Election 2008 - Candidate Spotlight

Chris Dodd

Christopher Dodd is a U.S. Senator from Connecticut running for President. Dodd received a law degree from the University of Louisville School of Law and served three terms in the House of Representatives on behalf of Connecticut's Second District. In 1980 he was elected to the Senate.

Although not considered a front-runner for the Democratic party, Dodd stands out among many of the other candidates. He even submitted a question to the Republican candidates' YouTube debate according to CBS News. At 63, he is the father of two young daughters of 2 and 6. Despite his lagging behind in the polls he is hoping for a surge of support from Iowa and even moved his family there according to an Associated Press article.

Dodd's plans for energy reform include a corporate carbon tax and raise fuel economy standards of vehicles to 50 mpg if elected. He also plans to restore the constitution by restoring habeas corpus. This plan requires that the United States live up to its Geneva Convention and ensures detainees those rights.

In 2006 Dodd voted against redeploying troops out of Iraq by July 2007 according to ontheissues.org, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide non-partisan information for voters. However, he says that he is for ending the war in Iraq and plans redeployment out of Iraq immediately to be completed in one year, according to his Web site at ChrisDodd.com.

According to ontheissues.org Dodd supports civil unions but opposes gay marriage. He supports same-sex couples having the right to adopt children and having the Family and Medical Leave Act apply to them. The Family and Medical Leave Act is a document he authored this past August. According to his Web site, he plans to make a health insurance marketplace called Universal HealthMart that is based on the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan. It is a plan of universal coverage and universal responsibility.

Dodd's Web site also states that he plans to have up to eight weeks paid family medical leave through his Family and Medical Leave Act to take care of sick relatives or to take care of a newborn child. According to ontheissues.org, he has had a pro-choice voting record and supports embryonic stem cell research. His health care plan would put emphasis on womenís health issues and fund research into how diseases and medicines affect women differently than men.

Dodd states on his Web site that Clinton's remarks of fighting the "Republican attack machine" are an admission that if elected the country is in for more partisan bickering.

"When a campaign is about turning up the heat or about who's angrier or who's yelling louder Americans turn off," Dodd said in a Democratic debate when asked about accusations made on flip-flopping. "They want a president that can lead the country. We want a Democratic candidate who can unite our party."

-Reporting done by Melissa Brass, special to The Leader