Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
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Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd spent the morning in Ottumwa today, holding what he calls a "kitchen table meeting" with potential Iowa Democratic Caucus voters.
The event was held at the Riverside Family Restaurant, located on Ottumwa's south side, just a few blocks away from the city's John Deere plant and several local union halls. The historically blue-collar neighborhood in Ottumwa provided a fitting backdrop for Dodd's conversation with area residents.
The Connecticut Senator stressed the importance of electing a president with the experience and ability to lead the country toward economic prosperity. He explained that he was familiar with communities similar to Ottumwa in his home state that have lost many manufacturing jobs.
"In my state of Connecticut, there are towns struggling to find their future in the 21st Century," said Dodd. "We can help by creating a new energy policy in this country. This state is on the cutting edge of that new energy. We'll take this energy crisis and turn it into an energy opportunity."
Dodd also touted his experience of 26 years in the Senate, and highlighted his ability to reach across the aisle in a bipartisan way by noting his work to pass the Family Medical Leave Act.
Dodd expressed the need to move the nation toward universal access to health care, and talked at length about his health care ideas.
As President, Dodd said he would also begin a major infrastructure improvement effort in the United States. "We need to improve our roads, bridges, water and sewer systems," he said. "We're not investing enough in our public infrastructure right now." Dodd said that the federal government could put 47,000 people immediately to work with a one billion dollar investment in public infrastructure projects.
While visiting with the local residents, Dodd also answered questions about the porous border with Mexico and the immigration debate, the possibility of Iran possessing a nuclear weapon, and the recent Democratic candidates' debate on MSNBC.
Time after time, the subject of the conversation turned to focus on the war in Iraq. "I'm of the view that we've done enough in Iraq," he said. He expressed frustration with President Bush's handling of the situation, and renewed his call to start moving U.S. troops out of Iraq immediately. Dodd's plan would be to have all U.S. troops out of Iraq within one year.
After leaving Ottumwa, Dodd was headed to Keokuk to tour the Tri-City Energy biodiesel plant, and then on to several other events in eastern Iowa on Saturday.
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