DODD WINS FINAL DEMOCRATIC DEBATE OF THE SEASON
EXHIBITS EXPERIENCE, ELECTABILITY AT DES MOINES REGISTER DEBATE
DES MOINES – Emphasizing his record of results and leadership in achieving real change for American families, Presidential candidate Chris Dodd proved at today’s Des Moines Register Presidential Debate that his experience and ability would make him the most electable candidate in the general election and the most prepared leader to sit in the Oval Office. In the final debate before the Iowa Caucuses, Dodd made the most powerful case to Iowa’s still-undecided majority that, when celebrity, money, and rhetoric fizzle away, he stands as the candidate with proven results, proven electability, and proven ability to lead the country to real change.
Dodd repeatedly demonstrated the breadth and depth of his knowledge on the critical and complex issues that will arise both on the general election campaign trail and in the White House. His understanding of the federal budget showed when explaining how he would balance domestic priorities with the financial burden of the Iraq war:
“We need to have an economy that’s driving to growth and creating jobs – which is the best social program anyone ever created – with a sense of optimism,” said Dodd. “And then simultaneously, as you grow and deal with the underlying waste that’s occurred, bring an end to the war in Iraq, which costs us $10 billion every month. Then we can begin to put that discipline back into the process, which all Americans are looking for.”
Having just completed a speaking tour across Iowa on the importance of the rule of law to our nation’s security, Dodd emphasized the role of human rights in our nation’s foreign policy:
“It needs to be understood in the very beginning of my Presidency that if you're going to do business with the United States, human rights is fundamentally important,” said Dodd, who is a senior member of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee. “We care about it; the world cares about it, and that's one way to enhance our reputation, restore our footing and moral authority in the world by insisting that this be a part of that seamless conduct of the nation's foreign policy.”
Dodd differentiated himself from the rest of the candidates when speaking about America’s relationship with China. As Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Dodd has been working to create more of a level playing field on which the United States can compete with China:
“I think Americans are tired of this conversation somehow that it’s ‘business as usual.’ It’s not. We don’t have the same access to their shelves, to our services that we’d like to sell in their country, they’re very, very restrictive. We need to get a lot tougher on this. Fair – not loud, but fair – if we’re going to have a better relationship or before long, this will no longer be the most desirous market for them. We will have disadvantaged our country substantially. This is a major, major issue that needs to be addressed with a lot more thoughtfulness than it’s getting today.”