Chris Dodd, Bless His Heart

At 1:30 today, at a restaurant in Indianola, about 40 people came to see Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut. At 9:15 today, at a church in Indianola, about 400 people came to see Senator Hillary Clinton of New York. Each are vying for the Democratic nomination but only one, it seems, is going to make it out of Iowa.

Senator Chris Dodd is a genuinely nice guy. He has a good heart, a kind smile and a friendly disposition and there was a time when that plus thirty years of experience was enough to get a guy elected president. This just isn’t that time.

A few months ago, Dodd and his wife made the decision to move to Iowa with their two young daughters. They thought that such dedication to the state would lead to more support. It hasn’t. The latest Des Moines Register poll has Dodd at 2% and while he has the support of the state firefighters, there are few other Iowans that seem to be caucusing for him.

The Senator has one commercial that has been running for days. There are no fancy graphics or pictures of him with supporters. Slow, almost sad music plays as Dodd talks in a black room about how he’s more experienced than his opponents and how he’d “appreciate your support on caucus night.” Every time the ad airs, I feel sorry for him.  He’s worked so hard. He’s such a good guy.

It's sad that instead of evoking my support, he evokes my pity.