Chris Dodd for President

There is only one month left before the New Hampshire Presidential Primary on January 8, 2008.

Here are eight reasons to vote for Dodd in 08 on the 8th:

1) Ending the War in Iraq - Chris Dodd believes the time for giving President Bush blank checks is over and that we set a firm deadline tied to funding to begin safely redeploying U.S. combat troops out of Iraq, beginning immediately and completed within one year.

2) Restoring the Constitution - Chris Dodd will restore our Constitution on his first day during his first hour in the Oval Office. He would restore habeas corpus, close Guantanamo Bay, and require the US to live up to the Geneva Conventions.

3) Health Care - As President, Chris Dodd will offer high-quality universal health care to every American regardless of their job status, previous medical conditions or ability to pay. Dodd's plan ensures that all Americans will have quality, affordable health coverage by creating a health insurance marketplace called Universal HealthMart that is based on, and parallel to, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan. Insurance purchased in Universal HealthMart will follow individuals, not jobs ensuring that no one will lose their health care by changing jobs or moving to a different part of the country. Finally, the Dodd Health Care plan will phase in universal, affordable coverage to all Americans over the course of four years.

4) Global Warming - From a Corporate Carbon Tax that makes polluters pay to his call for historic fuel efficiency standards that break America's dependence on Middle East oil by 2015, Chris Dodd is the only candidate in the field with a plan to make America the world leader on climate change and bring energy costs down for families and businesses.

In a letter to Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, Senator Dodd today recognized that education and fighting crime are connected. Dodd who has released a comprehensive and far reaching education plan that calls for universal pre-k for all American children, has pledged to commit $10 billion in new funding for early childhood education as President.

Read the full letter below the fold...

Citing a Washington Post story in which Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings admitted that her department "had some responsibility" for "confusion" over subsidy rules that allowed student loan companies to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in payments at taxpayer expense, and that she would not seek a reimbursement from the companies, Chris Dodd today called on Secretary Spellings to seek a reimbursement from the companies, worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

"It's completely unacceptable for Secretary Spellings to acknowledge the fact that these overpayments were happening, apparently for some time, and yet refuse to seek a full accounting of these improper payments or a reimbursement," said Dodd. "This is exactly why the American people are frustrated - their government is no longer working. It's time to make government work again and get results for the American people."

In his education plan unveiled in August, Sen. Dodd called for an end to the outdated corporate subsidies for banks and an increase in competition for lower interest rates on student loans by requiring banks to compete in a federally run auction to offer federal student loans. As a result, excessive profits at the expense of the taxpayer will be eliminated and redirected to student aid so that college is more affordable for young Americans and their families.

"At a time when it's clear that a college education is becoming more and more necessary, it's unconscionable that the Department of Education is allowing hundreds of millions of dollars to go unaccounted for, increasing the cost burden of a college education for all Americans," Dodd said.

You can read more about Sen. Dodd's education plan at http://chrisdodd.com/issues/education.

Hi, my name is Brian Bailey and I’m a field organizer here in Nashua. I’m
having a go at the blog this week so I can talk about a great experience I
had in Wilton last Monday.

Last week, I spoke to a Contemporary Issues class at the Wilton-Lyndeborogh
Cooperative High School. I spoke to the group of interested seniors about
the political process and what it’s like to work on a presidential campaign.
The discussion was driven by questions posed by the students and their
teacher. I tried to stress to the students the importance of getting
involved in the process and remaining interested. The young people in New
Hampshire are privy to a great number of opportunities during primary
season. I really enjoyed speaking with the students and hopefully I sparked
their curiosity even more. They have an open invitation to come in and work
with our staff and learn first hand what New Hampshire politics are all
about.

This week, the Dodd Squad in Nashua will be very busy! We hope to see some
of you at the Milford Pumpkin Festival and the Firefest in Nashua.

Remember, we run nightly phone banks, and canvass every weekend. If you are
interested in joining us any night this week or this weekend, please give
Nick a call at 603-886-DODD.

Senator Dodd's full education plan is now online. You can read it here -- or check out the break-downs for what Senator Dodd's plan does to strengthen America's schools for K-16, as well as make higher education more affordable. It's a broad-based, bold set of ideas that will provide affordable, quality education for all. America's middle class will be strengthened if every child has access to a high quality education. But beyond ensuring America's students are able to be competitive in a global economy, having an educated citizenry is crucial to the future of our democracy. As Thomas Jefferson said, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Chris Dodd understands the importance of education and his comprehensive plan is yet another sign of how Dodd offers leadership when America needs it most.