On Nov. 7, New Hampshire voters will go to the polls to vote for their next legislators. While interesting contests exist in state senate districts, the most exciting race by far is in the 2nd Congressional District. The race is between two Dartmouth alumni, the Republican incumbent Charlie Bass '74 and the Democratic challenger Paul Hodes '72. Polls show that the two are in a statistical dead heat. Paul Hodes has run a strong campaign and as a result his race has been targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as one of the Democrats' best opportunities to pick up a seat in the House.
This is important not only for the Democrats, but also for Independents and Republicans who believe that the Bush administration has acquired too much power in the past few years and that it is time to elect a Congress that will do more than simply rubber-stamp the President's policies. To restore our forefathers' constitutional design we must elect a Congress that will re-establish the system of checks and balances. We must elect a Congressman who will stand up for what is right. It is time for New Hampshire to elect Paul Hodes.
Besides believing in him as a candidate, I have a more personal reason to support Hodes. As a student here at Dartmouth, he became one of my father's best friends. Hodes eventually married my mother's close cousin, and he has been an uncle to me my whole life. Hodes has integrity. He cares about people. He is thoughtful, smart and articulate. He will make an excellent congressman. I have heard it said that New Hampshire voters elect candidates because of their character, not because of their party. For all of you who are hesitant to vote for a Democrat, consider voting for the person, not the party, this November.
Formerly Special Prosecutor of the State of New Hampshire, Hodes has the experience to hold accountable those who might otherwise escape responsibility. In fact, he was the first to criminally prosecute an environmental polluter in New Hampshire. We need Hodes to represent us in Washington so that he can ask the tough questions -- about Iraq, about Guantanamo and about domestic spying. Bass votes with Bush 87 percent of the time, and rarely challenges the leadership, despite his claim to be independent. In its Oct. 22 endorsement of Paul Hodes, the Concord Monitor declared that it is time to elect a new congressman because, with regard to Iraq, "Bass asked few questions, raised fewer objections and still acknowledges nary a mistake."
Iraq is the key issue in this election. As a first step to resolve the conflict in Iraq and to begin to regain the respect of the world community, Hodes believes we should make it clear that we will not occupy Iraq permanently. He would withdraw the National Guard troops from Iraq immediately, asserting that they are needed to respond to domestic emergencies. Hodes believes our mission should be to train the Iraqi police and military. We should help them create their own solution to the crisis so as to regain the respect of the Iraqis and the international community.
Domestically, we need to deal with the healthcare crisis. Too many people who cannot afford health insurance wait until it is too late to seek necessary care. As a nation, we need to offer quality and affordable health care to all. Doing so will end the vicious cycle in which the uninsured do not seek care when they need it, and then end up in the emergency room, making insurance even more expensive.
We need to secure the future of our children by facing the failure of No Child Left Behind. As Hodes says, "Fix it, fund it or repeal it." It's time that we came up with real solutions to the education crisis because the success of our country in the future depends on the success of new generations
If you think the country is headed in the wrong direction, vote for Paul Hodes. He will stand up for change. If you believe Congress should act as a check on the President, vote for Paul Hodes. He will stand up for the Constitution. If you believe in the principles he stands for, know that your vote counts and vote for Paul Hodes.