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Formally, it is known as H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. But this week, it has acquired an unhelpful nickname: "Cash for Cloture." As Senate Democrats finally complete their health-care legislation, those combing through the bill have uncovered many backroom deals that were made to buy, er, secure the 60 votes needed to "invoke cloture" -- the legislative term for cutting off debate and holding a final vote. It will take years to see how well the measure reduces costs and expands insurance coverage. But already, the bill has been a bonanza for wordsmiths. First there was...

Politics: Sen. Mary Landrieu was the new "Louisiana Purchase." Sen. Ben Nelson got the federal government to pick up his state's future Medicaid tab. Maybe we should just put Senate votes up on eBay. Nelson, the 60th vote in the middle-of-the-night Senate party line vote on health care reform, will go down in American political history as the inventor of the permanent earmark. His seemingly principled stand against including federal funding for abortion evaporated like the morning dew as he decided to take what was behind door No. 1. The deal for Nelson includes special Medicaid funding for Nebraska, along...

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any uglier we get the cash for cloture tally… The CBO reported that Harry Reid spent $1.2 billion to buy off democrats for the Obamacare vote last night. They got their nationalized health care bill and it only cost you $1.2 billion for their vote! The Hill reported, via Sweetness and Light: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) informed lawmakers on Sunday night that the section of the manager’s amendment to the Senate’s health bill would cost $1.2 billion over 10 years. Nelson managed to win a share of the section of the manager’s...

And the total risk they pose to the taxpayer far exceeds that of the big banks. Fannie and Freddie, in the final days of the year, are even said to be negotiating with the Treasury about greatly expanding the money available to them. Though the four are not in all the same businesses, they were caught in one of the same traps: They sold mortgage guarantees — in some cases to each other. Now when homeowners default, as they are doing in record numbers, these companies are covering the losses. Essentially, taxpayer money to these companies is being used partly...

Struggling Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) is "getting the living hell beat out of him" in his campaign for re-election, Joe Biden said yesterday. Speaking at a fundraiser for Dodd in Connecticut, Biden urged supporters to rally behind Dodd, whom he called "the single most gifted legislator in Congress." "Chris is getting the living hell beat out of him, the living bejesus beat out of him,'' Biden said, according to a pool report. "Why? Because he's being a leader." Dodd has put himself front and center on both healthcare reform and financial regulation. He's also come under fire for taking a...

Link to video only. Comments still welcome though.

Biden: Dodd is 'getting the living hell beat out of him' Posted: December 11th, 2009 05:17 PM ET From CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser Washington (CNN) – Joe Biden praised Sen. Chris Dodd Friday, but conceded his good friend - one of the Senate's most vulnerable Democrats - is "getting the living hell beat of him." The vice president made his comments at a fundraiser for Dodd Friday in Hartford, Connecticut. Dodd had been scheduled to accompany Biden at the fundraiser and at event earlier in the day to announce nearly $4 million in federal stimulus funding to replace...

Chris Dodd (D-Conn) has been in the Senate for five terms, rising through the ranks to become one of the most powerful lawmakers in Congress. Yet it seems he may have an uphill battle in trying to secure a sixth. "It is increasingly clear to both independent analysts and Democratic leaders that Dodd is just too badly damaged to have a decent shot at getting re-elected, almost regardless of who wins the Republican nomination," writes Jennifer Duffy, a Senate race analyst at the Cook Political Report, which is now predicting a Dodd loss. For much of the past year, Dodd,...

ANSWERING THE ALARM: As the president and first lady return to Washington from Oslo, Vice President Biden heads out on a trip to New England to campaign for Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) The VP will appear with Dodd at a fire station in East Hartford, Conn., where authorities have been given $3.39 million in stimulus funds to build a new facility - and where fire fighters successfully extinguished a five-alarm fire earlier this week. Whether Biden can perform the same kind of emergency response for Dodd's reelection campaign is another story... http://www.politico.com/politico44/ Also, The Obama extension campaign headquarters is doing...

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Connecticut now finds Dodd attracting just 35% to 40% of the vote against three possible Republican challengers. Former GOP Congressman Rob Simmons is still his toughest opponent, leading Dodd 48% to 35%. Seven percent (7%) prefer some other candidate in this contest, and 11% are undecided. Those figures are a slight improvement for Simmons since September. The newest Republican in the race, Linda McMahon, the ex-CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, earns 44% of the vote to Dodd’s 38%. Eight percent (8%) opt for another candidate, with nine percent (9%) not sure. Long-shot candidate...

Speaking on the Senate floor today, Sen. Chris "Where's the mortgage paperwork?" Dodd, D-Conn., was telling another sob story about someone being denied treatment by a private insurer. This supposedly demonstrates the need for government run insurance. "That would not have happened under Medicare. Had she been just under Medicare, she would have gotten that help, no questions asked," said Dodd. But is it really easier to get medical treatment under Medicare than private insurance? The idea that government-run health care would deny fewer claims than private insurers callously concerned about maximizing profits is an article of faith among Democrats....

Doddling With Your Credit:The Senator from Connecticut and the CARD Act of 2009 November 25, 2009 The most pestilential quality of Liberals is their ability to: (1) do something in their self-interest; (2) tell you that it is in your self-interest; (3) make the situation galactically worse with their meddling and (4) have the unmitigated gall to tell you that their meddling made it better. And such is the case of Democrat Senator Dodd; his Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 and your misery. First, let’s deal with the misery. I, like almost all Americans with a credit card, received a...

Once considered a shoo-in for reconfirmation, Ben Bernanke may not want to get too comfortable in his seat as Federal Reserve chairman. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, yesterday told a small group of reporters that Bernanke's Senate confirmation for a second term isn't guaranteed. "Not necessarily, not necessarily," he said in response to a question about whether Bernanke getting a second term was a foregone conclusion. "We'll see how members react." He went on to say, "I'm inclined to be supportive. I think he's done a far better job over the last couple of years...

Dodd's dangerLast Updated: 5:02 AM, November 14, 2009 Congressional Democrats around the country may be worrying that ObamaCare and runaway federal spend ing will hurt their re-election chances next year -- but Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut has other matters to fret about. He's in big trouble, after all, because of ethics -- or, to be precise, the lack of same. Indeed, a Quinnipiac University poll shows nearly the whole field of potential GOP Senate challengers -- regardless of how well-known they are -- doing quite well against Dodd. Leading the pack: former Rep. Rob Simmons, who outpolls Dodd, 49...

Fixing the financial sys tem so that it doesn't blow up the economy again isn't hard. But complex solutions help Washington and the "too-big-to-fail" financial firms maintain the status quo -- and make future problems worse. The administration and lawmakers are giving us pretend ways to fix finance. The latest came Tuesday from Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd -- a 1,136-page plan for bureaucratic "reform," plus new bureaucracy. We'd get a "Consumer Financial Protection Agency" to police things like mortgages. We'd get an "Agency for Financial Stability," which would supposedly stop catastrophic risks, like AAA-rated mortgage securities, before they...

We like to think of the 1995 Private Securities Litigation Reform Act as Senator Chris Dodd's finest hour. Joining with House Republican Chris Cox, Mr. Dodd led an override of a Bill Clinton veto to end the scourge of "strike suits." Prior to the law, trial lawyers would wage legal biltzkrieg against companies guilty only of a falling stock price. Since its enactment, lawyers have had to present some evidence of actual fraud before launching fishing expeditions under the civil discovery process. So imagine our surprise to find, buried on page 795 of Mr. Dodd's new financial regulation bill, a...

Could Sen.Chris Dodd, senior US Senator from CT REALLY BE IN TROUBLE? Things will come out in the wash. It’s just one poll, it’s still a year away, but the time is running shorter and the poll is running in the wrong direction for the senior Senator from Connecticut. Former Connecticut Congressman Rob Simmons has an early lead in the Republican primary race for the 2010 U.S. Senate contest and runs better than any other challenger against Sen. Christopher Dodd, topping the Democratic incumbent 49 – 38 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Financial 'Reform': Sen. Chris Dodd's proposed overhaul would replace the Federal Reserve with a "super regulator" to oversee the banking and financial industries. Will it work? Consider the source. Along with fellow Democrat Barney Frank, now chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Dodd, who heads the Senate Banking Committee, has done as much to damage this nation's financial system as anyone — and that includes all the CEOs and subprime scoundrels as well as former Fed chief Alan Greenspan, whom many blame for lax oversight and too-loose credit in the run-up to the meltdown. What did Dodd do? In...

The latest Quinnipiac poll of Connecticut voters is out, and while it is (standard disclaimer) only one poll, it shows bad news for Chris Dodd, good news for his strongest challenger, Rob Simmons, and bad news for President Obama’s health care plan. Here’s the topline result on Simmons vs Dodd: Former Connecticut Congressman Rob Simmons has an early lead in the Republican primary race for the 2010 U.S. Senate contest and runs better than any other challenger against Sen. Christopher Dodd, topping the Democratic incumbent 49 - 38 percent… Former World Wrestling Entertainment executive Linda McMahon gets 43 percent to...

Another drop in the polls for friend of Angelo, Chris Dodd...Send it Obama Chris, that will help just like it did John Corzine......(New Poll)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate's top banking legislator proposed ambitious financial regulation reforms on Tuesday, leaping beyond earlier proposals to tighten bank regulation, protect consumers and police systemic risk. In the 1,136-page bill, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd called for creating three new government agencies, regulating over-the-counter derivatives, and cracking down on hedge funds, credit rating agencies and executive pay. Flanked by eight other Democratic senators at a news conference, Dodd said he is targeting the first week of December for his committee to work on the measure. It raises the stakes in a debate under way for...

The proven liar, Senator Chris Dodd, who is in a tough reelection race, has the gall to sick his Democrat's after his challenger about some kind of supposed help from the WWE: (h/t Doug Ross) Asserting that World Wrestling Entertainment has made illegal in-kind campaign contributions to the U.S. Senate campaign of its former CEO Linda McMahon, state Democratic party Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission. DiNardo says WWE staffers ordered YouTube to remove sexually-provocative WWE videos from its website after those videos became campaign fodder. ~~~ The videos, which depict simulated rape and necrophilia,...

Delaware beats Switzerland as most secretive financial center By: Reuters | 31 Oct 2009 | 07:59 PM ET Text Size By Kim Dixon WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Move over Switzerland. The tiny state of Delaware beats the Alpine country in a contest for the most secretive financial jurisdiction, a tax justice rights group said on Saturday. The United States, led by the eastern seaboard state, took in $2.6 trillion in deposits from non-resident corporations and individuals in 2007, according to a survey of financial jurisdictions analyzed by the Tax Justice Network. The survey of laws, practices and size of inflows in...

A wide ranging congressional investigation into Countrywide Financial will dig into how the mortgage giant went about picking government officials to offer its VIP program, according to aides involved with the inquiry. Thanks to an agreement between Republicans and Democrats reached late Friday night, any name of a member of Congress involved in the VIP program will head straight to the ethics committee, while redacted copies of those documents will be given to the House Oversight and Government Reform. But the committee has cast a much wider net, looking into whether lobbyists or others in Washington helped identify mid-level Hill...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A year ago, Barack Obama and Joe Biden were in the home stretch of a pulsating White House race, belting out speeches to pumped up crowds and days away from crushing Republican John McCain. The Democratic duo, now president and vice president, are back on the stump again, but the euphoric crowds have thinned and the electrifying crusade for change seems somewhat sullied by the inevitable compromises of governing. Taking time out from multiple crises, Obama has reeled off a string of appearances, polishing his own political skills in some of the few races scheduled a year...

Money talks. Wasn’t there, don’t know, didn’t have the grand to buy my way in. But that’s what is being reported today. At a $1000 a plate they were hoping to raise a cool mil from, ummm, uhhh, bankers and hedge fund managers. “We came very close to a Great Depression,” he said, adding that the United States must never again be so close to disaster because of the action of reckless investors. “Join us, don’t fight us,” said Obama, singling out the financial executives in the room. “Join us in passing what are necessary reforms. It is important for...

Republicans and Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee agreed Friday night on language for a wide-reaching subpoena of Countrywide Financial’s VIP lending program as part of an investigation into allegations of influence peddling by the company at all levels of government, committee aides said. The subpoena, which was sent out Friday night, will ask the lender to fork over documents relating to its “Friends of Angelo” program – named for CEO Angelo Mozilo, who allegedly offered favorable mortgage rates to persons of influence.

Sen. Chris Dodd produced language that allowed Feinberg to cut salariesBy VICTORIA MCGRANE 10/23/09 4:37 PM EDT Remember all the heat Sen. Chris Dodd took earlier this year over writing the loophole in the stimulus that let AIG executives collect $165 million in bonuses? But that same provision had another key section – the authority for a White House pay czar to slash top executive pay at seven financial firms that still hold billions in taxpayer bailout funds. So what Dodd’s legislation gave away in the form of bonuses, it has taken back with special pay master Kenneth Feinberg’s power...

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) walks with U.S. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) to Marine One on the tarmac at New York's JFK Airport, October 23, 2009. Obama flew to Connecticut to attend a fundraiser on Friday for Dodd. U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and Senator Chris Dodd (L) meet with Bruce Moore, owner of Eastern Land Management in Stamford, Connecticut, October 23, 2009.

It's about damn time: Bank of America Corp Reportedly Congressman Towns issuing subpoena to Countrywide Financial in mortgage probe - Congressman Towns says he has requested information from Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, Citigroup, and GMAC; is prepared to issue subpoenas to other banks in mortgage probe if they don't comply (Source: Via Rebeltrader off wires) Remember that this is the same Congressman Towns: After GOP members of the House oversight committee shot footage for a "campaign style video" in the committee room, Democrats responded by changing the lock on a private door leading in from the Republican suite of offices....

BOSTON – President Barack Obama lent his popularity and cash-raising abilities to embattled fellow Democrats on Friday, defending White House allies whose losses would be an embarrassment for the president. Obama began a day of politicking with a quick "official" event at Cambridge's Massachusetts Institute of Technology to challenge the nation to lead the global economy in clean energy. But even as he stood in front of the seal of the presidency, Obama didn't forget politics. He praised Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's "leadership and vision," saying he has endeavored to make his state "a clean energy leader" — remarks sure...

John Mckinnon at the WSJ reports: Home-Buyer Credit Is Focus of Inquiry The Internal Revenue Service is examining more than 100,000 suspicious claims for the first-time home-buyer tax break ... The tax credit is completely refundable, even if the homebuyer has no tax liability - and this makes it a target for fraud. From the IRS: "[The tax credit is] fully refundable, meaning the credit will be paid out to eligible taxpayers, even if they owe no tax or the credit is more than the tax owed." Also, the credit is separate from the closing, and the WSJ article suggests...

Under the "health care" heading on the White House Web site, a paragraph reads: "The President has vowed that the health reform process will be different in his Administration – an open, inclusive, and transparent process where all ideas are encouraged and all parties work together to find a solution to the health care crisis." But after dozens of televised hearings, round tables, markups and press conferences, top White House officials are now meeting in the Capitol with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sens. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Max Baucus of Montana, away from Republicans and the press,...

Chris Dodd is one lucky old fart. The guy survives lots of heavy, HEAVY drinking throughout his life, the kind where you can't remember the crap you've done the night before and don't know how you got home, became the co-creator of the waitress sandwich with Dead Kennedy, and lots of sex with a number of different women without picking up herpes or AIDS, and the ol' boy comes down with prostate cancer this July. He's not lucky because he has prostate cancer. He's lucky because he's got an awesome private Senate healthcare plan, and a clinic to go to...

Dodd Rejects That Healthcare Bill Is Being Written Behind Closed Doors; Strongly Backs Public OptionBy Christopher Keating October 16, 2009 4:28 PM Sen. Christopher J. Dodd strongly rejected criticism that the highly important healthcare bill is being crafted only by Democrats behind closed doors. Former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, who is challenging Dodd in the 2010 race, and others have complained that the important aspects of the complicated bill are being written without public input. Dodd played a key role in a Senate health committee that passed an earlier version of the bill, which is now being merged with a...

If you think moderate Democrats are afraid of voting for ObamaCare, you should see how they react to a potential vote on the Countrywide Financial loan scandal. The House oversight committee was scheduled to meet on Thursday afternoon to mark up several minor pieces of legislation. Days before the meeting, California Republican Darrell Issa notified committee Chairman Edolphus Towns that Mr. Issa would call for a vote to subpoena Countrywide documents from Bank of America, which bought the failed subprime lender last year. Recall that, under the "Friends of Angelo" program, named for former Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo, Democratic Senators...

Health-care reform adds to troubles of Sens. Reid and DoddBy Gail Russell Chaddock Published Fri, Oct 16 2009 9:23 am WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two of the three Democrats charged with producing a Senate healthcare bill to take to the floor - Senate majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut - face tough reelection bids in 2010. Senate leaders are used to being lightening rods. But the overhaul of the US healthcare system sets up a perfect storm of competing interests, especially for Democrats. As leader of a 60-member majority, Senator Reid has the votes to...

Dodd: Reform must have public optionUpdated: Friday, 16 Oct 2009, 6:27 PM EDT Mark Davis Hartford (WTNH) - There are two bills passed by two senate committees. Dodd is on the inside of the group that will blend the two versions into something that can pass the Senate with the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster by Republicans and that President Obama would sign. Senator Dodd rejected the criticism that the final Health Care Reform bill is being negotiated with the White House behind closed doors at the Capitol. Dodd is among the key players who is negotiating the...

Home rescue plan delaying, not solving crisisTue Oct 13, 2009 12:23pm EDT By Nick Carey and Al Yoon ALBANY, Ohio/WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (Reuters) - Within weeks of taking office, U.S. President Barack Obama rode to the rescue of homeowners resigned to financial ruin. Obama, grappling with the worst U.S. housing crisis since the Great Depression, pledged to help as many as 9 million families keep their homes by reworking their mortgages. Eight months later, the plan is plagued by delays, red tape and, some critics say, a reluctance by banks to do their part. Just 17 percent of eligible...

The latest Quinnipiac Poll is out and it’s more bad news for Sen. Chris Dodd. Despite a public relations blitz that had him returning to Connecticut for what seems like the first time in years, and a statewide email and choreographed “shout out” from President Obama in the Rose Garden, (Rob Simmons) is still leading Dodd 45%-39%.

During a Senate Banking hearing on "Minimizing Potential Threats From Iran" a code pink activist held a neon pink sign the size of a sheet of legal paper that read "DISARM ISRAEL". The person, clad in pink, arrived in the middle of the hearing (1:06:52 on the C-SPAN video) and sat behind James Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State, for over an hour. Committee chairman Chris Dodd allowed this this silent protest.

Homeland Security: Provisions of the law that spared New York another 9/11 are set to expire Dec. 31. So why do Democrats want to gut this law and remove the immunity telecom companies have for helping protect America? To borrow a British expression from World War II, it was a very near thing. The capture, arrest and indictment of 24-year-old Afghan immigrant Najubullah Zazi before he could set off bombs made from store-bought chemicals prevented a tragedy of potentially devastating proportions. It wouldn't have happened if the critics of Patriot Act had their way. The capture of Zazi was made...

On Tuesday, Najibullah Zazi, a 24-year-old Afghan immigrant who was a teenager in Queens during the Sept. 11 attacks, pleaded not guilty to federal terrorism conspiracy charges in New York. This is a scary story. Police stopped and searched Zazi's rented car on the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 10, as the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks loomed and President Obama was about to join world leaders at a U.N. confab. According to the U.S. attorney's office, Zazi flew to Pakistan in August 2008 to receive bombmaking instructions, returned to use the Internet and nine pages of handwritten bombmaking...

From Ken Vogel's report on the filmmaker's wide-ranging press conference today: Moore also called out Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), who supports the public option, but whose role in financial regulation as chairman of the Senate banking committee comes in for criticism in “Capitalism.” Speaking to Public Citizen, Moore said, “we’re going to lose this seat unless we run another Democrat” and said he’d “already received a phone call from a well known Democrat to tell me to back off Sen. Dodd.”

It would be next to impossible to fact-check everything Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd says. Lord knows the endeavor would be worthwhile; after all, politicians such as Sen. Dodd inspired the joke: "How do you know politicians are lying? Their lips are moving." Sen. Dodd's reason for staying on as chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Development Committee, rather than taking over the late Ted Kennedy's Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, is one of his more recent statements that fails the smell test. "We have important work to do on the Banking Committee, and I intend to...

The revelation that Countrywide Financial recorded phone conversations as part of a specialized "VIP" mortgage loan program has added another twist to a Republican-led inquiry on Capitol Hill. Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, who has aggressively pursued the now-defunct Countrywide program for much of this year, said Monday that a call-recording system put in place as early as 2003 could contain evidence of wrongdoing by prominent public officials. He requested a raft of new information about the program and the taping system from Bank of America, which purchased Countrywide in July 2008 as it struggled with mounting losses amid the collapse...

Election '08: Democrats want to use profits from the bailout as a slush fund for liberal activist groups, even those involved in vote fraud to help elect Barack Obama.Prior financial bailouts, or "rescues," such as those involving savings and loan failures, and Chrysler, have over time actually made money for the government. It may be the case here as well, as assets bought by the government at bargain prices return to marketable values and are auctioned off. One of the sticking points in resolving the crisis was a poison pill in the Dodd/Paulson compromise that would move 20% of profits...

The Subprime home mortgage collapse...a Primer. It's ALL about the CRA of 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) of 1977 - This required banks to offer credit throughout their entire market area for “underserved” populations and small businesses. The CRA gave incentives to help low income borrowers become “home owners”. Liberals call this group “low income borrowers”. Conservatives call them a RISK!The CRA was passed by the Carter administration. In 1995 the Clinton administration authorized subprime loans under the CRA. Democrats added these provisions for the securitization of subprime loans and then ENFORCED the lending to high risk individuals. By 2000,...

Peter Schiff, a Waterbury money manager, author and financial pundit, today used "Morning Joe" as the platform from which to launch his much-anticipated bid to challenge Sen. Christopher Dodd. The announcement came as no great surprise. There have been multiple reports, it was teased on a twitter feed and a grassroots group of California liberatarians have been pushing for Schiff to run for months. "Smashed your TV? Fix it and tune into Morning Joe at 8:15 tomorrow morning!," Schiff tweeted yesterday afternoon. A Web site for Schiff's campaign is already up and running.