Off The Wire: Dodd, The Dow and Kudlow

- From Ironman's blog at The Next Right, quoting Chris Dodd on February 15, 2007, when the Dow was a little north of 12,600:

"At the end of my tenure on this Committee, I want it to be said that the safety and soundness of our financial institutions was not weakened on my watch," Dodd said.

While Dodd's tenure is not over yet, it may not be too early to say his tenure is likely to be a failure by his own standard, what with the Dow now about half of what it was when he took over.

- Michael Barone at US News and World Report on 2010 and the Kudlow rumors. (HT Ironman again).

- More on Kudlow at Politico here and here (quoted below).

Kudlow confirmed his interest in an interview with POLITICO this afternoon and said he was talking to strategists to assess the feasibility of a statewide run. He said NRSC chairman John Cornyn met with him over dinner last week to discuss the idea, and the two have since had a follow-up phone conversation.

"He came up to me, and put it right on the table. He seems to think it would be a good race, and a national race," Kudlow said.

Kudlow, though, said he enjoys his job as a CNBC anchor and commentator - and it would be tough to leave it for the world of politics.

"I'm thinking about it, that's all I can say...it's the kind of thing where I'm talking to friends, talking to strategists, talking to my wife, and praying on it," Kudlow said. "It's all come on very fast, and I don't have any definite thoughts at all other than the fact that I am thinking about it."

Could be the makings of an interesting primary!

- An interesting post at binder'sblog on Chris Dodd's "liberation."

Larry Kudlow To Challenge Dodd?

Add Larry Kudlow's name to the list of those considering competing to be the Republican nominee to challenge Chris Dodd in 2010.

Reports at National Review Online, CommentaryMagazine, Wizbang, CT Local Politics, The Huffington Riposte, etc.

From the NRO Post:

Republicans in Washington think they may have found their man to pick up a Senate seat in Connecticut in 2010: Larry Kudlow, the former Reagan budget advisor, Wall Street economist and now CNBC TV news anchor. The Internet is abuzz with the chatter of a Kudlow for Senate boomlet, which has even hit the Drudge Report.

In an interview yesterday, Mr. Kudlow confirmed to me that he did sit down for dinner with Senate Republican Campaign Committee Chairman John Cornyn "to hear him out on the idea."

That makes it sound like it was Cornyn's idea. Whoever's idea it is, I don't think it is a great one, at least not if Simmons plans on running. Kudlow's got the name recognition going for him, but he comes with a lot of baggage, too.

Ironman over at The Next Right has a good look at the names that have been thrown out there to this point.