Chris Dodd for President

Senator Dodd was in New Hampshire Tuesday and Wednesday, and his visit brought back some old memories for me. Watching him campaign reminded me exactly why I’m working for Chris Dodd. When I was in college, I spent some time in Santiago, Chile. At first, everything seemed new to me, most of all the language. I went to my first social gathering, a party thrown for the birthday of an American friend, when a Chilean approached me and asked me a question. After the third repetition, I finally understood: “Por que’ elijiste a Bush?” During my time living in Chile, and more recently in Spain, this was a question I got used to. Sometimes it was more pointed—“Why did you elect President Bush?”—and others it was more general—“Why did the US elect him?” To both kinds of queries, I had no good response, save for the fact that I had not voted for a president who would be brashly unilateral in conceiving policies that would wreak havoc on our own country and others. But after a while, this did not seem like enough. So I decided to do something about it. Senator Dodd just spoke to a group of primary voters at the Taylor Retirement Home Community in Laconia, New Hampshire, answering their questions after laying out his case. His presentation tonight reminded me of why I joined the campaign— back before Chris Dodd had declared himself a candidate for the Presidency, and before there was much of a campaign here in New Hampshire. It reminded me why I believe that Senator Dodd is uniquely qualified to lead the United States in a new direction. Just after Chris Dodd graduated college, he volunteered to serve in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. For two years he helped build a small community in the mountains near the border with Haiti, learning the language and understanding the people. Hearing Chris Dodd talk about how that experience influenced his life is just as inspirational to me now as it was the first time years ago. Back in the 1960’s, “Our country’s leader asked us to be a part of something larger than ourselves,” he told the standing-room-only crowd. “Some of us, like Senator Kathy Sgambati [the event host and recently-elected freshman legislator] joined VISTA. Some joined the Foreign Service. I joined the Peace Corps. We all felt like we were part of something good and whole, and larger than ourselves.” Senator Dodd had the good fortune to come of age at a time when young, idealistic people could be proud of their country and proud of their nation’s leader. Indeed, it was a time when the world was proud of the United States. I am working to elect Chris Dodd because I want to be proud of my country and proud of my president. In Senator Dodd I see a future where I could travel as a proud American. A man who speaks Spanish fluently, has dedicated his life to defending the less fortunate— that’s what I want, and that’s why I’m working for Senator Dodd. Last night, Senator Dodd reminded the assembled group that the world still remembers the good our country has done. Senator Dodd believes we have to work to reemerge as a leader, not only in economic and military terms, but as a champion of human rights and the downtrodden. With experience and a vision of a hopeful future, Chris Dodd can make that future a reality.