Chris Dodd

Source: abcnews.go.com --- 10 days ago
ABC News Business Correspondent Betsy Stark interviews the powerful Senator. ...

Source: abcnews.go.com --- 14 days ago
Obama camp has requested information from the Connecticut Democratic senator. ...

Source: www.slate.com --- 12 days ago
On the surface, Chris Dodd is the perfect vice presidential candidate for Barack Obama. He’s Catholic, while Obama has struggled to win over Catholics. He speaks fluent Spanish, which could help among Latinos. He’s a veteran, just like you-know-who. Jews love him—his father was on the prosecution team at Nuremberg. He sits on the Senate foreign relations committee, which could quiet critics who see Obama as green on foreign policy. His biggest legislative accomplishment, the Family and Medical Leave Act , dovetails nicely with Obama’s health care plans. The man is experience incarnate. It’s too bad he probably won’t be picked. Remember Jim Johnson, the guy in charge of Obama’s VP search committee? Johnson resigned last month under fire for receiving reduced-rate loans from Countrywide, a company criticized for its role in the mortgage crisis. It turns out Dodd was also part of the same “V.I.P.” program, which cuts rates and eliminates fees for special customers. In 2003, Dodd received two loans through Countrywide, saving a little under $3,000 thanks to the program, according to Portfolio . Countrywide has contributed $21,000 to Dodd’s campaigns since 1997. Obama set a precedent by scrapping Johnson. (Johnson says he resigned of his own free will.) How can he possibly pick Dodd? If sweetheart loans are enough to disqualify the person appointed to pick the VP, what does it mean for the VP himself? To be sure, Dodd is not Johnson. ...

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com --- 41 days ago
To quote my favorite comment of recent days, "You cannot stop Angelo Mozilo, you can only hope to contain him."* From Portfolio.com today: "Two U.S. senators, two former Cabinet members and a former ambassador to the United Nations received loans... ...

Source: www.salon.com --- 29 days ago
( Updated below - Update II - Update III - Update IV - Update V - Update VI ) Back in December, Harry Reid's plan was to have the Senate quickly pass the Cheney/Rockefeller FISA bill before the Senate recessed for Christmas. But Chris Dodd's relentless delaying tactics -- his filibuster and holds and other procedural tactics designed to block quick enactment of the bill, supported at every step by Russ Feingold -- forced Reid to pull the bill from the floor and prevented the Senate from considering the bill until the following February. At this point, procedural delay of that sort (as opposed to some principled stand against this bill by a majority of Senate Democrats) is the best hope, by far, for preventing enactment of this FISA bill. The Senate's plan was to pass the bill and send it to the President before the July 4 recess, but that plan is somewhat in jeopardy now. The more a bill like this is pushed off into the future, especially in an election year consumed with other matters, the greater the likelihood that, through inertia alone, enough delay can prevent enactment this year. The probability of being able permanently to stop this bill is still quite small but, as a result of several important events yesterday, it is higher today than it was two days ago: (1) Chris Dodd went to the Senate floor last night to speak against the FISA bill and delivered one of the most compelling and inspired speeches by a prominent politici ...

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com --- 45 days ago
It's highly unlikely that James A. Johnson, who is leading Sen. Barack Obama's vice presidential search, will say anything in public about various prospects. But consider these 14-month-old comments about one potential running mate: veteran Sen. Christopher Dodd. In an interview with Jules Witcover on April 9, 2007 and published by the Center for Public Integrity on its website, Johnson urged the Connecticut lawmaker to find a way to keep his second-tier candidacy alive in the months ahead, despite the enormous financial and organizational advantages enjoyed by Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Dodd dropped out after barely registering in Iowa, but he's considered a decent choice if Obama decides to go the seasoned statesman route. ...

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com --- 14 days ago
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama's presidential campaign has requested information from Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd as part of its search for a possible vice presidential candidate. The former White House hopeful and Connecticut lawmaker indicated Wednesday that he has been approached by the campaign. "There's been some inquiries, yeah," Dodd said. "They ask for a lot of stuff. I'll leave it there." Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton and Dodd's Senate office declined comment Thursday. Recent moves by Obama have stoked speculation about the search for the No. 2 on the Democratic ticket. On Wednesday, Obama made an unscheduled stop at the building housing the law firm of one of his search committee members, Eric Holder. Obama also traveled to New York with another member of the search team, Caroline Kennedy. Dodd, 64, is a five-term senator with a lengthy foreign policy resume. A fluent speaker of Spanish, Dodd served in the Peace Corps and has had a strong interest in Latin American affairs throughout his career. A longtime member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he's been able to wield a heavy influence on U.S. involvement in the region. Recently, Dodd, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, has struggled with allegations that he got cut-rate mortgages from a leading offender in the subprime mortgage meltdown. Amid speculation about potential vice presidential candidates, some have refused to comment while others have been c ...

Source: www.crooksandliars.com --- 29 days ago
Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), who along with Russ Feingold has been the fiercest defender of Constitutional rights, took to the floor last night to deliver a two-hour impassioned speech in defense of the rule of law, and offered a scathing critique of the sham FISA bill about to become law.  Download | Play  Download | Play “Mr [...] ...

Source: www.startribune.com --- 14 days ago
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Source: www.lewrockwell.com --- 12 days ago
Thanks to all those who have been keeping me up-to-date on the post-Dodd CNN poll. Current votes: "Should the government rescue mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?" Yes 36% 87508 No 64% 153516 Total Votes: 241024... ...

Source: michellemalkin.com --- 41 days ago
Subprime sanctimony. ...

Source: www.lewrockwell.com --- 12 days ago
Also funny to see crooked Senator (if I do not repeat myself) Chris Dodd on Wolf Blitzer's CNN show. Wolf tried to ask him a question about the shaky Fannie-Freddie, and Dodd - head of the Senate Bankster Committee -... ...

Source: michellemalkin.com --- 38 days ago
Homebody. ...

Source: michellemalkin.com --- 39 days ago
Loan sharks. ...

Source: forums.studentdoctor.net --- 37 days ago
Dems the party of the "People"? "millions of Americans are struggling to pay their mortgages. They have a right to know whether members of Congress receive sweetheart deals in order to pay for theirs. I mean, it's really quite that simple. And... ...

Source: blogs.courant.com --- 13 days ago
Many Connecticut Democrats rallied around U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd in his race for the presidency, and now many of the top officeholders - such as Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz - support the idea of Dodd serving as the vice presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama. But not Edith Prague. The outspoken Democratic state senator from Columbia supported U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton for president, and she thinks that Clinton would be the best choice for the No. 2 spot under Obama. "I think Obama would be stupid at this point to put [Dodd] on the ticket,'' Prague said. "This mortgage deal. Give me a break. What's wrong with Hillary? She's smart. She's tough. She's a hard worker.'' Prague complained about two mortgage refinancings that Dodd received from Countrywide Financial Corp. for his homes in Washington, D.C. and East Haddam. Dodd was placed on a VIP list, but he has said firmly that he never asked for any special treatment and never would. A longtime customer of Countrywide, Dodd says he did not receive a special deal and notes that his mortgage was processed by a loan officer - rather than a top corporate executive. He says that he never talked to Countrywide's CEO, Angelo Mozilo, about the refinancings. But Prague says that putting Dodd on the ticket would backfire politically. "I believe he'd open up the Obama campaign to criticism,'' Prague said ...

Source: www.redstate.com --- 37 days ago
The New York Times reports this morning that Senator Chris Dodd (D-CN) had suspicious dealings with Countrywide Financial, the mortgage lender Senator Dodd is attempting to bailout with taxpayer dollars. According to Senator Dodd, he knew he was in a "V.I.P. program" at Countrywide Financial, but he denies that this meant he was getting special treatment from Countrywide Financial. That's like being a member of the United States Senate and thinking you get treated just like everybody else. Most damning, however, is that Senator Dodd is now trying to bailout Countrywide Financial with billions of taxpayer dollars. Call your senator at 202-224-3121. Tell your Senator there must be a full investigation to determine if Senator Dodd is operating in a quid pro quo relationship with Countrywide Financial. Likewise, the Senate should not consider Senator Dodd's mortgage bailout proposal that benefits Countrywide Financial until we know if Senator Dodd is returning the favor of his very low interest mortgage rate. Finally, tell your senator that Senator Dodd should step down from chairing the Banking Committee. If he is not smart enough to know being in Countrywide's "V.I.P. Program" gave him special treatment, he is not smart enough to preside over this important committee. ...

Source: blog.heritage.org --- 37 days ago
Yesterday Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.) became the first member of Congress to call for an investigation into the relationship between Sen. Chris Dodd’s (D-Conn.) $300 billion bailout of Wall Street lenders like Countrywide Financial , and the below-market rate loans Dodd received from Countrywide. Hensarling may be the first member of Congress to step up efforts to protect taxpayers from this egregious bailout, but there are already plenty of non-partisan voices calling for an investigation including: The New Haven Register : “Ethics probe needed of Dodd’s loans - Senator charged with oversight of banking got break on mortgages.” The Gran Forks Herald : “Senate should investigate loans.” The Washington Post : “Angelo Mozilo’s loans to the well-connected raise some questions. They should be answered.” Connecticut’s The Day : “Sen. Dodd should answer all questions surrounding his Countrywide loans.” CNBC ’s Diana Olick: “Senators As Confused Borrowers? Don’t Insult Our Intelligence.” Wall Street Journal : “We are about to find out if Congress’s passion for investigating business ethics extends to conflicts of interest and cash that involve fellow Members. … Meanwhile, until it is clear how much Countrywide will benefit from Senator Dodd’s proposed $300 billion mortgage rescue – and exactly how Mr. Dodd came to do business with Countrywide – Congress should call a halt to legislating bailouts. Taxpayers deserve no less.” ...

Source: www.rollcall.com --- 8 days ago
From left: Sens. Robert Menendez, Russ Feingold and Chris Dodd arrive for their press conference on oil drilling in the Senate Radio-TV Gallery on Wednesday. ...