Obama Tells Dodd Not To Cut Deal With Republicans...

[BlooInBloo]

Nice headline to see.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner/obama-rejects-bipartisan_b_551132.html

"Although Senate Banking Committee Chris Dodd and his sometime Republican ally Richard Shelby continued to make noises on the Sunday talk shows about a possible bipartisan deal, both President Obama and House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank have personally urged Dodd not to cut a deal with Republicans. I asked Frank point blank why Dodd would want such a deal, and he said--on the record--"I have no idea, but both President Obama and I have urged him not to."

This is a welcome sign that Obama realizes that public opinion is moving in the direction of tougher banking reform, and that he learned from the health debate that bipartisan compromise on key reform issues is a snare and a delusion. Kudos to Chairman Frank and to the President.

Assuming that Dodd doesn't cave, the Democrats still need 60 votes if Republicans decide to filibuster the motion to take up the bill. But with tide turning strongly against coddling Wall Street, it is hard to imagine that a few Republicans won't break ranks. If so, there may be no filibuster at all. "

[jenmito]

1. Olympia Snowe may join the Dems. according to Drudge who probably posted the article as a

negative thing.

[Kdillard]

3. Oh you know Drudge thought this was negative but tis is very good news. Hope

Enough Republicans break ranks and we can get this done.

[LaPera]

51. Dems never fucking learn - Still trust Olympia Snowe, a republican stall tactic to weaken bills....

and gain concessions for republicans....No wonder why Dems don't pass a public option for health care reform, or stronger legislation cutting the loop-holes for Wall Street Reform....Do Dems really believe Snowe is honorable and will do the right thing? She's a fucking republican, a partisan, a lying asshole!

It's why she became a fucking republican in the first place, she's willing to do the republicans dirty work of pretending to want stronger reform, only to weaken bills for the republicans, the insurance corporations and now the banking industry....and she will in the end vote with all the rest of the 40 other republicans.

John McCain used to do the same thing use the same tactic, pretending he was a Maverick and led the Dems on, until the end when he ALWAYS voted with his party, the republicans, always. Stupid fucking Dems...Republicans laugh at you, knowing this same old tactic will always work because insecure democrats desperately want republican approval.

Wake up already - You can't trust a fucking republican....one is a fucking idiot if one does!

[stillwaiting]

56. I agree with you that Snowe's motives are transparent.

I disagree with you that elected Democrats never learn. They are not stupid, and they are not spineless.

Staged theater is what it is.

That is the reality we are facing.

[Clintonista2]

2. Thank.Fucking.God

[xultar]

60. [phone] million trillion gazillion brazillion billion...ROFL

[Robbins]

4. Good

Democrats are helped If they are seen going after wall Street.And If Republicans unite on opposing
then launch full campagin In Maine and MA to pressure Snowe,Collins,and Brown.They are republicans In
Democratic states.And If they won't budge then the White House should remind people In the fall
Republicans are coddling Wall Street.

[tblue37]

15. If R's unite to filibuster it, they will pay for their intransigence in November.

The Dems aren't doing enough to win in November, but the R's could still snatch defeat from the jaws of potential victory if they stand strongly united against financial reform.

Let the idiots filibuster (and if they do, make sure that the ads in November remind voters that they did)!

[barbiegeek]

43. Let them Filibuster & shut down govt., Let the social security be late

If they filibuster, it will shut down the government and when that happens....Vet paychecks stop, social security checks stop, unemployment aide stops.
When people, especially elderly voters, stop getting their checks they will vote dem.

Bring it On Repugs.

[docb]

50. No repub deal on Finaccial Reform

This Bill must be as strong as we can get it..Thank you Mr.President--no deal for repubs...This is an attempt to get inside to obstruct..Mcconnnell is weighing into the muck --Keep them out front--- make them show their intractible corporate serving selves! No mercy!

[Jackpine Radical]

54. The Rs really do seem to be on a suicide mission.

Maybe they're counting on big bux from the corpos to take over the airwaves this fall & pull their fat out of the fire, but expect a lot of that corporate $$ to go straight into the Dems' coffers. Rs do not have any kind of a lock on corpo treasuries. Corp expenditures are purely pragmatic; they will spend their $$ where they can get the best results, and an out-of-power party can't deliver results.

[flpoljunkie]

5. Encouraging

[AlinPA]

6. McConnell said this morning that they would filibuster. nt

http://www.newser.com/story/86982/clock-ticking-but-no-deal-yet.html

[TheEuclideanOne]

22. Not exactly a newsflash.

Good for them! Fillibuster everything you stupid fucks! Let the democrats show them for who they really are.

[Hubert Flottz]

31. Mitch and Boner both remind me of someone from my childhood

[PinkFloyd]

32. Boner reminds me of the fascist Malibu cop from The Big Lebowski

And Cheney reminds me of the old Lebowski.

I don't know why.

[MindandSoul]

7. Good for Obama!

[BlueIdaho]

8. No need to cut a deal.

The republicans have suddenly discovered that they are on the wrong side of this issue and several are scrambling to find a way to join the Democrats without incurring the wrath of their party boss Rush Limp-balls. The American people have no love for greedy Banksters and the republican good old boys have miscalculated badly. This is no time to be in bed with these crooks.

[nosmokes]

9. yeah, right. no deals, just make sure it's bi-partisan...

fool me once yada, yada, yada fool me for the 243rd time then shame on who?

I'm supposed to believe that the passage of a 4th rate health care bill suddenly caused the growth of a spine in the Democratic party, that *now* they know how use the largest majority in both houses for decades to advance their agenda? Why?

I learned the hard way at the race track the best predictor of future performance is prior past performance, and that, m'friends doesn't inspire one iota of confidence in me that this won't be another case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[SwampG8r]

24. have to agree about health care

if it goes like health care then we will get herded out to predatory banks the way we got herded to the insurance companies

[yurbud]

10. Why didn't he figure this out with the health care reform bill?

[phleshdef]

14. There was nothing to figure out. Democrats had to cut deals with friggin' Democrats to pass any HCR.

[yurbud]

26. Obama and Dem leadership could have strong armed DLC & Blue Dogs they way they did

progressives.

[phleshdef]

28. And the easter bunny loves me too.

[yurbud]

29. Blanch Lincoln is facing a primary challenger, Joe Lieberman lost a primary...

the Blue Dogs and DLC are money strong and voter weak. Once a spotlight is turned on their craven corporate toadying, whatever public support they have evaporates like dew.

Someone as smart as Obama would know how to push those buttons--if he had even wanted to.

[Enthusiast]

57. Obama doesn't want to.

Just like with the health care reform bill. It is a choice, a choice that favors corporate interests, once again.

[yurbud]

59. you say that like you are happy about it. Do you think its a good thing we have pols who ignore us?

and ignore public opinion, even of the constituents who elected them?

[DrToast]

17. Because HCR wasn't popular.

[yurbud]

30. did you read any polls? the only thing unpopular about it was it didn't go far enough

[liberal N proud]

11. YESssssssssss!

[Arkana]

12. But...but I thought that Obama fellow was just a jello-spined coward

who licks Republican ass!

THIS GOES AGAINST MY ENTIRE NARRATIVE ARGH

[grahamhgreen]

13. I hope this means change!

[DCBob]

16. Very good. The GOPers wil cave...

they know they will look like like complete morons filibustering this bill.

[TheEuclideanOne]

23. He should change his slogan to

Change you can believe in, in spite of Republicans.

[backscatter712]

18. Sounds likely we've got cloture, without watering the bill down (as much).

Definitely good news. The best part will be seeing the expression on Mitch McConnell's human mask...

[johnnyplankton]

19. They've got them over a barrel....

...on this one. But wouldn't you love to see the Republicans actually have to do a REAL Jimmy Stewart-style filibuster sometime? It would be over in no time.

[Kolesar]

53. That's not really a face transplant we are looking at

really

[BrentWil]

20. Hell yeah

I mean, make them vote for Wall Street.

[Skittles]

21. could it be? is he finally catching on?

[Kablooie]

25. If they do filibuster, seems like prime material for election season.

[deacon]

35. Politically speaking, it's the absolute best thing for Democrats. I say let them drag it out.

If they want to defend wall street up until the time of elections. Perfect.

[craigmatic]

27. They can use this issue to threaten Brown with. He along with Maine's senators are the weak links.

They'll cave before the dems.

[PinkFloyd]

33. This serves a dual purpose: hurt the GOP momentum and get a decent bill.

With the Lutz memo leaked, the McConnell meeting public and Goldman Sachs it won't look good on the GOP if they come across as the defenders of the Wall Street guys who cause much of this...at least, not in the eyes of swing voters. That's good too because maybe they can use that to keep the GOP from trying to water the bill down.

[deacon]

34. Scott Brown winning was the best thing for Democrats. A wake up call and

elected to fight against wall street. It energized Democrats and Obama and what does scott brown do (?) - says he will support a filibuster in defense of wall street. No deep analysis needed here.

[tallahasseedem]

38. I think so as well...

of course I was willing to tell myself anything after the defeat. Seeing the way that Dems have rebounded seems promising.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

55. It blasted the myth of 60 Democrats, which opened a lot of doors.

We no longer had to operate under the false notion that we could pass whatever we wanted and simply couldn't figure out how to do it. We always had to deal with the specter of Joe Lieberman, and would have whether or not he caucased with us. Now we can correctly depict the Republicans for the obstructionists that they are, which is very, very liberating.

[h9socialist]

36. Strike a blow against the Plutonomy!

I just watch Michael Moore's latest movie on Capitalism which just came out on DVD last month. That Citigroup memo from 2006 still comes to mind when I think about financial reform. Here's where Obama can recapture some of the spirit of FDR and the New Deal. I'm overjoyed that he doesn't want to cut deals with the Republicans. The Republicans are the Plutonomy's political wing. If the Republicans want to stop the wheels of government in order to protect Goldman-Sachs, it will cost them dearly this time.

[h9socialist]

37. Strike a blow against the Plutonomy!

I just watch Michael Moore's latest movie on Capitalism which just came out on DVD last month. That Citigroup memo from 2006 still comes to mind when I think about financial reform. Here's where Obama can recapture some of the spirit of FDR and the New Deal. I'm overjoyed that he doesn't want to cut deals with the Republicans. The Republicans are the Plutonomy's political wing. If the Republicans want to stop the wheels of government in order to protect Goldman-Sachs, it will cost them dearly this time.

[kentuck]

39. Excellent !

I posted this link in GD also. This, more than anything, can help the President and the Party, get back their mojo before the election in November. I'm hoping they understand the power of this issue.

[AlecBGreen]

40. FYI Shelby was the one (ONE) republican to vote against Glass-Steagall repeal

just so's ya know

[FailureToCommunicate]

48. Thanks, good to know. A flickering candle of hope?

[FailureToCommunicate]

49. Nope. Upon further info, apparently not. Stupid Republicans.

[Deep13]

41. Fool him once shame on you. (You know the rest.) nt

[DesertDiamond]

42. Thank you, Mr. President!!!!

[denimgirly]

44. It's not about Caving (for Dodd), it's about a Payday down the road...

Dodd knows full well that Republicans are just in the conversation to give the bill an excuse to water it down so he can leave the senate and join a lobbyist and be paid for his lack-of-work. He wants to get paid, and paid well with some serious kickback cash. And everyone knows it.

[Fire1]

45. Terrific news!

[totodeinhere]

46. He did not "tell" him, he urged him.

The Senate is part of a coequal branch of the government, and the president does not have the authority to dictate anything to them. He can only urge and plead.

[NewJeffCT]

47. Can we get every Democrat coordinated on this?

You know, have them say something along the lines of "Republicans are siding with big Wall Street Banks against Main Street by stopping financial reforms."??

Is that too much to ask?

[florida08]

52. Good news

thank goodness Tim isn't the president

My sources tell me that one key Democrat, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, is actually somewhat more pro-banker than moderate and heartland senate Republicans when it comes to derivatives reform. He is sympathetic to Wall Street complaints that the Lincoln bill would eat into derivatives profits, and has weighted in on the side of watering down her bill. Happily, he doesn't vote, but President Obama should decide the administration position and not leave it to Geithner.

A little history is reassuring. For all of his personal resolve, it took Franklin Roosevelt seven years and several pieces of landmark legislation to complete the New Deal structure of financial regulation that kept Wall Street well harnessed until the late 1970s - including the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Public Utility Holding Act of 1935, ending with the Investment Company Act of 1940. Even in that golden age of reform, Wall Street wasn't tamed in a day.

[Cha]

58. Freakin' good for nothing republicons. nt