Presidential Hopeful Chris Dodd Tours Q-C

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Presidential hopeful Chris Dodd tours Q-C

By Jenny Lee, jlee@qconline.com

DAVENPORT -- Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd shook hands with voters Sunday, hoping to convince them he's the right man for the top job in the country.

The U.S. senator from Connecticut spoke in front of about 30 people at the home of Iowa state Sen. Joe Seng, D-Davenport. Earlier Sunday, he made two stops in Maquoketa.

Undecided voters were interested in meeting the senator, curious to see how he differed from the other Democratic candidates.

Cynthia Vaughan, of LeClaire, said she thought Mr. Dodd was very articulate and smart. Still, "I haven't made up my mind," she said.

Mr. Dodd talked about Iraq and answered questions from voters as he worked the room during his "Coffee with Chris" event.

"Here we are in Iraq, spending $2 billion a week, $8 billion a month. Tell me we couldn't use that money to improve our health care, our education policy and be a far better neighbor around the world," he said.

The candidate said he's a proponent of universal health care and wants to expand Medicare and Medicaid services.

He also wants to close the income gap. He said he'd like to give incentives to small businesses. He said he doesn't like a tax code that seems to reward businesses to go overseas, and would instead like a tax code that gives incentives to corporations to stay in America.

Florence Whisler, of Eldridge, was impressed with Mr. Dodd. But she said, "I think what he says is so similar to the other candidates. At this point, I could support any Democratic candidate."

When asked how he's different from other candidates, Mr. Dodd answered that his years of experience in Congress separate him from others.

He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980. Before that, he served three terms in the House of Representatives, according to his campaign Web site.

He said he speaks fluent Spanish because he joined the Peace Corps and volunteered in the Dominican Republic.

Richard Pokora, of Bettendorf, said, "I like the fact he's come into the community and met with us one-on-one rather than having a big rally."

Hillary Rodham Clinton, of New York, and Barack Obama, of Illinois, who are also seeking the Democratic nomination, had events in large venues locally.

Ms. Clinton announced Sunday that her campaign raised $26 million in the first quarter of 2007, breaking a fundraising record. By transferring $10 million from her Senate campaign fund, she now has a whopping $36 million for her presidential run.

Mr. Dodd responded to the announcement by saying, "I'm quite convinced that if I'm allowed to make my case here in Iowa in the next 10 months that the people of this state will make a good choice.

"It won't be made on the basis on how much money you brought to a campaign but by your ideas, your conviction, your background, your experience, you determination and your ability to win elections, not the size of your bank account."

Mr. Dodd is chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and has accepted contributions from banks and other financial institutions.

"I make judgments on what I think is right," he said, adding that a lot of times some people don't agree with his votes.

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