Candidate Analysis: Chris Dodd

Candidate: Chris Dodd
Party: Democrat
Political Background: Senator from Connecticut, Former U.S. Representative
Campaign Website: http://www.chrisdodd.com

Dem Appeal: Agressively anti-Iraq, strong support amongst conservationists/environmentalists, authored FMLA, supports embryonic stem-cell research, 100% NARAL rating means very pro-choice, strong public school advocate, favors carbon cap/carbon tax and favors the repeal of oil subsidies, pro-universal health care, one of the biggest union supporters in Congress.

Cross-Over Appeal to Republicans: Authorization and advocation of FMLA has bipartisan appeal, opposed gay marriage/supports civil unions.

Cons: Tendency to "bite the hand that feeds", flip-flopped support for free trade agreements, supports warm relations with Hugo Chavez, supports removing trade embargo with Cuba, does not have a clear stance on illegal immigration, does not have a problem with supporting tax increases for all.

My Personal Thoughts: Dodd is about as liberal as it gets without being tagged an "extremist" or "whacko moonbat". Dodd's relationships with the accounting industry and with businesses in general have been his biggest source of criticism from other Democrats

This is the wrong year for Dodd to be running, similar to the situation Bill Richardson is in. In most other years, he'd be a much more notable candidate, and would probably get a little more traction amongst Dem voters.

However, Dodd's open pursuit of relations with communist Cuba and Venezuelan President (and uber-socialist dictator) Hugo Chavez put him at odds with many Democratic voters, though. Even the Jon Stewarts of the world don't support such relations with guys like Chavez. His long-running support of such trade agreements as NAFTA is now being countered by his own stances against more recent trade agreements. He also has a bit of a "whiner/complainer" tag that sticks with him with some Dems that I know.