Via TPM.
Chris Dodd has announced that he will not be succeeding Ted Kennedy as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Instead, the position will go to Tom Harkin in order to preserve Dodd's position as head of the Senate Banking Committee. This move is likely to be met with sighs of relief among progressives for a variety of reasons.
First, there's the positive aspect of this: Tom Harkin is among the more progressive members of the Senate on health care issues. Notably, he is among the small group of senators willing to openly support the benefits of single-payer reform. Earlier in the summer, Harkin expressed regret that single-payer-style reforms were not being given closer consideration:
Harkin also lamented the fact that single payer was not on the table despite his personal support and the growing support of the majority of Americans for that option. Noting that there is not enough support in Washington to pass a single-payer system, Harkin said that "there are a lot of things the majority of Americans support that Congress won’t do." Harkin also praised members of the audience who carried signs calling for a single-payer system, saying that one of the major reasons that a public plan is now a real possibility is due in large part to their advocacy.
In terms of the negative, while Dodd is a vocal supporter of a strong public option, many have expressed concerns about his ties to the pharmaceutical industry. Last month, the New York Times published an article noting that Dodd has accepted hefty donations from the pharmaceutical industry as he prepares for a tough reelection battle next year. The article also noted that Dodd's spouse has significant financial ties to pharma:
In addition, Mr. Dodd’s wife, Jackie Clegg, was paid nearly $80,000 as a member of the board of Cardiome Pharma Corporation, according to the documents most recently filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ms. Clegg also holds more than 200,000 shares in Javelin Pharmaceuticals, where she is also a board member.
Again, this is all occurring in the context of Dodd's weak poll numbers. Currently, polling analyst Nate Silver ranks Dodd's Senate seat as the third most likely to switch hands in 2010. Recent polls have Dodd with double digit net disapproval and early match-ups have him trailing likely Republican challenger Rob Simmons by as much as nine points.
With this in mind, it's possible that Dodd is turning down the HELP chairmanship due to the fact that banking reform is expected to be the major issue in the early part of 2010. As chairman of the Banking Committee, Dodd will be able to assume a high profile in reform efforts, potentially positioning himself as the face of reform efforts at a time when resentment towards the financial industry is understandbly high.
Though progressives are also justifiably skeptical about Dodd's bona fides on financial reform, his chairmanship of the Banking Committee is undoubtedly superior to the alternative. Tim Johnson, the next Senator in line for the Banking chairmanship, is a conservative Democrat from South Dakota, a state closely tied to the credit card industry. Johnson, consequently, would be expected to cause Baucus-like headaches for financial reform advocates at a time when approaching elections will make Democrats especially vulnerable to obstruction from within their own ranks.