WASHINGTON (CNN) – The National Republican Senatorial Committee is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at Christopher Dodd’s expense.
With a new Web ad out Tuesday - just one day after a prominent Connecticut Republican announced he will try to unseat Dodd in 2010 - the NRSC is hoping to further weaken the vulnerable Senate Democrat, who is of Irish descent.
Entitled “The Luck O’ The Dodd,” the animated video claims Dodd has lost touch with his constituents, in part because he owns a home in Ireland and moved to Iowa in 2007 during his failed presidential bid.
“Connecticut must not be good enough for the ol' lad,” the video’s narrator says in an Irish lilt. “The whole Dodd clan even moved to Iowa. Home sweet home! But not as sweet as his sweetheart mortgage deal from his friend Angelo Mozilo! How lucky!”
Dodd, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has seen his approval ratings tumble over the last year, thanks in part to a pair of mortgages he obtained from embattled mortgage lender Countrywide Financial, which is chaired by Mozilo.
A February Quinnipiac poll indicated that only 41 percent of Connecticut voters approve of the way Dodd is handling his job, with 48 percent disapproving.
The ad says Dodd’s poll numbers “are bottoming out like a pint of Guinness.”
From CNN Politics
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Yep, this guy has outlived any effectiveness he may have ever had. Bon Voyage,
Dodd, the dude, who has been clamorin' for darin' deeds against the deadly devils of corporate and bankin' frauds, do not tell us he's losin' touch with his dear people in Conn. GOP just has to say somethin' to keep the wheels of election engine engaged.
If the republicans keep up their same campaign tactics they used on Obama, Dodd's popularity will probably shoot up again! The repugnicans never learn anything from their mistakes - hence G.W. Bush.
I am so anxious to vote against Simmons! Here in CT attack ad's don't work, we can't stand them. They only make the candidate look like a slimeball when he uses attack ad's, that's why Lieberman won, lemont or w/e his name was used so many attack ad's while lieberman didn't use any, he simply used an ad explaining where his name would be as an independent. So let this slimeball waste all of his money and his parties money, I can't wait to vote against Simmons!
Typical rethuglicon campaign tactics – Not one issue related to the economy just "fear, smear, mock and lies".
Again the GOP is playing small ball to avoid talking about the issues facing "real" Americans...
Dodd needs to go. A lot of these good ol boys, Republican and Democrats alike need to go.
We vote in term limits and these people always get around. It's amazing!
We are a country of apathetic voters who are as responsible for the financial crisis as anybody because we let these good ol boys ruin our nation by continually allowing them to serve.
This sound alittle too well thought out to be a Republican ad. Democrats better get a viable challenger in CT quickly.
How about the fact that Dodd got his Irish cottage in a shady deal that would make Obama and Tony Rescko jealous? And that he further grossly undervalued the property when he had to disclose it.
Odd that he feels compelled to go after the 'greedy', well, except if they're him and his friends.
Let the MEAN & UGLY campaign season begin! It is exactly this type of vile attack that cost the GOP the elections in November and they are at it again!
This is good! The only thing Rob Simmons ever accomplished was to take credit for Joe Lieberman"s and Chris Dodd's work in saving the Sub Base and Electric Boat facilities in Groton. Even the Governor credited the Senators with their influence. Simmons will find himself a real hard sell in the western (i.e. populated) part of the state. All this from a man who lost an election to someone who makes Al Gore look like he had a personality!
This Simmons guy is a joke. I'm sure he's no different from the rest of the other GOP scum.
Guinness is too good a beer to be mentioned in the same sentence with ths fool.
What percentage of Connecticut voters approve of the way that the Republican Party performed when they controlled both Houses of Congress and the White House?
Nobody would compare Dodd to John Quincy Adams, but voying for a Republican would be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
It's amazing to see and hear people crying out loud complaining about what AIG is doing with tax payers money.
The same people and especially republicans call nationalization of the banks Socialism and refuse any strict control of the government in the name of free enterprise and free market. Refuse any oversight by the government on this companies.
Now when the government hand 170 billions to AIG and let them do whatever they want with it to fix their problems in order to reboot the economy, they come back to complain about outreageous bonuses.
You can't have it both ways. We owe AIG and the government got to tell them what to do and how to manage their company and screw anybody that calls this Socialism.
"The ad says Dodd’s poll numbers “are bottoming out like a pint of Guinness.”
But not like the GOP's! LOL!!
Their numbers are more confusing than Wall St...
If Dodd performed his duties as poorly and tried to point the finger at others in the real world-he would have been fired. With his work ethic- he couldn't get a job as a janitor in a waste treatment facility.
Christopher Dodd, Barney Frank, whats his name Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, tried and convicted in the public court for being the largest contributors to the financial mess this country is in.
It's time for Senators like Dodd on both sides to get a slap in the face. They are supposed to be there representing the people of their state. Anymore, they just look at the senate as a brokerage of wielding national power.
Where's the reporting on Dodd's sweetheart deal for a 10-acre Irish estate, a witness to the trasaction was no other than Edward Downe, Jr. Dodd played a key role in getting Downe a last minute pardon from Clinton in 2001. Dodd then bought out the co-owner of the estate, leaving the co-owner with a 19% return during a time when prices rose 400%. Dodd then underreported the value to the Senate on in financial disclosure forms (using the qualifier "appraised value at time of purchase" – when he had to know values had risen substantially – after all he is smart enough to head the Banking Committee)
This would really be appropriate today.
I say we move his senate seat to a federal prison. Maybe Barney Frank can be his cellmate.
It is just amazing - the GOP has absolutely nothing but hatred and bile to add to the national discourse.
The party is in full-blown self destruct mode.
Bye guys
Haha! He should be in jail, but that's for another story.
where can i find this ad?
Like father like son – Dodd is as crooked as his dad.
Sen Dodd would have made a better president than the person who was elected, but that was a democrat error they all have to live with, too. Still, the old democrat philosophies of big/big government and tax and spend are over and Dodd and his likes must go.
Considering he is/was in bed with Fannie and Freddy I'd say there's a good chance he'll be unseated. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Wow, I would hope that ad would be amazingly offensive to any actual Irish.
Now the Republicans/Conservatives are starting in on the Irish? Is there no end to their hatred and racism? Going after a politican is fair game in the political arena, BUT....bringing his/her heritage into the picture is pure racism. Guess these Republicans/Conservatives will never learn!
I hope Dodd gets the boot. He is by far one of the most corrupt and deceitful politicians in congress today......and that takes some doing.
Hey, if Senator Dodd wants to continue to represent Connecticut than I think he should maintain a residence there and live there, otherwise he should run for Senator from the state he does live in. That is only fair.
As an American of Irish heritage, I find this kind of thing offensive. For over a century, anytime someone wanted to make an Irishman look foolish, they start talking like that Leprechaun from the 'Lucky Charms' commercials and bringing up Guinness. Just another example of the GOP, who turns to insults because they can't actually come up with anything intelligent to say.
hummmmm article doesn't mention how much money Dodd has taken from the finance industry ... he makes the republicans look good
Dodd should be targeted for a criminal investigation for his sweetheart deal with Countrywide and his roll in the Fannie-mae Freddie-mac debacle. Guess for that to happen we would have to wait until 2013 when the next republican administration is in charge.
Hey – don't mess with the Irish coalition!
As the saying goes, an Irishman can tell to go to h*ll so that you'll look forward to the trip.
CNN has another article posted where Dodd suggests a tax specifically targeted at those at AIG who received bonuses. The ratioanle is, of course, their greed and incompetence.
First, I would suggest that the real incompetence lies with congress and the dems, who forked over billions to AIG without even reading the bill. Had they done their homework (job?), they would have realized this possibility.
Second and more importantely, beware of taxes targeted at specific individuals. This is totalitarianism at birth. Only a fool like Dodd would even consider this.
Good. It's about time America woke up to one of the real reasons this country is in this mess.
Dodd is only for Dodd. Always has been and always will be.
I don't think it is appropriate to attack anyone based on their heritage.
I really don't care one way or the other about Christopher Dodd, but, can the Republicans sink no lower than to try to ruin a Great day for The Irish ". Nah ! They'll stoop as low as they can if it buys them one more vote.
Dodd is one of the reasons our housing industry failed.....it's time for him to go as well as everyone else involved.
The investigation on Dodd needs to stop being stalled on his sweetheart deal. Now I understand that because of Dodd, the AIG bonuses are protected. He made sure of that since he is a great beneficiary of AIG. How do you Democrats defend that kind of behavior?
@ Southerner, who said "Guinness is too good a beer to be mentioned in the same sentence with ths fool."
Indeed...Simmons should be barred from ever uttering the word or referencing such a fine beverage ever again.
The only term limit in Congress is to vote them out.
"Christopher Dodd, Barney Frank, whats his name Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, tried and convicted in the public court for being the largest contributors to the financial mess this country is in."
You give us Bush II, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, and Major General Miller, and let us try them before the ICC for war crimes, like ordering and encouraging torture, and violating the Geneva Conventions. Send the lot of them off to a prison term in the Hague, and you can have Dodd, Frank, Schumer, Pelosi, and Reid. I'll even throw in Murtha and Feinstein.
I think that trade would be more then fair.
Today is also my celebration of my Irish heritage...and frankly the biggest economic crime of all times comes from the war in Irak! Americans should get pissed at the ex-president parading in Canada without allowing any Press coverage inside while he talks to 1500 people who actually pays 400.00$ to hear him...this money should be return to the people of the U.S. for his economic crime!
John March 17th, 2009 11:51 am ET – Put your tin foil hat back on. Someday, maybe someday you'll grow up and realize you'd been fed a line of bull regarding the whole "Bush is a war criminal thing". But for now, enjoy the drugs and living in your conspiracy laced fantasy world.