Pulling For The Underdog

(The Politico)  By The Politico's David Mark and Josh Kraushaar.

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As a former chairman of the Iowa House Appropriations Committee and a longtime Republican activist, Bill Dix had his pick of 2008 presidential candidates to back. He didn't go with a well-funded, high-name recognition candidate like Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney or former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Instead he became general chairman of the Tommy Thompson for President Exploratory Committee. Dix will serve as a key Iowa player for the former Wisconsin governor and secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

"Looking at elections in the past, I have a strong belief that the '08 election is going to be decided by a half-dozen Midwestern states," Dix said. "And I was looking for somebody who was motivated to be president for the right reasons," such as lower taxes and reduced federal spending.

Though Thompson and other long shots barely register in the polls and face fundraising hurdles, these GOP presidential hopefuls are employing a coterie of devoted aides and consultants who contend their candidates' messages could eventually be heard.

A handful of lawmakers are similarly shunning big-name lawmakers. Republican Reps. Don Young of Alaska and John Boozman of Arkansas are backing former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. On the Democratic side, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd has won endorsements from his party's entire state delegation. He is also supported by Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, D-R.I., a fellow Providence College alum. More surprising, Dodd also secured the backing of Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., whose majority Hispanic district lies in downtown Los Angeles, a long way from the leafy Connecticut suburbs.

"I don't consider him second tier; I consider him first tier," Becerra told The Politico. "When people focus on experience, you'll find that Sen. Dodd is second to none."

Becerra said substance would win over style in the long march to the Democratic nomination, even against celebrity candidates such as Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.

"Right now it's a beauty contest," Becerra said. "I think Chris Dodd's attractive, but that's not what's getting him the presidency. It's his experience, straight-out transparent honesty and integrity that's going to win him votes."

For those helping the lesser-known Republican candidates, it's a matter of convincing primary voters of their conservative values, said Nathan Tabor, the 33-year-old Web master for the presidential campaign of Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. After all, McCain, Romney and Giuliani are scrambling now to account for flip-flops in their records, he noted.

"They're having to answer, 'Who are they?' " Tabor said. "Congressman Hunter is having to answer 'Can I pull a Howard Dean?' to come from nowhere to become a contender for his party's presidential nomination. I think he is the true conservative in the race. He's not talking about what he's flip-flopped on."

Tabor works from his office in Kernersville, N.C. He comes to Hunter's presidential campaign after twice running for office himself; in 2004 he came in fifth in the Republican primary for the seat now held by Rep. Virginia Foxx, and he finished second in the 2006 state Senate GOP primary bid.

Tabor runs www.theconservativevoice.com, one of the most read right-leaning Web sites. Since he joined the Hunter campaign on Feb. 1, more than 400 sites have linked to Hunter's Web site (www.gohunter08.com), up from 11 previously, he said. Such grass-roots support can potentially help close the gap with the likes of Romney, Giuliani and McCain.

For those toiling on behalf of the lesser-known presidential candidates, any shred of good news is worth trumpeting. Tabor cites Hunter's first-place finish in a January 2007 straw poll of GOP precinct committeemen in Arizona's Maricopa County. Hunter got 96 votes in the nonbinding poll and easily beat home state senator McCain, who got 50 votes. (Romney came in second with 82 votes.)

Sal Russo, a veteran Republican consultant based in Sacramento, Calif., worked on Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch's bid for the 2000 GOP presidential nomination. Hatch knew his chances were slim, because Texas Gov. George W. Bush had a commanding lead in fundraising and McCain was a viable candidate. So the senator from Utah wanted to set himself up as the go-to guy if one of the front-runners stumbled.

"Orrin had a pretty realistic view of what the situation was," Russo recalled. "It's very, very difficult to break into that once the stage has been set."

Russo said he was initially reluctant to work for Hatch because others already were so far ahead in the nomination fight. Then Hatch pulled out the loyalty card, Russo wrote in an e-mail. "He reminded me that in 1976 when we were desperately looking for people to support (Ronald) Reagan over President (Gerald) Ford, he stepped forward. Thus, I owed him one. That was probably the clincher that got me over the top to help him."

For some House members, it's not even a matter of personal loyalty. Becerra said he did not know Dodd particularly well, but was still drawn to his candidacy. "I really respect him as a person," Becerra said. "Over the years, we've done a few things together … We were congruent on so many issues. I always enjoyed listening to him."
By David Mark and Josh Kraushaar
TM & © 2007 The Politico & Politico.com, a division of Allbritton Communications Company

[hamiltongrad]

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT COMMITTEE SEN DODD HEADS ?

What financial corportations fate's does he control ? Are they backing his quixotic "run" for to be the President, and if so how much.

Does he get to keep all the money donated ? I mean personally gets to keep this money ?

Does anyone smell a rat here ?

[bildooreilly]

And stop voting for republicans and democrats, they're all in the same gang, and owned by all the same people. Go check out the libertarian party www.lp.org or the green party, stop voting for these crooks in both parties who use our very own money against us to fund our further enslavement. Time to take this country back from Republicans and Democrats and restore the constitution and accountable government, print up our own money again, and break up this mass brainwashing media monopoly that clearly has an agenda.

[bildooreilly]

Republicans AND Democrats are a criminal gang owned by the pirates I mean the banksters at the UNfederal Reserve. There's not even a law that says we have to pay federal taxes, even though I reccomend you pay it or else they'll send their goon squads after you to personally extort it from you. Fact is if you watch Aaron Russo's movie America Freedom To Fascism you'll see that the government can't even produce the law that requires us to pay federal taxes because it doesn't exist. These banksters have stolen everyones family fortunes since it was instituted in 1913 through inflation and manipulation of our currency. A dollar today has the buying power of 2 cents in 1913. Stop being scared of the government by the banksters for the banksters and stop being so *** complacent and compliant.

[macusweil]

Both the GOP & Dems have allowed special interests, (mostly their own) to pretty much rule how votes are cast.

Our Congress woman & men are far more afraid of Exxon and Merck than us poor fools who are their constituents. The ones all across the nation fumbling just to figure out if our votes are even counted and how to use a touch screen voting machines without somehow voting for the other guy.

[macusweil]

"Where were these LOSERS and betrayers when lunatic leaders were elected and re-elected to lead the nation into the abyss? Tsk-tsk"

Vvvery good question-- they all had their heads deep in the sand, still so terrified of the failing GOP K-Street machine before the mid-terms got the ghost.

[agnim]

"Pulling For The Underdog"

TO PULL OUT AFTER THEIR very short QUICKIES! LO

Where were these LOSERS and betrayers when lunatic leaders were elected and re-elected to lead the nation into the abyss? Tsk-tsk

[trueprogress]

This can not be true . They get to personally keep all that money ? Do they pay income tax on it ? Who is donating to Dodd's so called run for President ?

[davec1234]

I strongly encourage discouraged Conservatives to learn more about Duncan Hunter.
http://duncanhunter.conservativebase.org/

[random_radar]

"Am I wrong, but does't he get to keep a good % of the money after he leaves office ??"

He gets to keep it all. Lots of entrenched politicians have millions in their campaign warchests that they don't need or use. When they leave office, they get it all.

[Razzl]

Dodd is a perfect gentleman in an era of scoundrels. I find it delicious that his father was the chief prosecutor of the Nuremburg tribunals, which set all the legal precedents which will eventually be used to prosecute Rumsfeld and Cheney. He has no chance because in the current moment we need a president willing to be a firebrand against the evils of the Bush crowd, but he would make an excellent Vice President and I hope he won't rule that role out if it's offered to him.

I would also commend all of the other dark-horse Democrats, especially former Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska, for being willing to hold a fire to the feet of Hillary and the frontrunners by being mercilessly frank and direct with their public rhetoric. Truth is the powerful weapon that they fear too much to wield...