Washington D.C. has
failed us on many levels over the last many decades. We have allowed
our elected officials to serve as politicians instead of principled
leaders. Far from being "statesmen," they embarrass themselves and mock
our democracy by spending time raising money across the nation, instead
of indicating interest in their job, which is to govern, not constantly
run for office. Why does this happen? Most of them have such a strong
desire to win re-election that they will corrupt the system and abort
their duties as stewards to see to it that this happens.
Let's take our own U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd as a prime example.
As a ranking member of the all-important U.S. Senate Committee on
Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs between 2003 and 2008, Dodd accepted
donations from the nearly defunct insurance giant American
International Group totaling nearly $225,000. In 2008, while we looked
to him to represent our best interests, he received $157,194 from a
now-quasi-nationalized Citigroup Inc., part of his total annual take of
$854,200 from all TARP recipients, according to the Center for
Responsive Politics.
How can he truly represent his constituents' best interests when he
is accepting vast sums of money from organizations that the government
has assisted through the infusion of federal tax dollars? While legal,
an objective observer should question the judgment and ethics of our
state's senior senator.
His poor judgment does not stop there. The
senator
was one of the most significant recipients of money from Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac, now nationalized due to poor oversight and years of
legislative mismanagement. According to his office as reported just two
weeks ago, Dodd has agreed to return campaign donations from TARP
recipients since the government began infusing the companies. What an
honorable decision considering that his hand was caught in the cookie
jar!
Further, Dodd received from Countrywide Financial, an entity that
was sold to Bank of America in order to avoid bankruptcy, a special
below-market mortgage rate on his two personal residences. He called a
"V.I.P." number at Countrywide and in so doing abused his position as a
lead oversight legislator in the U.S. Senate.
The list goes on and on for Dodd. Many people caught acting in
equally unethical ways would quit their jobs out of shame, or be
immediately dismissed from their employer. Dodd has not quit, and his
employer is the voting public here in Connecticut.
So while he at once cultivates a public image of outrage, he
privately accepts funds from the very companies that have created a
great deal of the current credit debacle. This sheds light on his true
allegiance -- to himself -- and this activity can and must be stopped
by the voters of Connecticut.
Our country is experiencing the most significant economic crisis
since the Great Depression, and Dodd is exposed, weakened and
rudderless. Connecticut deserves more in this time of crisis.
Connecticut deserves a break from political partisanship and
self-interested service. The central issue before the 2010 senatorial
election, then, is obvious: the economy.
Has Dodd provided us with any solutions that will mend the current
crisis and propel us onto a firmer foundation for recovery and
sustainable growth? Has he proposed a reduction in our federal income
taxes? Has he discussed ways in which some -- but not all --
environmental efficiency reforms can benefit consumers in the form of
lower monthly utility bills? The not-so-rhetorical answer to all of
these and many other critical questions is: No!
Dodd has spent the last several decades in Washington, D.C., and has
lost touch with our state, our communities, and our desire to determine
our own destiny as individuals and families. We demand a good deal from
ourselves, and should demand the same from our elected officials.
It is time to try something new. It is time for this state to add
some fresh faces to the political scene. I am referring to the ascent
of citizen soldiers who live and work among us, raise families, and
care about their schools, the environment and their communities. I am
referring to those who represent the raw material of "statesmen." This
is not the moment to waver in our desire for real leadership and real
change.
The future is uncertain. Straight talk and a little bit of tough
love is what we demand from our elected officials. In order for this to
become a reality, Dodd must move on, and the torch must be passed to a
new generation of Americans who care deeply about the political
discourse and the path on which it sets our great nation.
Aaron Kennon, a resident of Old Greenwich, is an investment manager in New York City. His e-mail address is aaron.kennon@gmail.com.
