Music and Political Lyrics Legendary Performer Paul Simon Joins Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd in Carroll

News Article

MUSIC AND POLITICAL LYRICS
LEGENDARY PERFORMER PAUL SIMON JOINS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE CHRIS DODD IN CARROLL

By DOUGLAS BURNS
Staff Writer

Nearly 300 people attended a blended musical performance-political rally Saturday in Carroll with iconic singer-songwriter Paul Simon and Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd.

As Dodd, a veteran U.S. senator from Connecticut, finished his brief stump speech in the band shell at Graham Park around 10 a.m., Simon waited in the wings, slowly strumming his acoustic guitar and softly singing as he prepared for the performance.

Simon referred to Dodd, his longtime friend, as a man "with a lot of wisdom."

"I'm actually Art Garfunkel on weekends," Dodd joked as he started his remarks.

Simon, 65, a resident of New Canaan, Conn., performed "The Sound of Silence," "The Boxer," and "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard." Simon, named by Time magazine as one of the 100 people who "shaped" the world, has twice been inducted to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a soloist and as a member of the duo Simon and Garfunkel.

For his part, Dodd highlighted his experience in Washington and urged voters to closely examine all candidates rather than jump on board with highly funded media-star candidates.

"You have a wonderful habit in this state of proving the pundits wrong," Dodd said.

Dodd called for a major shift in strategy in Iraq.

"I believe it's time we redeployed our troops out of Iraq," Dodd said.

Dodd, a former member of the Peace Corps, is calling for a national service program that, among other things, requires volunteer work for high school graduation.

A son of a U.S. senator and American lawyer at the Nuremberg Nazi trials, Thomas Dodd, Chris Dodd heard President John F. Kennedy's inaugural live.

"He asked a generation of us to be involved in something larger than ourselves," Dodd said.

Dodd said Americans need more "shared experiences" that would come through national service.

He noted that on energy issues many of the candidates are calling for energy independence. But he says aggressive policies, not tough stump rhetoric, are needed.

Dodd called for a 50-mpg standard and a corporate carbon tax to improve the environment and lessen dependence on foreign oil.

"Everybody's for the same goals," Dodd said. "We've got some tough decisions to get us there."

Before attending the event at Graham Park, Dodd and Simon and their entourage stayed Friday night at the Super 8 on U.S. Highway 30-east. Many members of the campaign ate dinner at Bloomer's Bar & Grill.

During his speech, Dodd mentioned that his two young daughters, Grace, 6, and Christina, 2, were playfully writing songs with Paul Simon on the campaign bus - a Carroll-based Windstar Lines vehicle.

Later, on the drive from Carroll to Council Bluffs (see related story), Dodd's daughters were playing tic-tac-toe with Simon, and writing more songs.

While the audience in Carroll politely clapped for a number of a Dodd's applause lines, many people said they made their way to Graham Park to hear Simon sing live.

"I'm a huge Paul Simon supporter," said Tom Twit of Carroll, a longtime funeral director.

Twit said he saw Simon and Garfunkel perform in Montreal in 1964.

"I probably have a half a dozen CDs," Twit said.

Bob Running of Pro Auto in Carroll said he attended the event to see "live nostalgia."

Source