Loser for Sale

It is particularly amusing that the Connecticut political blogosphere is alive with talk of the possible consideration of Chris Dodd as a vice presidential running mate to presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

You can see discussion of it here and here and here!

It is all the more interesting as Dodd has just suffered a nine point hit in his popularity in the latest Q poll directly resulting from his neglect of the state during his own presidential run, and his sweetheart mortgage deal. Just how popular would he be in Connecticut if he picked up once again to run for vice president? Now where would his daughter go to school?!?!

That's probably a premature question. Sure, Connecticut Democrats would love it... Richard Blumenthal would be able to wiggle out of the clandestine gubernatorial campaign and go for the thing he really wants... a seat in the United States Senate. Blumenthal's move would trigger other moves, such as Secretary Sledgehammer Bysiewicz, who wouldn't waste a fraction of a second running for the office she already pretends she holds: attorney general.

Also, having Dodd on the ballot would, presumably, help other Connecticut Democrats in their races down-ballot.

But why on Earth would Barack Obama want Chris Dodd on his ticket? I would think it would be somewhat difficult to reconcile the message of "change" by installing as your running mate someone who was as old a Washington fixture as there is having been in Congress for half a century. There is no geographic advantage to the pairing... the northeast is already secure for Obama, so even if Dodd offered a cache of New England support, which I doubt he does, it would be useless. Further, the only diversity on the ticket would be racial. Dodd and Obama are both very liberal U.S. Senators. Dodd has no support base to bring with him, gathering less than 1% of the vote in his efforts to run for the Democratic nomination.

Obama's campaign needs to be buttressed in the South. Dodd gives him no help there.

Chris Dodd doesn't even rate for a cabinet post. He would be lucky to become the assistant to the deputy ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia. Obama can take a cheerleader to the prom. Why would he waste his time with this warthog?