New Haven Independent

Posted by: Big D | April 24, 2009 5:11 PM

Christopher Dodd has spent too much time in Washington DC and has forgotten who his constituents are. Instead of campaign contributions from CT residents, Dodd has decided to turn to corporations who think that CT residents are so stupid that our votes can be bought. 80% of his campaign contributions will come from special interest groups outside of CT looking for payback from 2011-2017 at the cost of the tax payers.

While this country has term limits for the office of President, Senator Dodd has managed to stay in Washington DC during the following Presidential terms:

Reagan 1981-1985
Reagan 1985-1989
Bush 41 1989-1993
Clinton 1993-1997
Clinton 1997-2001
Bush 43 2001-2005
Bush 43 2005-2009
Obama 2009-2011

That's 7 ½ Presidential terms. If our elected officials can't pass laws limiting the terms of Congressman and Senators, then it's up to the people.

It doesn't matter if your black, white, yellow, brown, purple, blue or green; democrat, republican, independent, socialist; male, female, or something else; union, non-union; pro-gun, anti-gun; Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, whatever; straight, gay or both - It's time to send a message to all elected officials that you work for us, we want real change, enough is enough, and absolutely NO ONE in the state of CT should cast a vote for Chris Dodd in 2010.

It's time for CT residents to take the lead in America show the rest of the nation: we believe this is a land governed by the people and for the people - We'll do our job and vote out our incumbents, you vote out yours!

(It's the politician's goals to keep the people divided; it's our job to unite. Please do your part and help take our nation back one state at a time by cutting & pasting this message and forwarding it to, or printing it for, distribution to every CT resident. Big D.)

Posted by: DingDong | April 24, 2009 5:47 PM

Throw the bum out! Let's get a primary challenger!

Posted by: Mark meloy | April 24, 2009 7:23 PM

It is absolutely insane that Dodd still gets heat over the AIG bonuses. These were contractually mandated retention bonuses. If they were not paid, the door would have been left open for the few individuals that had any clue what was going on to leave, their client list in hand, not to mention the potential litigation cost associated with lawsuits from ex-AIG employees. The decision to allow the bonuses was made by intelligent lawyers that realized this, and counseled Dodd to add it to the bill. That this keeps coming up is a result of an uninformed public. Do the research before inane questions are asked.

Posted by: lance | April 25, 2009 8:29 AM

dodd is a liar.

by the way, what does he know about the whole David Kellermann thing?

Posted by: Alphonse Credenza | April 25, 2009 8:34 AM

Hogwash! You can't put it past us with a few glib statements.

Dodd must step down. If he won't be honorable about it, we will...AND VOTE HIM OUT.

Posted by: TrueBlueCT | April 25, 2009 5:18 PM

How can you have true credit card reform without re-instating usury laws?

Dodd's bill is certainly needed, but it does nothing about capping interest rates.

Dodd needs to go further. In this low-inflation environment, credit card rates of 20, 25, even 30% are friggin' un-American. As Bernie Sanders said, "it's loan-sharking dressed up in a three-piece suit".

I guess I'm hoping that this current legislation is just Round One. Me, I'd like to see a second bill, capping rates at 8-10% over prime. Let Dodd make each and every Senator vote for or against the credit card companies and their usurious practices. It'd be nice to see who still cares about the American consumer.

Posted by: Charlie O'Keefe | April 25, 2009 9:34 PM

If I remember well Dodd was a supporter of all the pro-Bank legislation over the years that is now being used to bankrupt the little guy. With his latest flip-flop its easy to see why he has been re-elected over and over. Not a man of substance in my opinion.

Posted by: susan barnes | April 25, 2009 10:47 PM

Chris Dodd is the poster boy for term limitations. This is too little too late, Senator. Did not all of you in the US Congress allow yourselves raises this year? Did you not get preferential mortgages? And if as you say you were unaware you got preferential treatment WHAT ARE YOU DOING AS CHAIR OF THE SENATE BANKING COMMITTEE?!?!?! Seems you are not qualified. NOW you are making the rounds in CT AFTER MOVING THE ENTIRE FAMILY TO IOWA FOR MONTHS! PULEEEEZ! You must take the voters of CT for fools, Senator. You have gotten my LAST vote. Please introduce a bill for term limitations and do us all a favor. Thanks.

Posted by: fedupwithliberals | April 26, 2009 6:00 AM

MARK MELOY

So we've already forgotten the financial mess he created with Barney Frank in the whole Fannie Mar/Freddie Mac fiasco? Not to mention his cozy relationship and sweethart deal with Countrywide? How mant more scandals do you need to change yor mind? Doesn't bother me that the AIG bonuses were contracturally mandated. Problem is he lied about his involvement in the modification of language in the contracts until caught. Whatta sleazebag!

Posted by: Ken Krayeske | April 27, 2009 10:47 AM

Message to Dodd: Cap interest rates.

The real reason why the federal government fears Islam - sharia law prevents usury. God forbid that we outlaw 20 percent interest rates, or 100 percent interest rates on payday loans.

Dodd is incapable of implementing the necessary reform, like capping interest rates.

From Thomas Geogeghan, a Chicago lawyer who ran unsuccessfully for a Congressional seat, but who is smart as hell. He wrote "Infinite Debt" for a recent Harpers, and is here on Democracy Now:

"The effect of this was that the big national banks were not subject to any state usury law, because the Banking Act of 1864 had no interest rate cap on it, not contemplating the kind of situation that we're in today. And in effect, this sealed what had been a trend throughout the country, which is lifting these interest rate caps for banks and giving consumers easy credit on the premise that they would just pay tons and tons of interest so that the banks were protected if the loan weren't repaid. In fact, the banks had incentive to hand out credit cards and hope that the loans would not be repaid, because the interest rates on these credit cards were so high.

You know, if you are Mr. Potter in It's a Wonderful Life and can only get six percent, seven percent on your loan, you want the loan to be repaid. Moral character is important. You want to scrutinize everybody very carefully. But if you're able to charge 30 percent or, in a payday lender case, 200 or 300 percent, you don't care so much if the loan--in fact, you actually want the loan not to be repaid. You want people to go into debt. You want to accumulate this interest. And this addicted the financial sector to very, very, very high rates of return compared to what investors were used to getting in the real economy, the manufacturing sector, General Motors, which would give piddling five, six, seven percent returns.

So the capital in this country began to shift in the financial sector. That's why the financial sector began to bloat up. That's why we ended up, by 2006, having a third of all profits going into the banks and the financial firms and not into the real economy."

Dodd helped create this mess. The fox cannot cough up the chickens he has already eaten.

Posted by: Joe | April 28, 2009 2:58 PM

Dodd was chairman of Banks committee while this whole crisis was brewing. Instead of minding the store, he was living in Iowa, deep in a presidential ego trip. Disaster struck on his watch, while he was AWOL. If he can't be held responsible, the term has no meaning in politics.

An honorable man would step down in shame, but Chris Dodd is shameless. If you believe it's time for him to go, join us at a rally outside his office on Lewis Street in Hartford, on Saturday, May 16 at noon. Details are at ctresistance.com.

It's not a Republican event--I'm past caring who replaces this tired hack. I'd rather pick a name at random from the phone book than send Dodd back to Washington. Connecticut owes it to the country to retire him!

Posted by: Joe Spellman | May 1, 2009 3:18 PM

A lifelong Democrat, who has voted for Sen. Dodd many times, I really have lost so much faith in him and respect for him, I doubt I will vote for him again. He really sold out to the banking industry. The credit card companies are ripping us off. I have recently received a few notices from several credit card companies telling me they are increasing their fees, and I have a good credit record with these card companies. It's deplorable. If Mr. Dodd can do something to correct this travesty, maybe I'll give him another chance, but I doubt it. We need new blood in his place!

Posted by: john | May 4, 2009 8:54 PM

I'm so tired of career politicians - democrats, republicans who don't really believe in anything but their own bloated egos. They give lip service to their constituents, nothing more.

Dodd, Specter, Franks - and too many others. They all got to go. And we should pass a law preventing them all from becoming lobbyists.