By Lisa Arsenault
P
residential candidate Chris Dodd got to show off his Spanish skills at Concord High School yesterday and encouraged students to do what he did when he was a young man: Join the Peace Corps and learn about the cultures of the world.
After a brief introductory speech at the high school yesterday morning, Dodd fielded his first question from senior Alaina Maher, who posed it all in Spanish.
"Muy bien!" Dodd replied and continued in Spanish to praise Mayer.
"The question was, if I were president, what would I do to improve education in this country?" he added, for those in the audience who don't speak the language.
Dodd, a U.S. senator from Connecticut, became fluent in Spanish as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic after he graduated from Providence College in the mid-1960s. Dodd refers to the experience often on the campaign trail, urging everyone to get involved in something bigger than themselves and criticizing the Bush administration for failing to reach out to foreign countries.
Dodd, 62, is running for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination after serving 26 years in the U.S. Senate.
He gave his answer to Mayer's question in English yesterday, telling students that the No Child Left Behind law is not working and that public education needs more funding from the federal, state and local governments. Dodd voted in favor of No Child Left Behind but said the law needs to be changed and better funded.
"I think it's disgraceful that we spend less than 5 percent of the national budget in this country on elementary and secondary education," he said. "We're in the 21st century, and the idea that we determine the quality of a child's education in this country based on the affluence or economic well-being of the county in which they reside in is incredible. It ought to have nothing to do with how wealthy the town is."
He went on to say that students should be learning foreign languages in elementary school and said U.S. foreign policy needs to focus on reaching out to other countries "not just when you want their vote at the United Nations."
Dodd has been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration's foreign policy, telling audiences that "we need a surge in diplomacy" instead of a surge of troops in Iraq. He said U.S. troops in Iraq should be brought home right away. U.S. leaders have to go back to a policy where diplomacy is the first priority, he added.
"If you think we're going to deal effectively with global terror on our own, you're kidding yourself," he said. "It's not a sign of weakness to negotiate. Diplomacy is not a gift to your opponents."
When asked by a student what sets him apart from other Democrats in the field, Dodd talked about his lengthy service in Congress and his track record of working across party lines to pass key policy changes. He also fielded questions about his stance on gay marriage, what he plans to do about global warming and whether he would take an aggressive stance on reducing nuclear stockpiles.
He told students that he is against a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and in favor of civil unions. He also said he thinks the country needs to step up investments in renewable energy and become more aggressive about phasing out reliance on fossil fuels.
Maher said she was surprised Dodd was able to immediately understand and respond to her question in Spanish. Her class worked on formulating the question because their teacher told them Dodd knew the language.
"I was very impressed," she said. "He was very forceful. He didn't just give general opinions."
Junior Nathan Holmes said he thought Dodd made some strong points about Iraq and the need to reach out more to other countries. But he also said that it will be a difficult race for Dodd, who is unknown to many voters.
"I've never heard the name before. That tells you something," Holmes said.
Dodd's polling numbers have been in the single digits, and his fundraising tallies are millions below his high-profile Democratic competitors. Dodd told reporters after his appearance yesterday that he has raised $4 million in his presidential bid so far. He hopes to at least double that in the coming months, he said. Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama say they have raised $26 million and $25 million respectively.
Still, students said, it's too early to say lesser-known candidates like Dodd don't have a chance.
"I definitely see him as a contender," said freshman Swathi Nuli, who asked Dodd what he would do to slow down global warming. "I was impressed."
Dodd ended his talk at Concord High by thanking students for listening to him and giving him a chance to prove himself.
"I think New Hampshire likes to prove the pundits wrong from time to time," he said. "This is worth millions, if you will, to have a chance to talk to students here, to express my views candidly with you about what I would try to do if I'm elected your president."
