You are tired already of diaries about the Iowa factor, I know. This one is not about Iowa, per se, but about assessing a candidate.
This morning, 20 hours before the mass-exodus from Iowa, I went to one last candidate rally. I already knew who I would support (some of us in Iowa can make up our minds!)
And I had my choice confirmed.
To facilitate my phone calls to my neighbors in my precinct, yesterday I sat down and prepared a simple sheet highlighting the most salient points about the candidate I will be caucusing for.
Here it is:
Why I support Chris Dodd
Democrat for President –2008
by Murasaki, University Heights, Iowa
- Chris Dodd believes the Constitution needs to be restored to its rightful place as the basis of our laws and political conduct. This includes the restoration of habeas corpus. He carries a copy of the Constitution with him at all times.
- Chris Dodd has devoted his life to public service. (2 years in the Peace Corps, 6 years in the Army Reserves & National Guard, 6 years in the House, 27 years in the Senate) He is committed to public service by all citizens as well, and wants to require community service of all high school graduates. He will create more opportunities for young adults to serve (Americorps, for instance) and for seniors to contribute, too.
- Chris Dodd is a man of high integrity. He only entered the presidential race because he saw critical issues being neglected, like the abuse of the Constitution. He felt that he wanted to give all he could to the betterment of our country. He is not ego-driven like some of the candidates. He takes his current job as senator seriously, and he left the campaign trail to return to Washington for a crucial vote to stop FISA re-authorization with amnesty for telecom companies.
- Chris Dodd has a long track record of accomplishments in Congress. Some of them are:
He is known as a strong advocate for children and families. He proposed and got passed the Family and Medical Leave Act, which gave women the right to maternity leave without fear of losing their job; and families the time off they need for family medical crises.
He is known as the "Children’s Senator" and has got legislation passed to provide funding for early childhood care and education programs.
He got a bill passed which provided $3 billion to outfit firefighters as a part of the important "first responders" for any city or local crisis.
- He has extensive foreign policy experience, including negotiating peace treaties in Central America in the 1980s, and with Sinn Féin (of the Irish Republican Army) in Northern Ireland. He knows many international leaders personally. For instance, he was called by Benazir Bhutto just 3 weeks before her assassination.
- Chris Dodd supports aggressive action to control global warming. He has proposed that businesses be required to pay a "carbon tax" for any carbon emissions. He also proposed that all U.S. cars be required to get 50 mpg by 2017. But more than that, he wants to lead us in cutting not only dependence on imported oil, he wants us to cut our dependency on fossil fuels.
Chris Dodd stands on Principles: on the Primacy of Constitutional Law and on Service to the Citizens of the United States.
This morning, gathering with several hundred others for the last rally, I realized that I had left one of the most important points out.
Chris Dodd is genuine. He's not trying to present himself as a media-doll.
He doesn't hype himself. He can talk about results, because that's the way he works. His career in the Senate has been a long trail of results.
That's what I'd expect of his presidency. He'd work to get results.