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Senator Dodd retirement a huge blow to Irish lobby

Dodd and Kennedy now gone from Senate

PATRICK ROBERTS,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 8:07 AM

Updated Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 8:33 AM

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Senator Chris Dodd will not run for a sixth term

Senator Chris Dodd's decision to quit the Senate and not run for re-election in Connecticut comes as a major shock to his Irish friends and supporters.

His retirement means that the Irish lobby in Washington has now lost its two most prominent leaders, Dodd and the late Senator Edward Kennedy, in a very short space of time.

Dodd, who has a home in Galway, was facing a very tough re-election battle and had recently fought off prostate cancer. He was behind in polls in Connecticut and faced a very tough re-election race. Ironically his Galway home in Connemara was at the center of some of the allegations against him. The Wall Street Journal claimed he had received a below market price deal from Edward Downe,a prominent businessman who was later convicted of insider trading.

Dodd played a critical role during the Clinton era in the Irish peace process. He and Kennedy were the key driving forces behind the move to win a visa for Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and in one famous incident, Dodd convinced Clinton while they were on a golf course together to lift a fundraising ban against the Sinn Fein leader.

Dodd ran for president in 2008 in the Democratic primary but never figured in the shakeup and dropped out early. As head of the Senate Banking Committee he had reached the zenith of his career but now his unexpected departure has left Democrats scrambling to fill his seat.

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19 Comments

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gardenangel | Jan 22, 2010, 09:08 PM EST

Dodd is getting out because he knows he's losing big time in the polls. The democrats are ruining our nation, we don't want what they are offering. I wish they would just get out of our lives and quit trying to police everything.

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seamusroche | Jan 07, 2010, 02:02 PM EST

This corrupt DUDE,Senator Dodd, was a DUD who is now done.

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kickstar | Jan 07, 2010, 10:05 AM EST

I think it's all downhill for the Dems from here on but interestingly the Republicans are not really positioned to take full advantage of this dip in the Democrats fortunes.

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jrl8111979 | Jan 07, 2010, 02:02 AM EST

Connecticut Irish and life long supporter of Chris Dodd. HE HAS SERVED CT AND THE NATION WELL. HE IS THE REASON WE HAVE THE FAMILY LEAVE ACT. WE HAVE NEW LAWS TO TIGHTEN UP AND CONTROL EXORBITANT INTEREST RATES ON CREDIT CARDS.THANKS TO CHRIS DODD. UNFORTUNATELY WE'RE STUCK WITH SELF SERVING EGO MANIAC LIEBERMAN. PLEASE LISTEN BY ALL MEANS TO THE "TEABAGGERS"THE REPUBLICAN MILLONAIRES WHO COERCED AND CONTROLLED BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE UNDER THE WORST PRESIDENT IN U.S. HISTORY GEORGE 'W' BUSH.

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willieboy | Jan 06, 2010, 07:13 PM EST

One less senator to steal from us. How can you support these people?

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MotherIrish | Jan 06, 2010, 03:17 PM EST

paddyplastic -- I was in the housing industry for years. Clinton wanted everyone - whether or not they should really buy a house to be able to buy one. Hence, no money down, 100% mtgs, low credit score buyers, people who had no education on how to buy let alone maintain a house or pay their bills. Go read up on it. Not Bush - he warned against the whole thing. Praise Dod and his committee for having the foresite to do let it all go so we can have the poor economy we have today, All you know is how to blame Bush. Do you really believe all the tripe the liberals feed you? PA LEEEESSSSEEEE!! Get educated - read -- listen -- for your own sake and that of this country. These comments are for Nebraskairish too. And Rebelforce, Maybe Liberman will go too sooner or later and hopefully sooner. Along with Boxer, Pilosi, Feinstein, Barney (not the Bush dog) Reid and others.

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Rebelforce | Jan 06, 2010, 02:27 PM EST

It should have been Sen. Lieberman who retired, not Sen. Chris Dodd. But I guess that's the way things have been going lately for America.

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FastEddy | Jan 06, 2010, 02:13 PM EST

NebraskaIrish: " Sen. Dodd leaveing is a great loss to the Senate. He is one of the few who understands the economy and the banking system. " He also knows how to game it and jam it up. I say good riddance and He better not get caught for treasonous theft from the US Treasury. I understand that he may have helped a few in Ireland, but on his watch here he has done nothing to improve the state of our economy and has participated in creating the most recent economic problems.

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rndidonato | Jan 06, 2010, 01:33 PM EST

And just so you know, I'm an Irish American Catholic. A real one. I hve the courage of my convictions. I'm not a Catholic when it's convenient.

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rndidonato | Jan 06, 2010, 01:32 PM EST

Hey, NebraskaIrish, That's a lot of bull. You don't know very much about what's been going on. Dodd and Barney Frank had a large part in creating the state we're in today. They could have worked to solve our money problems up front but they didn't. Who do you think had a part in sub-prime mortgages for people who couldn't afford them? And Clinton was the President at the time. They'll be no tears over his leaving. Good-bye and good riddance. He and his buddy Ted Kennedy were terrible examples of Irish American Catholics; they always voted pro-abortion. They should be ashamed. Hopefully, the people of Massachusetts will wake up. These two did not have their interests at heart only their own.

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NebraskaIrish | Jan 06, 2010, 01:20 PM EST

Sen. Dodd leaveing is a great loss to the Senate. He is one of the few who understands the economy and the banking system.

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himself1 | Jan 06, 2010, 12:36 PM EST

Not all Irish Americans are saddened. Dodd is another liberal Democrat, and he can leave along with his colleague, Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, who has also announced his "retirement" from the Senate. I remember when Dorgan was first elected, and I remarked that I was pleased to have another Irishman in the Senate. I was quickly informed, "he is not our kind." His name is not Brian, it is BYRON! He can now retire his toupe and get some sun on his head.

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irishwxman | Jan 06, 2010, 12:06 PM EST

Leave it to Plastic Paddy to come in here and place blame on everyone but those responsible. Hey Paddy....I suppose you want to blame Bush for the record deficit that Obama has put us in? You probably want to blame Bush for all the cold weather we have been having. My alarm didn't go off this morning....Was that because of Bush too?

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torbreezy | Jan 06, 2010, 11:59 AM EST

Loooooooonnnnnggggggggggg overdue: Now let's elect Senators who have the COMMONWEAL as their first priority, NOT the narrow interests of the Irish Lobby or of any other special interest . . . .

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plasticpaddy | Jan 06, 2010, 11:20 AM EST

MotherIrish, your'e blaming Clinton? Come on now, youre not serious are you. Clearly it was the deregulation of the Bush years that caused this situation.

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