U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd must be pretty angry these days – having to endure a publicity tour around Connecticut to rehabilitate his tattered political image.  Right now, with President Barack Obama sitting high on his throne, an adoring press and liberals seeing their best chance in generations to permanently alter the American Dream,  Sen. Dodd should be standing athwart the Mall gazing with confidence at all that is his.

Problem is half the voters in Connecticut think he’s hiding something and less than that don’t want him back in 2010 – and that is before Republicans put someone good up against him who does want the job. 

Rob Simmons, Chris Shays, Kevin O’Connor, Jack Orchulli, Tom Foley, State Sen. Sam Caligiuri, R-Waterbury, State Sen. Len Fasano – the GOP bench is deep and more names may emerge.

So Dodd did what all So hapless pol’s do when their numbers shrink – they go on the road and talk about something that everybody gets emotional about – health care. The first step toward these rehab tour – scrub an audience with friendlies – supporters, local and statewide Democrats and recruit people who are given the change to tell the Senator how bad they have it. 

Control the agenda, call it a “listening tour” to show your humility and allow loyal subjects to receive a hug and a few calming words from the distinguished Senator who has given his life to public service.

Finally, to memorialize these efforts – drag along a press corps that you have spent many years ignoring or blowing off when they call for a comment or two on something you don’t want to talk about. And while Sen. Dodd did get the coverage, Mark Pazniokas of the Hartford Courant did press him on releasing his Countrywide Financial mortgage documents and why his poll numbers were so glum.

It was Countrywide and its notorious CEO, Angelo Mozilo, who set Dodd up with two generous mortgages on their homes in Connecticut and DC.  Dodd, the chairman of the Senate Banking and Urban Affairs Committee, holds great power over the nation’s financial sector.  Needless to say, Sen. Dodd has much explaining to do and has still not done it.

But, overall, Friday was good street theater and it came off perfectly for the cameras and the read-over’s on the local television news.  Soon, Sen. Dodd will issue another fundraising letter talking about how he “has spoken with the people and they are worried about their future and that is why I need to continue the fight in Washington, D.C….”

But even in these sanitized settings, Sen. Dodd can only offer his usual Dodd-sequiturs when faced with real life issues.

“The frustrations are mounting and you hear them here today,” said Dodd,  offering keen insight into the minds of everyday citizens.

The tour went to East Hartford and Bristol, two towns controlled by Democrats and each tour seemed to ignore the fact that Sen. Dodd has had 30 years to work on this issue of how to make health care affordable to individuals and businesses.

Instead, the “witnesses” labored on about how the big corporations are the ones getting all the help these days while the little people get thrown out on the street or refused treatment. Nowhere, does anyone note, that Chris Dodd has been bought and paid for by the insurance companies and the trial lawyers, not a small feat even by Washington standards.

Trial lawyers and their high priced lawsuits drive costs, mostly because health care providers engage in defensive medicines or in the case of OBGYN’s – simply leave the practice.  Those costs, plus jury awards drives premiums up. Also, lawmakers at the state and federal level continue to mandate coverage and that adds to the problem.

 Trial lawyers love Dodd and most Democrats and that is why no serious tort reform has occurred in Connecticut or this country.

Sen. Dodd thinks everyone in Connecticut will forget of his problems or grow tired of hearing them. But his problem is deeper. The more Sen. Dodd appears and gives these mumbling answers about “doing it right” and then watches $700 billion vaporize without any opportunity to the homeowner, caregiver or uninsured, voters tend to connect the dots.

Right now, the people are connecting the dots.