WTF ??? - Dodd Wanted/Wants To Put A REPUBLICAN At The Head Of The Consumer Protection Agency ???

[WillyT]

Dodd Sounded Out Bair Over Consumer Post
By DAMIAN PALETTA - WSJ
JULY 31, 2010

<snip>

Sen. Christopher Dodd approached Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair in recent days to gauge whether she would be interested in running the new consumer-protection agency, according to people familiar with the matter.

The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee's behind-the-scenes courtship of Ms. Bair suggests he is trying to find a nominee who might win favor in the Senate. It will be Mr. Dodd's job to move the nominee through a preliminary vote on his committee and then defend the person's record on the Senate floor.

Many consumer groups, labor unions and liberal Democrats are pushing the White House to nominate Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren, who is credited with coming up with the idea of the consumer agency. Mr. Dodd (D., Conn.) has publicly expressed reservations about whether Ms. Warren could garner the 60 votes necessary to win Senate confirmation. White House officials have said she is "confirmable."

Ms. Bair told Mr. Dodd she wasn't interested, people familiar with the matter said. She is widely expected to leave the government when her term at the FDIC expires next year.

Ms. Bair isn't on the White House's short list of candidates, which includes Ms. Warren, Treasury Department Assistant Secretary Michael Barr and Justice Department official Gene Kimmelman.

Ms. Bair, a Republican, would be an unlikely pick for the White House to run the agency, which is called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She has clashed with the banking industry and has called for tougher curbs on its lending practices, but putting a Republican in the job could anger liberal groups and labor unions. She is popular on Capitol Hill, however, with broad support from Democrats and Republicans.

The public debate over who should get the job, and the White House's willingness to engage in it, has been unusual. Preliminary discussions about nominations typically play out behind the scenes. Some view the public debate as a reflection of how much influence the CFPB's first director will have in setting the direction of the agency.

Democrats are struggling to reach a consensus on which candidate should run the CFPB, which was created by the financial-overhaul law enacted July 21. The new agency will have broad powers to write and enforce consumer-protection rules affecting a variety of products, from mortgages to credit cards. It is expected to be up and running by next summer.

Many Democrats feel they need someone in the post who won't be swayed by bankers. Others worry that choosing someone seen as too activist—a charge leveled at Ms. Warren—could turn public sentiment against from the agency.

<snip>

More: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703999304575399630756279118.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

I'm glad she isn't interested, but WTF is Dodd doing???

:wtf:

:banghead:

:nuke:

[NoPasaran]

1. Chris Dodd is all up in your house with the disease

[WillyT]

2. Yep... He WAS One Of The Democratic Senators I USED To Respect...

Not anymore.

:mad:

[asdjrocky]

26. all 3

[msongs]

3. why not, we have a republican running the military lol nt

[WillyT]

5. You're Right... I Forgot... It's All About The Bi--Partisanship...

:puke:

:mad:

[DJ13]

12. Its not "Bi--Partisanship", its Buy Partisanship

Real bi-partisanship is expensive.

[Loudmxr]

4. Isn't that like putting Tony Montana in charge of drug policy?

[dsc]

6. I actually thought Warren was a Republican

I could swear Bush had appointed her to something.

[WillyT]

7. Reid Appointed Her...

On November 14, 2008, Ms. Warren was appointed by United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to chair the five-member Congressional Oversight Panel created to oversee the implementation of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act.<30> The Panel releases monthly oversight reports that evaluate the government bailout and related programs<31>.

The Panel's monthly reports have covered foreclosure mitigation, consumer and small business lending, commercial real estate, AIG, bank stress tests, the impact of TARP on the financial markets, government guarantees, the automotive industry, and many other topics. The Panel has also released special reports on financial regulatory reform and farm loans. For each report, Warren releases a video on the Congressional Oversight Panel's website explaining key findings. All reports and videos are available at cop.senate.gov.

In her role as Chair of the Panel, Warren has testified many times before House and Senate committees on financial issues.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Warren

:hi:

[dsc]

16. sorry I guess I mixed her up with someone else

[Sebastian Doyle]

8. Dodd set this whole joke up to fail in the first place

Or should I really say.... Dodd is ensuring his future employment in the criminal industry he pretends to have just "regulated". Just like he sabotaged Ted Kennedy's health care bill to ensure his insurance whore wife's income. :grr:

[laughingliberal]

11. Yes. Dodd's priority now is optimizing his prospects for his future employment. Asshole. nt

[Foo Fighter]

25. Aren't they all?

After all, isn't that how "the system" works?

Sure looks like it to me.

[glitch]

19. Yup, he's auditioning for his next gig. nt

:thumbsdown:

[IndianaGreen]

9. The two party system represents different factions of America's ruling class

American working men and women are allowed to exist to serve the oligarchs. We are also given the illusion of democracy and freedom, until someone decides to challenge the status quo, as MLK did in Memphis.

[TheKentuckian]

10. Dodd had me fooled. Man, I can't wait for him to go. Good call Connecticut! Way to flush

[Jennicut]

13. Dodd used to be a decent Senator. But as a CT resident, I am glad he is going.

[Bitwit1234]

14. Guess wall street is making it worth his while to foster this woman

off as the head of the commission. We knew he had something up his sleeve when he kept insisting that Warren wouldn't do.

[myrna minx]

15. I used to respect Dodd. This is really sad to learn. n/t

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

17. Dodd is to Banking as Tauzin is to Pharma

and as you say trying to protect his future employers/clients.

Also cynical is the ploy of "Look, we're not giving you Elizabeth Warren, but at least we're giving you someone the same gender!"

[sabrina 1]

18. Just one more Republican invited in to a Democratic

administration.

What is the point of voting for Democrats when once they get there, they appoint Republicans and Blue Dogs to powerful positions?

Appointed by the President:

Alan Simpson ~ Co-chair of Deficit Commission
Pete Peterson ~ Deficit Commission
Robert Gates ~ Defense Secretary
Ray LaHood for transportation secretary (nominated, not sure about confirmation)

Judd Greg, another Republican offered a position in this administration. He turned it down but is still sought for advice by this administration.

Podesta said early on that we 'would see many Republicans' in this administration.

The president also seeks the advice of several Republicans. Some of those are:

Lindsey Graham
Jack Goldsmith (former Bush head of the Office of Legal Counsel)
Chuck Grassley
Arnold Schwartzenegger
Orrin Hatch
John McCain
Dick Lugar
Susan Collins
Olympia Snowe
Mel Martinez

The Six Top Republicans Obama Listens To

And that doesn't include the Bush leftovers in the DOJ eg, or the military.

Then there are the Blue Dogs, Ben Nelson (Bush loved him also}, Vilsack, Baucus and a whole list of others.

Not to mention that attention given to rightwing fundie pastors.

Are there no Democrats who could fill these roles? Progressives?

I know this, I will be asking this question 'who will you be nominating for Cabinet and other positions of power, Commissions etc. if you are elected, Republicans or Democrats' from now on.

If you vote for Democrats, you do not expect Republicans resurrected and given powerful positions in government.

[AnnieBW]

20. I'm sorry that I ever gave money to his Prez campaign

I want my money back!

[IndianaGreen]

30. Not the Chris Dodd that moved his family to Iowa during the campaign

Another example of a candidate becoming someone else.

[AnArmyVeteran]

21. I AM SICK OF CORRUPTION IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Why not put Tony Hayward in charge? Dodd oozes corruption. He has always been OWNED by corporations. Wake up Obama and start leading your party and stop allowing corporate owned democrats from fucking the citizens. Are you in charge Obama? A real president would be mopping the floor with people like Dodd. Why don't you name Massey the coal miner as your Secretary of the Interior? Or are you already considering that???

[joe black]

31. Obama is wide awake.

He knows what he's doing and it ain't about you or me.

[donheld]

22. Dodd is doing his best to land a job as a lobbyist or

banking executive job when he leaves the senate.

[lumberjack_jeff]

23. It's a big club, and you're not in it. n/t

[Raineyb]

24. Dodd is auditioning with the banking industry for a job when he's done with the

Senate.

What's good for the country isn't even a consideration in his thinking. I will NOT miss him.

[upi402]

27. Dodd is gone

They must have something on him. A blind man can see that's just too bold.

[WillyT]

28. Morning Kick...

:kick:

[CanonRay]

29. Chirs Dodd: Bought and Paid For

I wonder if he comes with an actual deed?

[NorthCarolina]

32. The DLC will of course appoint those closest to their own political ideology

The fact that it repeatedly seems to be Republicans that float to the top of their lists SHOULD be telling.

[Poboy]

34. Worth repeating NorthCarolina-

The DLC will of course appoint those closest to their own political ideology.
The fact that it repeatedly seems to be Republicans that float to the top of their lists SHOULD be telling.

[kenny blankenship]

33. And why not? We're all Reagan's children.

Apparently there is no rejecting his patrimony of exponential debt creation and simultaneous anti-deficit hysteria. And there's evidently no escape from his Permanent Revolution of the rich over the poor, and no cure for the genetically entrenched galloping militarism he passed on to us. On all important things now the two parties agree. The apple when it falls, falls under the tree.

The only way out from the Reagan-induced, nationwide Alzsheimer's pandemic is to put a bullet in your brain.