly because of their regard for Dodd.

Clinton, Obama and Edwards have such a combined reservoir of strength that it is hard for other Democratic presidential contenders such as Dodd and his Senate colleague, Joe Biden, to break through.

``In any other year, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden would be in the first tier,'' says Mitchell.

This is not any other year, however, and that raises the question of why such long shots persevere in American presidential-primary contests. Usually, it's one of three reasons: They wish to add a substantive voice and ideas to the political dialogue, they enjoy the experience, or they feel that lightning might strike and they could be catapulted to the top tier. With Dodd, it's all three.

Bold Initiatives

On most major issues, it's difficult to differentiate the Democratic candidates.

In 2002, Dodd voted to authorize the Iraq war. Today, like all the others, he is for a staged U.S. withdrawal. And, like his opponents, he wants to move to a health-care system with universal coverage and repeal President George W. Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

Elsewhere, though, he has offered far bolder initiatives. On energy and the environment, he proposes a $50 billion-a-year carbon tax, which, if enacted, experts say would dramatically reduce both emissions and U.S. reliance on foreign oil. He would pour the proceeds back into a crash program for renewable technologies.

He also has a comprehensive universal-service initiative that envisions huge increases in the AmeriCorps volunteer program and in the Peace Corps. (Dodd was a Peace Corps volunteer 40 years ago).

Tuition-Free College

The centerpiece of his higher-education proposal is a goal of tuition-free community colleges in America, with the federal government matching any state contributions to that effort. Community colleges are frequently the gateway for immigrants, older workers who need retraining, and economically struggling students. Alan Greenspan and Bill Gates, among other experts, have cited such institutions as an essential element in creating a competitive 21st-century American workforce.

In small groups, Dodd's message resonates. At a Manchester, New Hampshire, community college earlier this month, Paula Hennessey, a 42-year-old resident of Kingston, said her academically proficient daughter couldn't afford to even go to a state university.

After talking with the Connecticut senator, she declared, ``He's got me leaning to Dodd'' in the all-important first-in- the-nation primary in that state.

A few hours later, about 50 upscale New Hampshirites heard Dodd's pitch and threw questions at him at a picturesque Concord art gallery; with one or two exceptions, they went away impressed.

Natural Campaigner

Dodd, the son of a senator and himself a lifelong politician, exudes an easy charm and an engaging humor. He's a natural campaigner who loves to meet and talk to voters. After a recent event in Decorah, Iowa, he wandered around a Nordic Day celebration, reminiscing that Midwestern culture was strikingly similar to his childhood experiences in Connecticut decades earlier: ``It was West Hartford, 1956.''

Chiefly, Dodd and the other serious second-tier candidates, Biden, 64, of Delaware, and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, 59, are counting on one of the top three to falter, probably because of something unforeseeable today. Their patron saints are Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Republican George Herbert Walker Bush four years later. Neither was considered a leading contender; Carter went on to win the nomination and Bush did well enough to be chosen as Ronald Reagan's running mate.

If by late fall one of the frontrunners hasn't slipped, Dodd, Biden and Richardson face a difficult dilemma.

Numerous political stars have unsuccessfully sought their party's presidential nomination: Howard Baker, John McCain, Henry Jackson and Ted Kennedy. While losing, they were competitive in the early contests. If the current race doesn't reshape by late fall, the second-tier candidates face the prospect of an embarrassingly poor showing when people actually vote. That may be the time to throw in the towel.

Chris Dodd has months before he might face that decision. In the meantime, he's having fun and making a real contribution.

To contact the writer of this column: Albert R. Hunt in Washington at ahunt1@bloomberg.net .

Last Updated: August 19, 2007 11:07 EDT

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