A Dodd Democrat (Tom Dodd, that is)

Given this bleak picture, many 1st District Republicans are now considering the possibility of trying to capture the seat with a pro-life, antitax Democrat, State Rep. Jim McCavanagh, who definitely goes against the leftist grain of his party in the Nutmeg State, calling himself a "Tom Dodd Democrat."

No gone for many years and remembered primarily as the father of present Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd, the late Thomas J. Dodd was a powerful political force in Connecticut as Democratic U.S. representative (1952-56) and then U.S. senator (1958-70). An outspoken antiCommunist and pro-defense Democrat, the silver-haired, pipe-smoking Dodd was also fiercely independent in state party politics-a scourge to Connecticut's lordy Democratic boss John M. Bailey (Democratic National chairman from 1960-68 and the father of Rep. Kennelly).

"And what a class gentleman Sen. Dodd was," recalled Jim McCavanagh over breakfast at Mortrensen's Dariy in Newington on the morning after Christman. "I still remember pumping gas for him at Moriarity's filling station [in Eastern Connecticut] when I was a kid and how he always had time to talk to me."

Noting that he has been a personal friend of Chris Dodd (lifetime American Conservative Union rating: 9%) for more than 25 years, McCavanagh chuckled that "if Sen. Dodd were alive today and serving with Chris, I have a feeling they would cancel out each other's votes a lot."

Canceling out the votes of fellow Democrats is something realtor McCavanagh has done often in his three years on the Manchester Board of Directors (town council) and 16 years in the state legislature. As the recognized leader of the moderate-to-conservative wing of his party in Hartford, McCavanagh was a key player in the forging of the coalition with Republican House members that deposed archleftist Democratic Speaker Irving Stolberg in 1989.

Two years later, McCavanagh led 22 Democrats in fighting then-Gov. Lowell P Weicker's plan for the first-ever state income tax. Even after the tax was enacted (by one vote in the house and with Weicker's lieutenant governor casting the tie-breaking vote in the senate), maverick McCavanagh spearheaded attempts to repeal it.

"Things like that didn't exactly endear me to the labor unions," observed McCavanagh. He recalled how much organized labor wanted the income tax. "But it didn't matter," he said. "I represent a blue-collar district where the Connecticut Education Association and the Teamsters, among others, are strong, but the people knew where I stood and I never had any difficulty winning reelection." In his last trip to the polls two years ago, without a single union endorsement, McCavanagh won with 77% of the vote.

In a state where liberal abortion laws have long been on the books and most elected officials in both parties are proabortion, Roman Catholic lay leader McCavanagh has never veered from a strong pro-life stand. When reminded that the abortion forces are so strong that previously pro-life politicians such as former House Speaker Richard Balducci (D.) and GOP Gov. John Rowland switched their positions on the issue, McCavanagh shook his head and mused, "Why are people in politics if they don't stand firmly for things?"

The 58-year-old McCavanagh has also battled special interest legislation for homosexuals, so much so, he proudly recalled, "that the gay activist magazine in Hartford named me one of the 'dirty dozen' in the legislature."

Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. Jan 16, 1998
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