Rachel Slajda
TalkingPointsMemo.com
December 11, 2009
Vice President Biden attended a fund-raiser in Hartford today for Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), who’s facing a tough re-election campaign next year — and he didn’t sound too optimistic about his friend’s chances.
“Chris is getting the living hell beat out of him, the living bejesus beat out of him,” Biden said, according to the pool report. “Why? Because he’s being a leader. This is going to be a hell of a race and it’s an uphill race, but Chris Dodd will prevail.”
Dodd was scheduled to attend the $500-a-ticket fund-raiser, but stayed in Washington instead for votes.
Dodd has taken a big hit for his role as chairman of the banking committee through the time of bailouts and TARP. He had also been accused receiving sweetheart mortgages from Countrywide, although the Ethics Committee found he did nothing wrong.
In the wake of his dwindling popularity, four Republicans are now challenging the longtime senator. A recent poll showed Dodd trailing two of those challengers.
Biden called Dodd, who chairs the banking committee, “the single most gifted legislator in Congress, now that Teddy Kennedy’s gone.”
