Very bad news about Chris Dodd. I'm not sure he'll be re-elected now.

[beachmom]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/7/28/758763/-Testimony:-Conrad,-Dodd-knew-about-VIP-loans

He may have lied about not knowing he had received a VIP loan from Countrywide.

I think this is relevant to the JK forum, because John Kerry has been such a big supporter of Dodd, fundraising for him, speaking up for him on the blogs, etc.

This also is an example of how good people can become insulated in DC.

[karynnj]

1. I agree it is an issue here

Kerry has been one of the few willing to argue the good things about Dodd. Like you, I think this looks bad - and he was already in trouble.

I don't think Kerry missed the negatives Dodd has. His comments always dealt with real positive things that Dodd had accomplished. I suspect it is personal as well. Along time ago, someone posted a real nice article here that spoke of how the Kerry's had dinners with the Daschle's and had a dinner around the time of the inauguration with the Kennedys and the Dodds. The fact that Dodd was with him then when within one month he went from the man that every phony Democrat played up to - to being treated badly by many might have been part of it. In addition, Kerry is a very loyal person - and previously nothing was proven.

I would assume that if Dodd is proven to have violated ethics, Kerry will have a tough time doing it, but he likely will say it was wrong.

[beachmom]

2. Well, this is difficult to say, but if it is looking bad for Dodd, it may

fall on Kerry to persuade him not to run. I think there are only a few colleagues who Dodd would trust and Kerry would be one of them.

I don't think Kerry would speak ill of Dodd publicly at least not for a long while. The only way he would is if these charges were proven, and also if the polls were really bad, yet Dodd refused to step down.

[Luftmensch067]

3. Maybe I'm misunderstanding

But doesn't the diary update say that Dodd may NOT have known or may not have been given preferential treatment? And one comment also points out the convenient timing of this breaking in Politico just when Dodd is one of the more forward-leaning on healthcare.

I admit to knowing very little about Dodd, other than liking him, so correct me if I'm wrong!

[beachmom]

4. That update is new. No idea. But the truth is the first headline

is what was reported in the AP. The update was a response.

Edit: My Left Nutmeg responds:

http://myleftnutmeg.com/diary/11613/feinberg-he-said-he-maybe-said

[cadmium]

5. Another side of the story is told here

by David Fiderer on Huff Post. It questions a lot of Feinberg's accusations What I think links Dodd to Kerry and to Nancy Pelosi is the way leftist activists are willing to believe the worst about them right off the bat. I dont know why

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-fiderer/senator-dodds-accusers-ly_b_246355.html

[JI7]

7. some of them are going after Dean also

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6175362&mesg_id=6175362

[wisteria]

6. I still believe that Chris Dodd is a good man and I hold out hope he will be reelected.

He appears so much more up front and caring than say someone like Shumer is. He has his troubles no doubt, but I hope the people in his state can see the good in him and reelect him for another term.

[Inuca]

8. Agree

I don't have time to read the links now, I'll do it later. But I read the Politico article yesterday, and if I remember correctly it said that the supposed preferential treatment he got saved him aprox. $70,000 over 10 years. I assume Dodd is at the very least a relatively wealthy man. I am not assuming he is a saint or incapable of doing stupid wrong things, but he is also a smart man and it just does not make sense that he will risk so much for so little.

[beachmom]

9. I agree, but I think he has made a lot of mistakes this past year.

Not just one mistake, but a string of mistakes. What he has said, how he has dealt with these ethics questions, etc. I am concerned about how competently he can run his re-election campaign. He does the right things in the Senate but for this campaign he and his team are continually making mistakes. Like for example there was an attack on him because he was with Kerry in Nantucket for a DSCC fundraiser where there were a lot of lobbyists there. This right after he ran an ad saying he is going to have nothing to do with lobbyists. Now I know that this fundraiser he was at was innocent. But it LOOKS BAD. He should be checking the angles for everything he does. He just isn't doing that, and that makes me concerned.

[TayTay]

10. Sen Dodd is likely innocent of any wrongdoing

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/7/29/759236/-Two-different-senators,-two-different-stories">Front-page DKos diary on this notes the following:

First, let's look at Dodd's situation:

1. Dodd's defenders say his first contact with Countrywide on the loans in question came when his wife called up the company using a 1-800 number from their website. The testimony was consistent with this.
   
   
2. According to Dodd, he was automatically enrolled in a VIP program, but not at his request. The testimony was also consistent with this.
   
   
3. Based on a review of publicly available loan rates by Dodd's office and media reports, Dodd did not receive preferential treatment on the terms of his loan. Dodd and his wife both have excellent credit scores. The loans they took -- 5/1 Jumbo ARMs -- were offered with initial 4.25% and 4.5% interest rates, which were at or above the market rate at the time. (Dodd's website has details on this, including links to independent media validation of this point.)
   
   
4. The one "deal" Dodd may have have gotten was the waiver of up-front points on the loans, a $2,700 benefit. However, such waivers are common, and given that Dodd could have gotten a cheaper loan with a different lender, the benefit does not appear substantial.
   

The diary is nowhere near that nice when it comes to the treatment that Sen. Kent Conrad got. He appears to be on much shakier grounds in terms of soliciting special treatment.

[JI7]

11. Dodd was cleared on some ethic complaints today

i hope that can help him in some way.

[Inuca]

12. I was very glad when I heard this n/t