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06 Jan 2010 10:03

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U.S.: Chris Dodd’s drop-out might have an effect on financial regulation

  • Obama’s big plan for 2010: Financial industry regulation. Unfortunately for Obama, Chris Dodd has been having trouble working with ranking Republican Sen. Richard Shelby on the plan. While the lack of electoral pressures might make it easier for Dodd to focus on it, it also makes it just as easy for the Republicans to stall until next year, when a more moderate Democrat (or based on how things go, a Republican) might chair the Senate Banking Committee. source

06 Jan 2010 09:52

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U.S.: Chris Dodd tight-lipped about leaving the Senate; let’s speculate!

  • Financial industry ties Dodd, a five-term senator, is chair of the powerful Senate Banking Committee. Some feel he’s used these ties in interest-conflicting ways, including receiving a nice mortgage from the now-disgraced Countrywide Financial Corp.
  • Weak poll numbers Dodd, despite being a longstanding member of the Senate and once being seen as a presidential candidate, hasn’t been polling well in his home state lately, leading to fears he might lose in the election. Dude probably got scared.
  • What’s next? Let’s just say that Dems can’t like knowing that two senators have dropped out their races within 12 hours of each other. Especially Dodd, who was a health care plan architect. It may help the seat stay Democratic, though. source

30 Oct 2009 20:20

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U.S.: Gavin Newsom: Not the next governor of California. By choice.

  • With a young family and responsibilities at City Hall, I have found it impossible to commit the time required to complete this effort the way it needs to – and should be – done.
  • San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom • Describing his reasons for no longer running for governor of California. It was a sudden drop-out, one precipitated by Attorney General Jerry Brown’s staggering lead over him in the Democratic primary. The center-leaning Newsom tried really hard to replicate Obama’s social-networking success but couldn’t pull it off. Too bad. Seems like he would’ve been a good governor based on his success in the Bay Area. • source

20 Aug 2009 15:18

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Offbeat, U.S.: Resume fabricator Antwon Womack drops out of the race

  • This race has just gotten to be too much for me.
  • Birmingham, Alabama school board candidate Antwon Womack • Whose pumped-up resume got him into a world of criticism (and us into world of hilarity). He will drop out of the race today. • source