Sen. Christopher J. Dodd is jumping on the Web 2.0 bandwagon, perhaps hoping some fresh modes of outreach will help him re-connect with Connecticut voters.
On Friday morning, Dodd, in his role as a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families, launched a YouTube video "soliciting feedback from constituents on how best to reform" the health care system, as it prepares to write a health care overhaul bill.
"Today is an opportunity for me to tell you why this is important, and to invite your attention and ideas to this discussion and debate," Dodd says in the video, directing viewers to the "YouTube Senate Hub" to record their views.
But Dodd didn't stop there. The five-term Democrat also touted the video on Twitter, asking supporters to Digg the video and his request for freedback. Like YouTube, Twitter and Digg are part of the new universe of interactive Web tools currently catching fire in Washington as a new way to facilitate constituent dialogue. Twitter allows users to send short, 140-character posts to an online forum where they can be tracked by anyone following the sender. Digg allows users to share content from the Web by voting on which items they like best.
Given Dodd's current political situation, any type of outreach is certainly worth a shot. Polls shows Dodd facing a tight general election race due to growing perceptions over the past year that Dodd has been too cozy with banks and other financial outfits at the expense of his constituents. That has attracted a number of potential GOP challengers -- a third Republican, former Ambassador Tom Foley, announced earlier this week that he would run for the seat.
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