“I think what it is is a compromise of his leadership and I think honestly he has a family in crisis,” Vander Plaats said. “I think he needs to put his attention on the family right now. If I was counseling him I would say, ‘Governor Sanford, not only for your state but I believe for you and your family I’d resign.’”

Vander Plaats said his party should be held to a higher standard, and thus, should be judged more harshly over their values. Republicans must decide whether they are going “to walk the walk or just talk the talk” when it comes to family values.

The call for Sanford’s resignation grew louder Wednesday when 14 of South Carolina’s Republican state senators joined 11 Republican members of the state House and six of the state’s biggest newspapers in calling for him to step down.

Presidential candidate Chris Dodd led a round-table discussion, “Our Families, Our Future: Putting Women and Families First,” at Davenport’s Family Resources, Inc. on Monday afternoon.  Joined by his sister, Martha Buonanno, Dodd listened as social services workers and agency directors asked questions and related some of their clients’ stories.  He made previous stops at Des Moines’ House of Mercy and the Jane Boyd Community House in Cedar Rapids.

The Democratic senator from Connecticut listed many of the bills and legislation he has authored for families, women and women’s health, children, child care, child protective services and disease research.  He also touted his experience reaching across the aisle to enlist Republican lawmakers in his numerous legislative successes.

Videos from the event are available below the fold.

Dodd was also joined by long-time family friend, Eva Bunnell, who lives in Connecticut.  She said she was “happy to be here” in Iowa supporting him.  When Bunnell met Dodd in their church 20 years ago, it was his care and interest in her daughter’s condition that made her believe that Dodd, when it comes to families, “doesn’t forget, he keeps on fighting.”  Bunnell’s daughter Jacinta suffers from a rare brain disorder.

Bunnell said she was able to take care of her daughter and keep her job because of the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Iowa Independent reporter Lynda Waddington has more on Dodd’s plan for women and families.  She also has a video of Eva Bunnell’s speech in Cedar Rapids.

In this video, Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd says that when it comes to “valuing families” the rhetoric of many candidates “never matches the action.”  He also defines a “new patriotism” that places emphasis on issues like domestic violence, which he recalled from the discussion gets reported about 1,000 times annually in Scott County.

He later spoke of the contrast between his campaign, which brought his friend and supporter Eva Bunnell to Iowa, with other campaigns who are bringing musical acts and talk-show hosts.

After finishing his Iowa tour this week, Dodd will return to Washington, DC for legislative sessions next week.