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| Summary of Positions |
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| Statements on the Issues |
Chris Dodd's Summary of Positions
Positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC), or None Found (NF).
Candidates who have changed their positions are listed as Now their most recent position.
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Chris Dodd's Statements on the Issues
Positions are categorized as
Pro, Con, Not Clearly Pro or Con, or None Found. |
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| Abortion: |
"Should abortion remain a legal option in America?" |
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Pro: "I happen to believe a woman has a right to choose. I've voted that way and done that, supported that for the 26 years I've been in the United States Senate...
Abortions ought to be rare, safe and legal. And I think all of us here, regardless of your views on the question, would like to see national leadership in the country that would start providing additional choices so that women aren't faced with just the choice they have today."
South Carolina Democratic Presidential Debate, Orangeburg, SC, Apr. 26, 2007
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| Cuba: |
"Should the U.S. continue to support an embargo against Cuba?" |
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Con: "Certainly what we've done over the last 50 years I don't think has worked. Fifty years of this policy, of the embargo has basically left the same man in power, the same repressive politics, an economy that's been failing in the country. He has been using that as an excuse for his own failures. As president of the United States, I would begin to unravel that embargo. I would lift travel restrictions, so Cuban Americans can go visit their families. I would be lifting the restrictions on remissions...
We need to engage in a constructive and positive way. This is hurting us as well throughout the Americas here. Our ability to engage the rest of this hemisphere is directly related to our ability to engage intelligently in this transition. It takes new, bold leadership to do this. We need to understand that the hopes and aspirations of the Cuban people are as important as anything to us."
Univision Network Democratic Presidential Debate, Miami, FL, Sep. 9, 2007
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| Death Penalty: |
"Should the death penalty remain a legal option in America?" |
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Pro: "I have taken the view over the years that there are certain circumstances...where I would not exclude the use of the death penalty. I don't like to see it used as widely or broadly..."
Forum with Chris Dodd and Sam Brownback, Boston College, Apr. 23, 2007
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| Education: |
"Is the increasing cost of college and university tuition pricing America's middle class out of higher education?" |
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Pro: "Today's passage of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act is a long overdue investment in the future of the United States. At a time when our world is growing more complex and interconnected, it is essential that higher education remains within reach of every American so that all of our students are prepared to compete in the global marketplace. We live in a time when far too many students and their families are getting priced out of college and the American dream."
"Statement of Senator Dodd on the Passage of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act," Chris Dodd's Senate website, Sep. 7, 2007
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| Election Reform: |
"Should voter verified paper audit trails (VVPAT) be mandatory in elections?" |
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Pro: "I am not opposed to states requiring a voter verified audit trail - the provision I authored in HAVA [Help America Vote Act] already requires that states establish a permanent paper record with audit capacity for election systems.
But I am opposed to federally mandating that states implement voter verification by means of a paper record only. Regrettably, that is what the legislation proposed last year required, and that is what some legislation reintroduced this Congress requires. Such a requirement would discriminate against the disabled and those who are language minorities and
the illiterate."
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| Energy: |
"Should drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) be allowed?" |
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Con: Voted Yes on "Budget Amendment, FY2004" (S.Amd.272) to prevent consideration of drilling Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [ANWR] from budget bill
Voted No on "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Amendment" (S.Amd.3133), to drill ANWR on national security grounds
Voted No on the "Roth Amendment" (S.AMDT.2955), to preserve a budget for ANWR oil drilling, Apr. 2000
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| Environment: |
"Should the U.S. ratify an international environmental agreement (such as the Kyoto Protocol) that mandates reductions in carbon emissions?" |
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Pro: "There is no reason why the United States should be falling behind countries such as Germany, Brazil and Japan when it comes to renewable energy technologies such as wind, solar and biofuels. If other countries can do it, America can do it better. That is why, for all its flaws, it was a disgrace that this Administration abandoned the Kyoto Protocol - that they picked up their chair and went home. In a Dodd Administration, America will lead the world in reversing the effects of global climate change, convening an International Global Warming Summit."
"The New American Prosperity: Innovation and Energy Independence in the 21st Century," Chris Dodd's official candidate website, Apr. 19, 2007
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| Gun Control: |
"Are more federal regulations on guns and ammunition needed?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "[Dodd] supported the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases, and supported the ban on deadly assault weapons. He authored a bill requiring safety locks on guns and supported legislation to prevent anyone convicted of domestic violence from owning a gun."
"Biography of Senator Christopher J. Dodd," Chris Dodd's U.S. Senate website (accessed Nov. 21, 2007)
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| Health Care: |
"Should all Americans have a right to government or employer subsidized basic health care?" |
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Pro: "The Dodd plan will create a health insurance marketplace called the Universal HealthMart that is based on, and parallel to, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan (FEHBP). Individuals and businesses will pay for coverage within Universal HealthMart based on their ability to pay. If a person or business is unable to pay for insurance, the government will subsidize their premium share on a sliding scale based on income. Universal HealthMart will offer a variety of comprehensive plans and entitle every American to the same benefits and types of plans as Members of Congress."
"Health Care for All: The Dodd Plan," Chris Dodd's official candidate website (accessed Nov. 1, 2007)
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| Immigration: |
"Should the U.S. build a physical barrier, such as a fence, along the U.S.-Mexico border?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "[Wolf] Blitzer: I want...Senator Dodd, though, to respond, because you voted for that security fence along the border between the U.S. and Mexico...
Dodd: I will give you some points. In certain places you could make a case that a wall might help, not of course on the entire border. I am opposed to that. But the idea of having some sort of better security, including additional guards, additional technology here to allow us to deal with the issues. But there ought not to be any correlation here. When you take the oath of office, you don't [sic] swear to uphold the Constitution or protect the country. I believe by upholding our rights, we do protect the country. And the administration has taken the opposite view. They are posing to us the false choice, the dichotomy that to be safer, we have to give up rights. I think that is so fundamentally flawed and fundamentally dangerous for the United States of America to embrace that idea."
Democratic Presidential Debate, Las Vegas, NV, hosted by CNN, Nov. 15, 2007
[Editor's Note: Prior to Chris Dodd's Nov. 15, 2007 Not Clearly Pro or Con position above, he has also expressed a Pro position as indicated by his Sep. 29, 2006 U.S. Senate vote in support of the "Secure Fence Act of 2006."]
Pro "SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION OF FENCING AND SECURITY IMPROVEMENTS IN BORDER AREA FROM PACIFIC OCEAN TO GULF OF MEXICO...
(1) SECURITY FEATURES.-
(A) REINFORCED FENCING.-In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide for least 2 layers of reinforced fencing, the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors..."
"Secure Fence Act of 2006" (H.R.6061), Library of Congress website, Sep. 29, 2006
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| Iran: |
"Should the U.S. use military force against Iran if Iran does not dismantle its nuclear program?" |
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Con: "Mr. Russert: The president just announced that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is a foreign terrorist organization and imposed sanctions on Iran. Do you support the sanctions?
Sen. Dodd: Absolutely. I think it's the right way to go. In fact, we'll be dealing with that legislation in the committee I serve on. That's the - that's the appropriate way to go. What is not the right way to go, in my view, is the resolution adopted several weeks ago in the Senate, the large vote here, which almost exclusively focused on the military option in Iran. Iran poses some serious issues. Certainly the accumulation or the possibility of accumulating nuclear weapons, obviously supporting terrorism in the region are serious questions that the United States has to address. The best way to approach that at this juncture is through the sanctions, the diplomatic approach, in my view, building the relationships that we need to build in order to effectively convince the Iranians that their direction they're going in is one they have to stop."
Meet the Press with Tim Russert, Oct. 28, 2007
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| Iraq War: |
"Has the war in Iraq made America safer?" |
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Con: "...[O]ur current course has failed to make Iraq safer, has failed to make America safer, and so must change dramatically."
"Dodd Speaks in Support of Legislation to Redeploy Combat Troops From Iraq," Chris Dodd's Senate website (accessed Nov. 1, 2007)
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| Iraq War: |
"Should the U.S. set a timetable for troop withdrawal in Iraq?" |
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Pro: "I believe the only way to achieve real change in Iraq is to insist on a firm and enforceable deadline for redeploying U.S. combat troops that is tied to funding which is the only way we can end this war."
"Iraq Redeployment Legislation Must Have Firm Deadline, Enforceable Cut Off of Funds," Chris Dodd's Senate website, Sep. 20, 2007
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| Marriage: |
"Should an affair outside of marriage disqualify a candidate for public office?" |
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None Found: No position found as of Dec. 19, 2007. ProCon.org also emailed the Dodd campaign on Dec. 13, 2007 with this question. They did not respond to our email or follow up call.
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| Marriage: |
"Should there be a Constitutional amendment or federal law defining marriage as only between a man and a woman?" |
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Con: "I wanted to just take a minute or so here to say to my colleagues and to others that had I been present this morning, I would have voted no on the motion for cloture, and had cloture been invoked, I would have voted against the amendment. I am speaking of the proposed constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriages.
Like many of my colleagues who have spoken on this matter, I believe this is a matter that belongs in the States. This is not a matter that ought to be a part of the Constitution."
"Floor Statement of Senator Chris Dodd on Marriage Protection Amendment," Chris Dodd's Senate website, June 7, 2006
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| Medical Marijuana: |
"Should marijuana be a medical option?" |
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Pro: Bill Maher: "Can you give me a good reason why, in a free and fair society, marijuana should be illegal?"
Dodd: "Well, Bill, I've taken the position, certainly with medical use of marijuana, that it ought to be allowed. And many states, I think 12 or 13 states allow that today. In fact, we just had a huge debate in the committee in which I serve dealing with the issue. And I've strongly advocated that these states not be biased or prejudiced because they allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes."
"The Bill Maher Grill: Democratic Candidate Mashup," Yahoo! News (accessed Nov. 1, 2007)
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| Religion: |
"Should federal funds be given to faith-based (religious) organizations and initiatives?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: Voted Yes to S.476, the "CARE Act of 2003," Apr. 9, 2003:
"An original bill to provide incentives for charitable contributions by individuals and businesses, to improve the public disclosure of activities of exempt organizations, and to enhance the ability of low-income Americans to gain financial security by building assets, and for other purposes... Section 307 - Modifies the definition of convention or association of churches to state that no such grouping shall fail to qualify merely because individuals are members or because individuals have voting rights in such organization."
"S.476, CARE Act of 2003," Govtrack.us website, Apr. 9, 2003
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| Religion: |
"Should a candidate's religion matter to voters?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "Zahn: You can't hit any campaign stop today without a politician talking about their faith. Do you feel the pressure to wear your faith on your sleeve?
Dodd: No, I don't. And I think that can be a mistake. If it's not natural, if it isn't something you do regularly, I think you ought to beware. If people sense this is somehow you're using the language because you think it's the political thing to do, it will hurt you, in my view. It has to be natural enough."
Paula Zahn Now, Jun. 4, 2007
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| Social Security: |
"Should Social Security be privatized?" |
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Con: "Obviously, I think it would be important to start to address the [Social Security] issue. Certainly, we have no ideas, and I would be totally opposed to the privatization of Social Security. That is a very bad idea and I am glad we rejected it."
CNN/YouTube Democratic Presidential Debate, Charleston, SC, July 23, 2007
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| Stem Cells: |
"Should the federal government fund embryonic stem cell research?" |
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Pro: "[President Bush's] veto of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act is a grave moral error. Embryonic stem cell research may one day provide relief to more than 100 million Americans suffering from Parkinson's, diabetes, spinal cord injury, Lou Gehrig's disease, cancer, and many other devastating conditions for which there is still no cure. Today, Federal funds are only allowed for work on 21 stem cell lines that existed as of August 9, 2001, all of which are contaminated. Scientists understand that access to more stem cell lines would significantly expand the scope and possibility of their research. That is why the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act expanded the number of embryonic stem cell lines available for federally funded research by allowing the use of stem cells derived through embryos from in vitro fertilization clinics."
"Veto of Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007," U.S. Congressional Record, June 20, 2007
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| Taxes: |
"Should the Bush tax cuts be made permanent?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "SEN. DODD: ...Simply if you would just take what the President suggested in 2001 for his tax cuts, which were not to be permanent but to expire within 10 years. If he would not make those permanent, those tax cuts will amount to about $11 trillion in revenue losses over the next 75 years. The solvency issue for the Social Security Trust Fund is around $3 trillion. Just reduce that tax cut by $3 trillion, keep $8 trillion if you want. That solves the solvency problem without cutting benefits at all. That's one way to do it, and we ought to be doing more.
MR. RUSSERT: But that's a tax increase.
SEN. DODD: Oh, no. He's made - they were temporary. These were temporary. The president said in 2001 these are temporary. They're going to terminate, expire in 10 years. Instead of making them permanent, just reduce the amount.
MR. RUSSERT: But if limiting the growth of Social Security is a cut, then ending a tax cut has to be a tax increase...
SEN. DODD: ...Do I want to cut 50 percent of a middle-income person's retirement benefits or do I want to ask the top 1 percent of income earners to do with a little less of a tax cut on a permanent basis? That choice is easy, and I think most of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, would prefer that option."
Interview with Tim Russert, Meet the Press, May. 1, 2005
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| U.S. Constitution: |
"Should the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights be altered or updated in any way?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "The Framers deliberately made it difficult to amend the Constitution. They did not intend it to be subject to the passions and whims of the moment. Time has proven their wisdom. Since 1789, when the first Congress was convened, there have been 11,413 proposals to amend the Constitution. Sixty-four have been offered in this Congress alone. Luckily, only 27 have been successful. If all or even a substantial fraction of these proposed amendments were adopted, our founding document would today resemble a Christmas tree, a civil and criminal code rather than a constitution, and the United States would be a very different Nation.
It is unfortunate that the majority leadership of the Senate does not share James Madison's view that the Constitution should only be amended 'for certain, great, and extraordinary occasions.'"
"Floor Statement of Senator Chris Dodd on Marriage Protection Amendment," Chris Dodd's official candidate website, June 7, 2006
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| War on Terror: |
"Should interrogation techniques that some consider torture, such as waterboarding, be a legal option?" |
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Con: "Waterboarding isn't torture? Malcolm Nance is a 26-year expert in intelligence and counter-terrorism, a combat veteran, and former Chief of Training at the US Navy Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape School who has trained American soldiers to resist interrogation. Listen to Malcolm Nance. He writes waterboarding - 'does not simulate drowning...The victim is drowning...slow motion suffocation....When done right it is controlled death.'
Now, if you'd rather use a euphemism--'enhanced interrogation'--feel free. Feel free to use a bureaucratic term like 'extraordinary rendition'--as long as we all know that it means kidnapping the citizens of Western nations and shipping them to the Middle East for outsourced torture. Feel free to talk about 'fraternity hazing,' like Rush Limbaugh did, or to use a favorite term of Vice President Cheney's, 'a dunk in the water'--just as long as everyone understands that you're talking about a technique invented by the Spanish Inquisition and perfected by the Khmer Rouge.
That, my friends, is waterboarding. It is torture. This Administration thinks it is legal. Mine will not - because there is no place for it in our America. We are better than this."
"The Rule of Law in U.S. National Security and Foreign Policy," speech at Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, Nov. 6, 2007
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Chris Dodd's Biography |
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| Title(s): |
U.S. Senator (D-CT) |
| Personal Information: |
| Full Name: Christopher John Dodd |
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Marital Status: Married |
| Birthdate: May 27, 1944 |
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Children: Two |
| Birthplace: Willimantic, CT |
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Religion: Roman Catholic |
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| Involvement: |
- U.S. Senator (D-Connecticut), 1981-present
- Member, U.S. House of Representatives (D-Connecticut), 1975-1981
- Attorney, private practice, 1973-1975
- U.S. Army National Guard and Reserves, 1969-1975
- Peace Corps, Dominican Republic, 1966-1968
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| Education: |
- JD, University of Louisville School of Law, 1972
- BA, English Literature, Providence College, 1966
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| Affiliations and Memberships: |
- Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
- Senior Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
- Senior Member, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
- Member, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
- Chair, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, 2001-2003
- General Chairman, Democratic National Committee, 1995-1997
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| Other: |
Select Publications:
- Cowritten with Lary Bloom, Letters from Nuremberg: My Father's Narrative of a Quest for Justice, 2007
- "U.S. Shouldn't Be Outsourcing Its Security," Connecticut Post, Feb. 13, 2005
- "Bush Failing to Battle Terror on the Home Front," New Haven Register, Mar. 18, 2004
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| Contact Information: |
- Campaign:
- Phone: 202-737-DODD (3633)
- Fax:None listed
- E-Mail: www.chrisdodd.com/contact
- Web Site: www.chrisdodd.com
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- Senate:
- Phone: 202-224-2823, D.C. Office
- Fax: 202-224-1083, D.C. Office
- E-Mail: Online Contact Form
- Web Site: http://dodd.senate.gov
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(PDF) 5 KB, Mar. 2003