Chris Dodd for President

David Bradly, the National Community Action Foundation's Executive Director, spent last Friday with Jackie Clegg Dodd on the trail in Iowa. He has a blog post on the experience today. Here's an excerpt:

Mrs. Dodd and I spent an enjoyable day visiting Community Action projects such as the non-profit Story County Community Dental Clinic in Ames, operated by Mid-Iowa Community Action. Mrs. Dodd spoke about her husband’s efforts to offer student loan forgiveness for medical professionals that work in underserved areas. She also emphasized Sen. Dodd’s long-time support of programs for low-income families.
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I must say, the Dodd campaign staff was impressive. It was refreshing to see these remarkable young people in action. I can’t help but feel optimistic knowing young people like these are in line to become tomorrow’s political leaders and active citizenry.

My day with Mrs. Dodd was 22 hours long. After such a long day, I become even more aware of how taxing a presidential campaign is. Senator and Mrs. Dodd and other candidates have long days like this seven days a week.

I like the Dodds very much. Both Senator and Mrs. Dodd understand and support Community Action programs. After spending a full day with Jackie Dodd, I can honestly say she would make a terrific first lady.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving break - I know I did. As we start the final stretch before the Iowa caucus, I wanted to share two blog posts with you from this past holiday weekend.

Jackie Dodd was recently interviewed by Lynda Waddington of Iowa Independent. Waddington's piece covers the story of how Chris Dodd and Jackie Clegg first met and Jackie's involvement in past Dodd campaigns. If you've ever wanted to learn what it's like to have your husband run for President or travel to campaign stops around the nation with two young children in tow, read Waddington's interview of Jackie.

J-Ro of The Seminal, in his weekly post on MyDD, praises Senator Dodd's leadership on restoring the Constitution and the rule of law as an indication of why he thinks Dodd will be a great President:

These kinds of strong actions, taken in the present, are way better than any promise or stirring turn of phrase a politician could make on the campaign trail. What happens in 2008 is important, sure, but so is what’s happening now. And if Chris Dodd has the fortitude to fight for what he and I believe in as a Senator, I have no doubt that he’ll do the same as President.

My support for a candidate in the past was never particularly strong. I would often vote, as many have voted, for “the best of the worst,” choosing the candidate who I best identified with. But today, in the run-up to the 2008 primaries, Democrats are presented with a plethora of good choices. It’s really something amazing. For the first time in a while, almost every person in the Democratic field I could feel good about voting for in the general election. I’m now asked to pick the best candidate to support with my primary vote, not simply the best of the worst. It’s a wonderful feeling.

I’m proud, then, to choose Chris Dodd, as he has proved already, without ever stepping foot in the Oval Office, that he will fight for me.

Strong words of support J-Ro - ones that I'm sure resonate with other Dodd supporters and people who want to see proven leadership in the White House come January, 2009.

As November begins, we look back on a great week on the Chris Dodd for President Campaign.

Tuesday was the MSNBC Democratic Candidate Debate in Philadelphia. Chris Dodd once again proved to the nation why he is the best candidate for President by standing with conviction and providing clear answers to the questions that were asked. A video of the debate can be seen here. Century of the Common Iowan Blog declared Chris Dodd a winner of Tuesday’s debate:

Winners

Chris Dodd - He seemed the most presidential and stressed his leadership and experience. He successfully drew distinctions with Clinton and questioned her electability without sounding like he was on the attack. He mentioned the need for public financing of campaigns."

Don't forget to tune in to see Chris Dodd at the CNN Democratic Debate in Las Vegas on November 15th.

Making the Move

Jackie Dodd, with daughters Grace and Christina, are now settled into their house in Des Moines. Jackie and the girls temporarily moved to Des Moines to be closer to their father while he spends more time in the state. Jackie, who has been traveling around the state to rave reviews for months already, is excited to keep the family closer together throughout campaign. "We have decided as a family to spend the remainder of the campaign here in Iowa with our children,” Jackie said recently. “We want our family to be together as we talk to as many caucus-goers across Iowa as possible - to talk about why Chris is running for President and what separates him from the field."

Again, I'm going to be posting video from this weekend throughout the day today. Here's Jackie Clegg Dodd introducing Senator Dodd at the Utah Democratic Party Convention in Salt Lake this past Saturday.

I wanted to pass along some great photos that were just put on the Dodd flickr feed today by Mario Piscatella, the Dodd campaign's regional field director for northwest Iowa. Chris and Jackie Dodd enjoy Paul Simon's performance in Carroll, Iowa Jackie, Grace, & Christina Dodd The freshly painted Chris Dodd for President office in Sioux City, Iowa.