Sen Chris Dodd: Outperformed by Ordinary Citizen
What does it say when an ordinary citizen asks a candidate a question and a feeble attempt to address the concern gets no real play from the media? It is not hypercritical to refer to a candidate’s answer as feeble. There is nothing more important in the world of politics than competing for the most powerful job on the planet. It should be expected that a candidate be schooled, trained, prepared and in every way up to the task. The stakes are high and the history of such events reflects the development of the machinery and mechanisms in place and commonly used to transform ordinary human beings into a meticulously crafted and tested examples of Presidential leadership. A candidate must be able to ‘bring it’ at a debate. If you do not have game there, where will you?
This exchange between an ordinary citizen and Senator Chris Dodd is an example of a poke and hope candidate. When the citizen turns in a performance superior to the candidate, it is obvious that decades of time invested in politics for the candidate provided little in terms of ‘bringing it’. Got game? Got milk? Got anything?
COOPER: Our first question tonight is Zach Kempf in Provo, Utah.
QUESTION: What’s up? I’m running out of tape; I have to hurry.
So my question is: We have a bunch of leaders who can’t seem to
do their job. And we pick people based on the issues they that they
represent, but then they get in power and they don’t do anything about
it anyway.You’re going to spend this whole night talking about your views
on issues, but the issues don’t matter if when you get in power
nothing’s going to get done.We have a Congress and a president with, like, a 30 percent
approval rating, so clearly we don’t think they’re doing a good job.
What’s going to make you any more effectual, beyond all the platitudes
and the stuff we’re used to hearing? I mean, be honest with us. How
are you going to be any different?COOPER: Senator Dodd, you’ve been in Congress more than 30
years. Can you honestly say you’re any different?
DODD: Well, I think so.
First of all, thank you for inviting us here in The Citadel.
It’s great to be here at this wonderful college, university.Certainly, I think it’s a very important question one ought to be
asking because, while hope and confidence and optimism are clearly
very important, I think experience matters a great deal — the
experience people bring to their candidacy, the ideas, the bold ideas
that they’ve championed over the years, whether or not they were
successful in advancing those ideas and able to bring people together.DODD: I’m very proud of the fact that, over my 26 years in the
Senate, I’ve authored landmark legislation, the Family and Medical
Leave Act, child care legislation, reform of financial institutions.In every case, those are new ideas, bold ideas, that I campaigned
on and then were able to achieve in the United States Senate by
bringing Republicans as well as Democrats together around those
issues.That’s what’s missing, more than anything else, I think, right
now, is the ability to bring people together to get the job done.COOPER: But if someone really wants a change, are you the guy to
give it to them?DODD: Well, I think they ought to look back. Speeches are easy
to make and rhetoric is easy to expose here. But I think the idea of
looking back and saying, “What have you done?” –if you want to get a
good idea of where someone is going to lead or how they’re going to
lead, I think it’s very appropriate to say, “What have you done? Show
me. Demonstrate to me the ability to get these things done that
you’ve championed in the past.”
The first sentence in Dodd’s reply is a real confidence builder. He says, ‘ Well, I think so’, in response to whether or not he is really any different to other politicians. He says he thinks experience matters a great deal. Of course you would if your definition of experience simply means time spent in the Senate and in this case 26 years. In addition Dodd enlightens us that ‘the ideas, the bold ideas that they’ve championed over the years, whether or not they were
successful…’. Maybe he was referring to that famed Family Medical Leave Act. When Dodd says he has authored legislation do you really believe he actually put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard? How about the likelihood that staff or other resources actually composed the legislation and the Senator merely presented the work of others upon his direction?
Below is some publicly available information from which you can draw your own conclusions. But the conclusion at this blog is that Dodd is credited with sponsoring and introducing what may be companion legislation in the Senate in 1989 on the same date House legislation was introduced. Major actions recorded on both pieces show the Senate portion shelved as the House version was unable to overcome Presidential veto. President Bush 41 was in office and the GOP majority did not happen until 1994.
The legislation was again introduced by others in 1993 during Clinton’s first month and passed. So how much did Dodd really have to do with this bill?
Senator Dodd, this was a look back and no compelling evidence was found to indicate your bringing people together or championing bold ideas had any results. Mentioning a vague, brief list of accomplishments that cannot be effectively challenged without a great deal of effort by others is a lame presentation. Not real prepared for debates, are you Senator? If you are this unprepared for a debate and offer no convincing evidence of your qualifications, why would anyone vote for you as President?
Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com
H.R.770
Title: To entitle employees to family leave in certain cases involving a birth, an adoption, or a serious health condition and to temporary medical leave in certain cases involving a serious health condition, with adequate protection of the employees’ employment and benefit rights, and to establish a commission to study ways of providing salary replacement for employees who take any such leave.
Sponsor: Rep Clay, William (Bill) [MO-1] (introduced 2/2/1989) Cosponsors (151)
Related Bills: H.RES.388, S.345
Latest Major Action: 7/25/1990 Failed of passage in House over veto. Status: On passage, the objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding Failed by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 232 - 195 (Roll no. 262).MAJOR ACTIONS:
2/2/1989 Introduced in House
4/13/1989 Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Labor. H. Rept. 101-28, Part I.
4/27/1989 Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service. H. Rept. 101-28, Part II.
5/1/1989 Reported (Amended) by the Committee on House Administration. H. Rept. 101-28, Part III.
5/10/1990 Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by recorded vote: 237 - 187 (Roll no. 107).
6/14/1990 Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
6/29/1990 Presented to President.
6/29/1990 Vetoed by President.
7/25/1990 Failed of passage in House over veto: On passage, the objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding Failed by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 232 - 195 (Roll no. 262).S.345
Title: A bill to grant employees family and temporary medical leave under certain circumstances, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT] (introduced 2/2/1989) Cosponsors (24)
Related Bills: H.R.770
Latest Major Action: 7/13/1989 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 154.AJOR ACTIONS:
2/2/1989 Introduced in Senate
7/13/1989 Committee on Labor and Human Resources. Reported to Senate by Senator Kennedy without amendment. With written report No. 101-77.
7/13/1989 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 154.H.R.1
Title: To grant family and temporary medical leave under certain circumstances.
Sponsor: Rep Ford, William D. [MI-13] (introduced 1/5/1993) Cosponsors (170)
Related Bills: H.RES.58, H.RES.71, S.5
Latest Major Action: 2/5/1993 Became Public Law No: 103-3.Latest Major Action: 2/5/1993 Became Public Law No: 103-3. MAJOR ACTIONS:
1/5/1993 Introduced in House
2/2/1993 Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Labor. H. Rept. 103-8, Part I.
2/2/1993 Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service. H. Rept. 103-8, Part II.
2/3/1993 Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by recorded vote: 265 - 163 (Roll no. 22).
2/4/1993 Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate in lieu of S. 5 with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 71-27. Record Vote No: 11.
2/5/1993 Signed by President.
2/5/1993 Became Public Law No: 103-3.S.5
Title: A bill to grant family and temporary medical leave under certain circumstances.
Sponsor: Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT] (introduced 1/21/1993) Cosponsors (46)
Related Bills: H.R.1
Latest Major Action: 2/4/1993 Senate floor actions. Status: Indefinitely postponed by Senate by Voice Vote.Latest Major Action: 2/4/1993 Senate floor actions. Status: Indefinitely postponed by Senate by Voice Vote. MAJOR ACTIONS:
1/21/1993 Introduced in Senate
1/27/1993 Committee on Labor and Human Resources. Reported to Senate by Senator Kennedy without amendment. With written report No. 103-3. Minority views filed.
2/4/1993 Senate floor actions: Indefinitely postponed by Senate by Voice Vote.H.RES.58
Title: Providing for the consideration of the bill (H.R. 1) to grant family and temporary medical leave under certain circumstances.
Sponsor: Rep Gordon, Bart [TN-6] (introduced 2/2/1993) Cosponsors (None)
Related Bills: H.R.1
Latest Major Action: 2/3/1993 Passed/agreed to in House. Status: On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 259 - 164 (Roll no. 13).H.RES.71
Title: Relating to the consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 1) to grant family and temporary medical leave under certain circumstances.
Sponsor: Rep Gordon, Bart [TN-6] (introduced 2/4/1993) Cosponsors (None)
Related Bills: H.R.1
Latest Major Action: 2/4/1993 Passed/agreed to in House. Status: On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 247 - 152 (Roll no. 29).
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