After a Long Career, Dodd Says “Goodbye”
Senator Dodd (D), Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and longest serving Senator in Connecticut’s history, left his coveted office tucked away in the Capitol Building for the last time on January 2, 2011. January 2 marks the last day that Dodd, and the other members of the Senate, will be able to draw on their $174,000 salaries for this Congressional year. Dodd, son of former CT Senator Thomas Dodd and the 8th most senior of current Senators, now leaves behind a long and lasting legacy as man of great credibility on the Hill and a man notable for many legislative accomplishments.
Among his greatest achievements are The Family and Medical Leave Act, written by Dodd, which has protected the jobs of Americans; the creation of the Children’s Caucus in 1983 to be an advocate for day care and pre-school, as well as health care and insurance programs for children; and the 2,300 page Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act establishing new regulations for businesses as a result of the latest recession. Dodd is also credited with standing up for and guiding the health care reform law as it made its way through the Senate. This is no small record, fitting however for a man with a long career of public service, a man who wields great power on the Hill.
Despite his great accomplishments, Dodd’s career is not without faults and mistakes. Indeed, many of his most recent controversies are what have in part led him to his decision not to run again for re-election. Among them is the “sweetheart deal” he got when he refinanced his home. Dodd financed his home many years ago with Countrywide Financial, a bank outside of CT, so that he might not be accused of getting a good deal because his status in the state. Little did he know, Countrywide Financial would become a name connected with the housing meltdown in the United States.
The other very recent controversy involving Senator Dodd was his dealings with AIG. AIG happened to be one of Dodd’s greatest election contributors for many years. More recently, AIG has been a major beneficiary of funds from the 2008 bailout, while at the same time gave large bonuses to senior members of the company. Dodd is criticized for defending these bonuses because they were guaranteed by contract. These, among other issues, are what caused Dodd’s popularity ratings to drop significantly in the state. This led to the great possibility that Chris Dodd would be unable to win re-election, especially with the anti-incumbent, anti-Democrat sentiment within many voters.
On Christmas Eve 2009, Chris made his decision to retire from his seat in the Senate, and thus not take part in a re-election bid in November 2010. After having a delayed flight back home to Connecticut, Chris Dodd went to Arlington Cemetery to visit the grave of the deceased Senator Ted Kennedy, a great friend and soul mate for Dodd. Having already considered pragmatically the reasons to retire, namely his more recent unpopularity, the stress of running a campaign and raising funds, a lack of focus on big pieces of legislation like the Dodd-Frank Act, and his fight against Prostate Cancer which he beat in 2009, Dodd stood over Kennedy’s tomb stone and made his decision to end things after a great and long career.
His decision not to run led Richard Blumenthal (D) to make a run for Dodd’s seat. Richard Blumenthal has been CT Attorney General for 20 years and is extremely popular among the voters for his work to protect the citizens of the state. Though he faced a challenging opponent, Linda McMahon, former CEO of WWE who used $50 million of her own money on the campaign, Richard Blumenthal won with by a sizable margin. Blumenthal will now become the junior Senator from Connecticut, joining senior Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-D).
Dodd simply wants to be remembered as a good man who worked hard for the people of Connecticut. Despite his latest troubles, Dodd still remains largely popular within the state and has a lot of credibility left. He will be remembered for his great accomplishments throughout his long career of public service and his presence on Capitol Hill will be missed. Though he has had much success over these 36 years, he certainly did go out with a bang in this latest session of Congress. And with his head held high and many memories that shall never be forgotten, Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut left the Capitol Building for the last time.
Photo Credit: Bloomberg Business Week