Heartland Presidential Forum: Chris Dodd

As I posted earlier, I was unable to attend the Heartland Presidential Forum due to the winter weather that is hitting the area. So I am sitting comfortably at home and will be blogging from my couch.

It is Chris Dodd's turn. He says it is more than just standing on stage and saying the right things, it is about what have you done in the past. He discusses his past volunteering in the Peace Corps (and throws in some Spanish while talking about his work in the Peace Corps), being elected to Congress, and passing the Family and Medical Leave Act.

The first question comes from a woman from Los Angeles who came to the US from Vietnam and was denied political asylum. Her family's home was raided two months ago by immigration raided and she has been separated from her family. The next person is an immigrant from Kansas. She says she has followed the laws of this country, paid taxes, and contributed to the nation and finally became a citizen after nearly 20 years and $15,000. Dodd says he is the strong candidate for the Dream Act, but that is the easy part. Rhetoric is cheap. As a Senator, he has introduced separate legislation that keep families together. He says immigration reform has to be a priority of the next president.

The next question concerns the high cost of higher education and what Sen. Dodd will do to make sure younger Americans aren't put into debt to provide basic needs such as education, housing, and health care. Dodd says he can give a good speech on this, but will tell what he has done on this issue. He fought the horrible Bankruptcy bill for 6 years when some who spoke at this forum voted for the bill. He has introduced a bill that says you can't declare bankruptcy due to health care reasons and banks shouldn't be getting rich off of student loans.

Dodd is asked about the growing income inequality. Dodd answers with a swipe at Edwards...

I have been fighting tooth and nail. I am no Johnny come lately on these issues.

He says there is a direct correlation in the decline in union households and the rise in income inequality.

Dodd didn't give as a rousing speech as Edwards and Kucinich, but he really highlighted his experience and the fact that actions speaks louder than words.

Here is more information on Dodd's appearance.