BREAKING NEWS: Dodd announcement

Pre-Press Conference chatter:

Chairman of the House Banking committee during the Banking issues and then there was the contriversy over some house loans he got while serving on that board ....

Then too, he moved his family to Iowa at one point when he was thinking of running for President ....

And just this summer he had a cancer scare
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"Every important journey in life begins & ends at home ...."

From here he fluxed between having served CT for 35 - 40 yrs as an elected official -- maybe he is rounding up ... or maybe he was talking different capacities and then combining them...

"This last year has raised some challenges that insisted I take stock in my life ... "

(What I assume is Dodd's grand-daughter & her mom were standing behind him -- could be his kid I suppose -- she took to playing with Mom's nose while he talked ... OMGs its his 4 yr old daughter!! and a finger sucker too - ewwww)

Interesting bit of trivia he included ...

On Christmas Eve he made the decision - after he voted for the Health Care Bill... and then an hour later, he went to Arlington Cemetary to visit Ted Kennedy's grave and wishing he could see Teddy's eyes -- weird statement to make ... I knew they were good friends - but why visit his grave after casting such a vote?? He tried to make it sound like it would be something Kennedy would be proud of -- but you don't go to a grave yard because you're "proud", you go there when you are "troubled". It is a "thinking place" as Pooh would say ...

I have to wonder if he didn't have some issues with the bill itself and he didn't do it simply because it was what his party wanted him to do it .... I mean here is another odd quote from him ...

" ... I believe in bi-partisan solutions [his emphasis not mine] but I also believe you can only achieve those results with vibrant, robust, and civil partisan debate. I'm a Democrat and very very proud of my Party's contributions to the vitality & strengh of America ... "

I have to wonder if he isn't getting some grief from Pelosi ... he emphasized the support he got from CT democrats - but if he wasn't getting it from the National Committee, he may have been asked to leave ... though I didn't get the feeling the party was "forcing" him out - like the Republicans did to Pawlenty when he wanted to run for Senator ... they made him step aside for Norm Coleman and he ran for Govenor -- but it did sound like he didn't like the way the direction the party was about to take take.

He will not be leaving before his term ends though ... he will serve it out -- which I'm actually glad to hear.

I hate it when candidates get elected in and then they don't finish their terms ... be it because of health issues (although that's easier to understand) or because they decided to run for another office 2 yrs later [cough cough - Ribek ... cough cough - Obama] .... that is a total power ploy that shouldn't be allowed in my mind - you should have to complete 2/3 - 3/4 of your term first.

I was wondering if there wasn't another scandal nipping at his heels -- but if that were the case I don't think his wife would have looked so happy ... or he look so "relieved" ...

I've got to tell you --

he looked very very peaceful.

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Trivia:
CT has the nations largest registered Independant voters, larger than their registered Republican or Democrat voters.

CT is where most of the Health Care companies have their main offices

More House/Senate republicans are retiring than democrats this next election

House stands at 258 - 177 currently
Senate stands at 60 - 40 currently
if they lose just the one seat in the senate, they will no longer be "filibuster proof" unless they change the rules yet again.