There was a lot of love in the room for U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd Tuesday as he addressed the New Haven Democratic Town Committee, which will bring the largest number of delegates to the party's nominating convention this spring.Dodd, fresh from the Senate's passage of a major health care package on Christmas Eve morning, was the only speaker at the committee's holiday party at the Shubert Theater. The event also brought together most of the gubernatorial contenders and other statewide office-seekers.
That health care bill will be a big part of his campaign for re-election to a sixth term. Many think it will be his toughest battle yet, with his poll numbers down and several well-funded Republican challengers waiting.
"It ought to be true that every child in America, regardless of their circumstances, has a right to a doctor when he gets sick, and that's what we are about to do in this country. It will be the single most important vote that will have occurred since Social Security and the adoption of Medicare," Dodd said.
The bill is now headed for a conference committee of House and Senate leaders for some tough negotiations on sticking points, such as abortion coverage. That work will start today.
The first thing Dodd said he did after the Senate vote last week was to visit the gravesite of his good friend, the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., who made health care reform a central part of his agenda for four decades in the Senate.
Dodd said he got a call from President Barack Obama while he was at Arlington National Cemetery to thank him for his efforts on the legislation.
"Tell the old guy I was asking for him," Dodd said the president remarked to him about Kennedy.
The largest plurality of votes for Obama in the state came from New Haven in 2008, and the city will play a big part in determining the party's slate in this year.