Free Republic

Just had an emergency Freep of Dodd, Delauro and Sebelius at Belmont Street in Hartford. I only had 2 hours to go before I had an address, so sorry for no warning.

39 Belmont Street 9:30 http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4RNTN_enUS338US338&q=39+Belmont+St.,+Hartford&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=us&ei=g8R2Sry8J6HBtweugdmWCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1 Can we put this back in breakng news with new headline? KATHLEEN SEBELIUS IN HARTFORD 9:30: ADDDRESS HERE

There's such a cornucopia of delectable items to choose from this week, so where does the HFR begin?  How about with the increasing awareness that the corruption within the Democrat Party is so pervasive that the entire party should be RICO'ed?  What more perfect case for prosecution under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act could one ask for?  The Democrat Party is no longer a political organization - it is a criminal conspiracy. Yet another example was provided this week (7/27), when it was disclosed that two of the most powerful Dem Senators, Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad,...

EVERYTHING you need to know about false Hope and Change can be found in one picture: the image of President Obama embracing embattled Sen. Chris Dodd. The troubled Democrat is in deep over his sweetheart Countrywide home-loan deals, corporate bailout cash and crony associations. New revelations by Countrywide whistleblower Robert Feinberg confirm what more and more of Dodd's Connecticut constituents are coming to realize: He's a lying weasel. Dodd denied knowledge of the special treatment the subprime-mortgage company had given him and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad on home loans. (Dodd's were worth more than $800,000.) Feinberg flatly contradicted...

On Friday’s CBS Evening News, correspondent Sharyl Attkisson filed a report recounting mortgage company Countrywide Financial’s history of offering special deals on loans to government officials – including figures with connections to President Clinton, President Bush, and President Obama. But, while the two most prominent figures currently still in government who are implicated in the scandal are Democratic Senators Christopher Dodd and Kent Conrad, neither Senator was identified by Attkisson as a Democrat. Even while soundbites of the two Senators were shown, there was not even an on-screen label showing the party of either Senator. Until the end of the...

Democrats resist subpoenaing recordsJul 31, 2009 - 04:05:00 CDT By LARRY MARGASAK Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - House Democrats have declined to subpoena available records that might reveal whether other members of Congress got discounted VIP mortgages from subprime lender Countrywide Financial Corp. similar to the sweetheart deals given Democratic Sens. Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad. Republicans say they are willing to risk that the records now held by Bank of America may show that GOP lawmakers were also "friends of Angelo" who got preferential terms on personal mortgages at the behest of then-Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo. Countrywide, after losing...

Connecticut Democrat reveals he's been diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer, will undergo surgery in early August. "It's not about me -- it's about people without health care or who are under-insured." Watch video above.

WASHINGTON – Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., has been diagnosed with an early stage of prostate cancer and intends to have surgery early in August, his office said Friday. Dodd intends to be back at work when Congress reconvenes in September, according to an e-mail his office circulated to fellow senators. The AP obtained a copy. Aides also said the diagnosis would not affect Dodd's plans to seek a sixth term in 2010.

TWO cut-rate mortgages from failed subprime giant Countrywide Financial continue to cost Sen. Christopher Dodd, shredding the Connecticut Democrat's credibility as he faces re-election next fall. This week, news of the secretive Senate Ethics Committee investigation into Dodd's unusual mortgage deals leaked to The Associated Press. AP reported that at least one witness, Robert Feinberg, starkly contradicted Dodd's account of what favors he knew he was getting from a company that, as a member of the Banking Committee, he helps regulate

Corruption: Chris Dodd's teetering re-election chances weren't helped by news that the senator may have lied about not knowing he got preferential treatment as one of Countrywide Financial's Friends of Angelo program.Can you foreclose on a house of cards? Dodd, D-Conn., may soon find out after the official who handled his mortgages testified before both the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee and the Senate Ethics Committee that Dodd did in fact know he got sweetheart deals from a company that went on to lose billions of dollars on home loans to credit-strapped borrowers. As the No. 1 recipient of...

Two powerful Senate Democrats said Tuesday that they knew they got low mortgage-rate deals in a lender's VIP program but thought the special treatment was a "courtesy" or the same as "frequent flier" discounts. Both vehemently denied any wrongdoing or ethical lapse in the mortgage deals, which came to light a year ago and triggered investigations by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. "I thought this was like a frequent-flier program," Sen. Kent Conrad, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said of the special benefits. "I thought nothing of it." Sen. Christopher...

Whoa. It's looking like Sen. Chris Dodd's involvement with a sub prime-lending company warrants far more than a mere Senate Ethics Committee look-see. Or so suggests closed-door committee testimony from a fomer executive of the firm in question. Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad of North Dakota both got sweetheart mortgage deals a few years back from Angelo Mozilo, CEO of subprime-mortgage giant Countrywide Financial.

Despite his denials, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd knew from the start he was getting a VIP mortgage break from a major lending group, an official involved in the loan testified secretly to Congress. Dodd and Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) both got preferred treatment from Countrywide Financial Corp., but have maintained all along they didn't know they were benefiting at the time their mortgage packages were crafted. The two men were part of an elite group known as "friends of Angelo," a reference to Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo.

Some folks are calling yesterday's Ethics Committee hearing as a breaking news. At this hearing, Robert Feinberg, a loan officer at Countrywide, testified that not only did both Dodd and Conrad receive favorable terms on their mortgages under a program known as Friends of Angelo, but they both knew that they were receiving favorable terms not available to the general public. This really isn't news. It was never in doubt that Dodd and Conrad both received favorable terms under this program. The two Senators acknowledged this. They just both claimed that they didn't know they were getting favorable terms.

Caligiuri calls on Dodd to resignPublished on 7/28/2009 SOUTHINGTON, Conn. (AP) _ A Republican opponent wants U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd to resign after a loan official with Countrywide Financial said the Democrat and a colleague knew they were getting VIP mortgages with the lender. Senators Dodd and Kent Conrad have denied the allegation. Robert Feinberg worked in Countrywide's VIP section. According to a transcript obtained by The Associated Press, he told Republican investigators for a House oversight committee last month that both senators were told they were getting preferential treatment. Both men were said to be considered "friends" of Angelo...

Asked by a House investigator if Conrad, the North Dakota senator, "was aware that he was getting preferential treatment?" Feinberg answered: "Yes, he was aware." Referring to Dodd, the investigator asked:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Despite their denials, influential Democratic Sens. Kent Conrad and Chris Dodd were told from the start they were getting VIP mortgage discounts from one of the nation's largest lenders, the official who handled their loans has told Congress in secret testimony. Both senators have said that at the time the mortgages were being written they didn't know they were getting unique deals from Countrywide Financial Corp., the company that went on to lose billions of dollars on home loans to credit-strapped borrowers. Dodd still maintains he got no preferential treatment.

Despite multiple television commercials by his campaign and third-party advertisers, U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd is still behind Republican Rob Simmons in the latest Quinnipiac University poll by nine points, 48%-39%. The poll shows Dodd defeating state Senator Sam Caligiuri of Waterbury by 42 percent to 40 percent, and Dodd is tied with Greenwich multi-millionaire Tom Foley at 42 percent. In the battle for name recognition, Dodd is far ahead. Some of the Republican challengers, however, are barely known at all. Even though Dodd has been in public life for 35 years, 7 percent of the adults polled said they...

The Sweetheart-dealing, Irish 'cottage' owning Senator from Connecticut remains high on the Endangered Species list of Democrats. Quinnipiac via RCP Blog has some fresh bad news for Dodd; Simmons is thumping him by nine, and Simmons isn't even the Republican nominee yet.

I arrived at Dodd's office at 1030 and was greeted by two Police officers who recognized me as the man who stood up to the 30 hippies that protested the recruiters office last year. They thanked me and comiserated with me concerning the case ofour nation and our recent health care scare Two more Tea Party Patriots showed up and stood with me, Gary and his wife. Gary took the video while I, in my new persona, stood by as SHREK, or something similar to Gren and all!

Here is video of GOP Rep. Eric Cantor and Democrat Sen. Chris Dodd on The Today Show this morning where they gave their reactions to President Obama's Press Conference last night. Cantor said he saw a president who is "frustrated" because of his inability so far to sell his Government Health Care Plan. Dodd was his usual evasive, long-winded self as he defended Obama. . . . . (Watch Video)

<p>Today, July 23rd, at 12noon pro-gov't run healthcare advocates are having a rally at Dodd's office in Hartford. This was mentioned on Fox 61 this morning, so they are pumping it up and likely will be there. WE NEED TO GET THERE AND COUNTER RALLY and let them, and the press, know that we are here, we care, and we will not be ignored.</p>

I posted this a few days ago. The moneybomb for Peter Schiff's senate run has been moved to August 7th. We're trying to get 10,000 to sign up (already at just over 6,000) to donate on that day. Peter has said the major motivating factor in his declaring to run would be fundraising (he can't finance it all himself). If he doesn't run, all donations will be refunded! This is an important race next year. Peter Schiff is a true fiscal conservative who is polling well in Connecticut. Let's get him nominated to teach the RINOs, and most importantly, Chris...

The latest congressional campaign reports are in and Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd's re-election campaign manager, Jay Howser, says his boy's numbers represent "a substantial investment by Connecticut residents." It's just the latest claim from the Dodd camp that withers under the light of truth. In the second quarter, Sen. Dodd reported raking in $1.2 million, about $100,000 less than his Republican challengers. Of the total, almost 40 percent came from political-action committees controlled by vested interests with business before his Banking Committee; health insurance and pharmaceutical companies looking to influence the shape of KennedyDoddCare; and his Democratic congressional colleagues. Sen....

Interesting...check out the man who wants to challenge Chis Dodd.

After distancing himself from lobbyists in campaign ads, Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) was on Martha's Vineyard this weekend meeting with some of the most well known names on K Street. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) hosted its annual retreat this weekend at the high-class getaway. Designed for candidates to meet with senators for campaign advice and policy guidance, several high-powered lobbyists also attend and network with lawmakers during the retreat. Dodd's attendance at the retreat follows a series of web videos his campaign released promoting his populist credentials and highlighting the frustration some lobbyists are feeling with the senator,...

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is doing just about everything it can to take down Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), who has emerged as its best incumbent target of the 2010 election cycle. But its vice chairman, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), isn't helping the cause on that front. In an interview that aired on National Public Radio on Thursday morning, Hatch praised Dodd as "one of the better senators here." Hatch was being interviewed alongside Dodd on Democratic efforts on health care, and despite their differences, a love fest ensued. "Now, I want to compliment Chris, because when Sen. (Ted)...

Peter Schiff is considering a run for senate against Chris Dodd next year. He has said that if he sees significant support he will declare. Grassroots supporters are organizing a money bomb on July 27th. This is extremely important. Connecticut 2010 is a major race next year, and Peter Schiff is the guy that can win it: a true fiscal conservative who knows the economy. Please donate what you can on this date to motivate him to run and to send a message to the RINOs and, most importantly, Chris Dodd!

Notes: The following text is a quote: THE BRIEFING ROOM THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ________________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release July 15, 2009 Statement by the President on the Health Care Reform Legislation Passed Today by the Senate HELP Committee "Today, thanks to the unyielding passion and inspiration provided by Senator Edward Kennedy, the HELP committee he chairs has produced a proposal that will finally lower health care costs, provide better care for patients, and ensure fair treatment of consumers by the insurance industry. Like the legislation produced by the House of Representatives, this proposal would offer Americans...

Connecticut Republican Peter Schiff is using donation levels over the next few weeks to gauge support for a potential Senate run in 2010. But he might want to make a note of the experience of political mentor, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, whose 2008 presidential campaign experience demonstrated that a huge number of donations do not necessarily denote electoral viability. Schiff alerted supporters Tuesday that his campaign Web site is now accepting donations. "My decision to run is largely dependent on the level of early support and contributions I receive from people like you," he wrote in the e-mail. Recent polling,...

Stupidity Bites HARD: Dodd and FrankThe Market Ticker Saturday, July 11. 2009 Posted by Karl Denninger in Regulatory at 14:15 These two are the "banking regulatory chiefs" in Congress of course; Dodd in the Senate and Frank in the House. Both have steadfastly stood beside the banks through this crisis, especially the really-big banks that have given millions of dollars in campaign contributions. The same banks that lobbied hard to "reform" bankruptcy so you cannot file Chapter 7 any more when you go bankrupt and stick lenders with the bad lending decisions they made of their own free will. That...

Raising Money To Unseat DoddThree GOP Hopefuls Filling War Chests In Preparation For 2010 Election By CHRISTOPHER KEATING The Hartford Courant July 8, 2009 Greenwich millionaire Tom Foley has raised more than $530,000 in the first 26 days of his U.S. Senate bid to unseat Democrat Chris Dodd. Another Republican hopeful, former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, says he has raised more money than Foley, but the exact total is not due until the official filings July 15. A third, state Sen. Sam Caligiuri, has raised about $125,000, but he says that his total is artificially low because he was distracted...

With Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) facing an uphill battle to win reelection next year after a series of Washington scandals battered his popularity back home, President Obama and other national Democrats are sparing no effort to help him. Despite the scandals which left his ethics called into question, the three-decade Senate veteran is not trying to shake his Beltway image. Instead, Dodd is working furiously to show the impact of his long service by racking up big legislative accomplishments - including, potentially, a health care reform bill - before the midterm elections. And some of the national Democratic Party's biggest...

JULY 3, 2009 New Evidence on the Foreclosure Crisis Zero money down, not subprime loans, led to the mortgage meltdown. Article STAN LIEBOWITZ. What is really behind the mushrooming rate of mortgage foreclosures since 2007? The evidence from a huge national database containing millions of individual loans strongly suggests that the single most important factor is whether the homeowner has negative equity in a house -- that is, the balance of the mortgage is greater than the value of the house. This means that most government policies being discussed to remedy woes in the housing market are misdirected. Many policy...

Blanche Lincoln, AR 45% Public Policy Polling, March Barbara Boxer, CA 48% Survey USA, June 12-14 Michael Bennet, CO 34% Public Policy Polling, April 24-26 (trails Rep. Beauprez) Christopher Dodd, CO 37% Quinnipiac, April (trails several) Roland Burris, IL 17% Public Policy Polling, April 24-26 (likely to lose primary) Harry Reid, NV 34% Mason-Dixon, June 18-19 Kirsten Gillenbrand, NY 24% Marist (disapproval rating also below 50%) Byron Dorgan, ND (only poll in this red state was commissioned by DailyKOS) Also in possible danger but above 50% approval: Daniel Inouye, HI leads Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, but he'll be 86, and...

Economist Peter Schiff is looking closely at joining the GOP primary to face Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), and his polling shows he would be competitive in the general election. The polling, which was conducted by Wilson Research Strategies and obtained by The Backroom, shows Dodd leading the little-known Schiff within the margin of error, 42-38.

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - U.S. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a Roman Catholic, on Sunday declared he had changed his position on same-sex "marriage," and now calls law defining marriage between a man and a woman "archaic" and "unfair."   “To my daughters, these couples are married simply because they love each other and want to build a life together," wrote Dodd on his Senate Web site. "That’s what we’ve taught them. The things that make those families different from their own pale in comparison to the commitments that bind those couples together."And, really, that’s what marriage should be. It’s...

Dodd, Graham spar over health careThe Associated Press Last Modified: Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 9:24 a.m. WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham says the Senate will not let the U.S. "go down the government-run health care road." The South Carolina Republican was on a Sunday morning talk show repeating the charges of those opposed to President Barack Obama's attempts to overhaul the health care system. Graham said Obama's plan would let a government bureaucrat stand between people needing treatment and their doctors. Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., who is heading the reform effort in the Senate, reminded Graham that a new...

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., holds up a stack of documents comprising of the health care reform bill as Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee ranking Republican and Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., looks on, before the committee's markup hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 17, 2009. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., second from right, talks to Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, right, as Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., speaks at left, during a news conference on health care reform, Tuesday, June 16, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), who is likely next year to face the first real election battle of his 30-year Senate career, lashed out against media reports suggesting that his wife's lucrative positions on the boards of four health-care companies could be inappropriate. "It's offensive to my wife that you'd be even talking about it," Dodd complained on "Fox News Sunday" yesterday. Dodd, who is a key player in President Obama's health-care reform efforts, said there is "no reason" for his wife to step down and claimed she is a victim of sexism. "We don't hear these questions being raised about...

An overwhelming 80 percent of U.S. voters oppose proposals for government-backed health-care plans for illegal immigrants, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll released Friday. That compares to only 11 percent who think providing illegal workers with a government health-care plan is a good idea. The strong opposition to health-care coverage for illegals, based on a national poll of 1,000 likely voters, comes amidst ongoing negotiations over the proposed health-care reform package now working its way through Congress. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 10 million illegal immigrants in the United States lack health insurance. That's about 22 percent of...

Dodd's wife serves on health care company boards3 hours ago By LARRY MARGASAK and SHARON THEIMER Associated Press Writers (AP:WASHINGTON) The wife of a senator playing a lead role on a national health care overhaul sits on the boards of four health care companies, one of several examples of lawmakers with ties to the medical industry. Jackie Clegg Dodd, wife of Sen. Chris Dodd, serves on the boards of Javelin Pharmaceuticals Inc., Cardiome Pharma Corp., Brookdale Senior Living, and Pear Tree Pharmaceuticals, a financial disclosure report the senator released Friday shows. **SNIP** Mrs. Dodd earned $79,063 in fees from Cardiome...

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) seems to at tract friends who, in turn, attract scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission. Thursday, the SEC hit subprime-mortgage giant Countrywide Financial's ex-CEO Angelo Mozilo with a fraud suit for allegedly deceiving investors on the true condition of the company. He was also charged with insider trading. In 2003, Dodd's role on the Banking Committee got him dubbed a "Friend of Angelo" by Countrywide -- and thus eligible for two sweetheart $800,000 loans. The Senate Ethics Committee is -- at a glacial pace -- investigating the circumstances behind Dodd's Countrywide-refinanced mortgages....

In 2007, not long after he announced he was taking a year off from the Senate to run for president and move to Iowa, Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd won the endorsement of the International Association of Fire Fighters. "I am honored that America's firefighters have put their trust in my leadership," he said. In March 2008, after his campaign had gone up in flames, the union still stood by their man and made him an honorary member. At the ceremony, you could hear Sen. Dodd's buttons pop: "For three decades, I've been proud to tell firefighters, 'I've got your back.'...

U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd has another Republican challenger: Former ambassador Tom Foley is entering the race. Foley is a businessman who served as U.S. ambassador to Ireland for about two years. In 2003 and 2004, he served as a U.S. government official in Iraq, overseeing businesses and developing a plan for reviving the private sector economy. For his efforts, he earned the Department of Defense distinguished public service award. Foley established a website, www.tomfoley2010.com .........

President Obama is suddenly seizing on the role of Democratic kingmaker, stepping in to protect or promote colleagues in Congress. Early after his election victory, Obama did not expend political capital on congressional races, but in recent weeks he has sought to lengthen his coattails by protecting vulnerable Democratic lawmakers facing tough election races in 2010. From sharing credit on key legislation to fundraising pitches, the new president has bolstered his party members not just in coming general election campaigns but also helping them avoid rough primary battles as well. And with Obama’s popularity still high throughout the country, many...

Groton Democrats Endorse DoddPublished on 5/30/2009 Groton - Home court advantage didn't help Senate hopeful Merrick Alpert at the Democratic Town Committee this week, which endorsed Sen. Chris Dodd for re-election. Alpert, who lives in Mystic and is a member of the town committee, announced last week that he would challenge Dodd in the 2010 Democratic primary. The resolution hailed Dodd for being “a forceful advocate for the principles of the Democratic Party during his entire time in Congress,” and criticized what it termed an “orchestrated campaign that has misrepresented his actions in the United States Senate.” And the resolution...

Report says mortgage lenders helped fuel global economic crisisBy Kevin Smith, Staff Writer Posted: 05/06/2009 06:10:29 PM PDT PASADENA - A new report places failed mortgage lender IndyMac Bancorp Inc. among the top 25 lenders whose subprime loans are largely blamed for triggering the global economic meltdown. In a study released Wednesday by the Center For Public Integrity, IndyMac ranked 14th on the list, with at least $26.4 billion in subprime loans issued. Collectively, the top 25 lenders were responsible for nearly $1 trillion in subprime loans, according to the report entitled "Who's Behind the Financial Meltdown." John Dunbar, project...

Reed, Dodd call for stronger sunscreen standardsMay 26, 2009 PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Two New England senators are pushing for stronger testing and labeling standards for sunscreen. U.S. Sens. Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, and Chris Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut, have introduced legislation that calls on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to require manufacturers to test sunscreen products against ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays. Currently, officials say the FDA requires testing and labeling for sun protection factors, which mostly measures UVB rays that cause sunburns. But they add the FDA does not have standards for UVA rays, a major...

Rank-And-File Falling Away From DoddBy Dick Ahles Published on 5/24/2009 Senator Christopher Dodd's campaign to win back the hearts and minds and especially the votes of his Connecticut constituents in time for next year's election is being waged on many fronts. He is working hard to be seen as the champion of the consumer and the bane of some of his most generous big-business supporters as he shepherds long overdue credit card industry legislation through the Congress. He is becoming a frequent visitor to Connecticut. And he has won the coveted endorsement of Sen. Joe Lieberman. Who could ask for...