MPAA threat sparks White House petition for bribery probe
Chris Dodd, ex–US senator and current CEO of the Motion Picture Ass. of America, may face a White House investigation after he made an extraordinary outburst that appeared to threaten politicians who had the audacity to take the entertainment industry’s money and then abandon SOPA/PIPA online-piracy legislation. “Those who count …
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Clearly the USofA is not the democracy it thinks it is.
Perhaps it needs to get its own affairs in order before it interferes in the "democracy" in other countries.
Democracy? Misinformed.
Those of you who call the USA a "democracy" are misinformed. It has never been a "democracy". Ever and always, the United States of America is a "republic". Your complaints sound idiotic in view of the fact that you have no idea what you are talking about.
Too picky? Yes, we know that the USA is actually an implementation of a funny model called "polity". However, the House/Senate combo is something they share with fully democratic regimes, and operates on the same rules. If SOPA/PIPA were a constitutional amendment, the different rules would apply, but in this case it is only a regular bill. Therefore, the process can be compared with regular democracies.
Well Said
Your tasty prose is difficult with which to argue, but I will try:
The commenters who use phrases attempt to mock the USA's political structure are using the example of "regular democracies" incorrectly, by implying that the United States *is* a "democracy" ... ergo, they are misinformed. If the USA were being correctly compared to "regular democracies" (of which I challenge you to produce any example), then lumping all such institutions together might be useful, but it is not.
The USA is *not* a "democracy", even if such a notion is generally accepted as truth, and even if this particular exercise utilizes processes which can also be associated with true democracies, should any be discovered.
Therefore to use that misunderstanding of the nature of the political system as a weapon to mock the system is simply misinformed, and not a very smart insult. Kind of as if an American were to mock the British system as "a Monarchy". It's a misconception that does not get any more relevant with repetition.
Correct name for US political system:
Should properly be called a plutocracy, gov't by and for the wealthy.
Case In Point
Another attempt to mock the US political system falls flat, as it is clear that every government on the planet matches your description.
good ole Chris Dodd
The man who got very low interest loans from the banks in exchange for pushing disastrous deregulation. Republicans did alot to ruin our economy but of course it took bipartisanship to truly finish the job.
for the reading impaired
Yes I am well aware Dodd was a Democrat from Conneticut thus the bipartisanship comment.
Brazen fuckers the lot of them
Chris Dodd represents one of the many things that are hopelessly wrong with the US political system.
There was a time not so long ago when scum like him at least tried to keep their dodgy dealings on the down low. The last few years it seems like they don't even bother to hide their contempt for the general public any more.
Wha?
As if we needed further proof that American democracy has devolved into oligarchy.
@ Eduard Coli
I humbly disagree, as oligarchy subtectually implies that there is at least one or two "grown ups" in charge, over here, that have a general clue. In all honesty, I highly doubt that the executive, judicial or legislative branchs could actually fine their own respective asses, without someone else pointing it out. However, for the sake of argument, I will concur.
So true...looks like file sharers are now the new terrorists...but there are SO MANY!
We're starting to make Russia look squeaky clean..... let's see what happens when the US Gov't starts prosecuting MegaUpload's customers in industrial fashion (yes they have the customer records).. might even be a good time to invest in the soon-to-be, only-remaining, growth market: prison real-estate. Hard to say who will actually be moving into those new prisons though.... Will it be you and me? Or ex-Senator Dodd and his Congressional buddies? I know who I'd vote for.
To all our colonial brethren...
Please sign this petition, as being a resident of Airstrip One I'm not eligible, even though "my" Government has bent over backwards to subject me to the rule of American Laws & Courts.
As Leonard Cohen said, "Democracy is coming to the USA", the only question is when.
Grover Norquist?
How come they don't go after the biggest racketeer in Washington - Grover Norquist? This is a guy who OPENLY states that if politicians defy his "No taxes"pledge he'll pull campaign funding for them . . . .
If you elected these bums you deserve what you get
Voters have the shortest memory in the world.
Not quite..
But the only memory shorter is that of a politician when asked about his pre-election manifesto promises.
Something fishy ..
is going on with whitehouse.gov. When I went to sign the petition I received the response (before logging in) that I already had done so. Untrue. Perhaps signing has been closed (at 22,000+) to avoid embarassing certain people.
... is probably just faulty IT
When I visited the site, 21 Jan, there were 26K+ signatures, which put it over the minimum of 25K sigs required to get an official response.
Official response....
"...which put it over the minimum of 25K sigs required to get an official response."
Which will be to increase the number of signatures required to 250K.
The petition is no longer on the site, I wonder why?
Perhaps it did get 250 K signatures.
Dodd is (unfortunately) a well-known bum....
He took a very favorable mortgage package from Countrywide Loans, one of the more disreputable of the various home loan companies that pumped up the real estate bubble. Of course Dodd's committee regulated the financial industry.
At least he is an ex-Senator now
Two days and almost done
At the moment only 179 left to go. If you hurry you can be the 25,000th one.
Since they still get the entire 30 days anyway I wouldn't mind if this one racked up 250,000 signatures. So they know we're serious.
Do the math...
If it literally cost (for example) $200,000,000 to get re-elected in the hotly-contested districts, then the poor schmuck has to rake in something like $100,000 ¡ *AN HOUR* ! just to stay on track. So if you'd like to have a 30-minute appointment to discuss (for example) copyright policy, then you'll need a good size suitcase to carry the appropriate $50,000 bribe^h^h^h^h^ "donation".
Lobbying is to Bribery as Dating is to Prositution.
I'm not exactly sure when lobbying becomes bribery, but there is definitely a legal line there to be crossed.
Lobbying is to Bribery as Sugar daddies are to Prositution.
Here, fixed for you...
Way to go American people. Chris Dodd has made himself the figurehead for most of this 'stuff'. Having his head on a pike on the Whitehouse lawn should at least give pause to others considering keeping the masses servile.
Free Market Senators
Don't pay 'em from the public purse.
Make 'em earn their money the old fashioned way*
* for politicians anyway.
Like hell..
Pay them from the public purse, pay them well but make it an offence punishable with a *long* prison sentence if they take money from any other source.
> Make 'em earn their money the old fashioned way*
Ronald Reagan said precisely one thing of use:
"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first."
Vic.
Stupidscript misinformed, US a democracy.
The United States is both a democracy and a republic. A republic is simply a country that does not have a monarch as a head of state. The US is a particular form of democracy called a "representative democracy" where we vote on delegates who make decisions, as opposed to a "direct democracy" where we vote on every decision, or a "democratic republic" where we do what we're told.
"representative democracy" where we vote on delegates
who make decisions for business is not a true form of democracy - its more of a piss take.
> a "representative democracy" where we vote on delegates who make decisions
Hactually, a representative democracy is where we vote for people to represent us.
I'm not quite sure where that "servant of the Electorate" role morphed into "Lord and Master of the plebeian class" :-(
Vic.
Why should the government allow the MPAA to influence law when....
they've been affiliated with organized crime since the 1960s? I hope the government charges the MPAA a severe fine for this matter, as I'm sure bribery isn't exactly legal.
I'd also kick everyone out of congress now and get new members who aren't so susceptible to such things...
(gringo talking..)
Please clarify:
Did you mean "Why should the government allow the MPAA to influence law when [the MPAA have] been affiliated with organized crime since the 1960s?"
Or did you mean "Why should the government allow the MPAA to influence law when [the government have] been affiliated with organized crime since the 1960s?"
The MPAA is who I was referring to. I apologize for my earlier erraneous comment.
Sorry, but this is technically not a bribe.
What he is saying more than anything else is the only truly unforgivable ethics violation is the failure to stay bought.
If I ask you to vote a certain way, and then hand you a check then its a bribe.
If you come to me and say you support legislation that I want passed, and by the way I could
use a campaign donation to fight off those who do not, then it's not.
If you come to me and say you will support legislation that I want passed if I write a check, then
its a bribe.
If you come to me and say you will oppose legislation that I want passed if I don't write a check, then that's extortion.
Since he is saying that he will only write a check to people who's views coincide with his own,
that's actually legal.
Thank you
For being the only person that understands what was said, instead of being the usual commentard that answers using their own bias as opposed to actually trying to understand something
@Richard 15: Maybe, but Dodd's outburst is on the limits of good taste... even for America
To paraphrase a real Republican (Abe Lincoln) ... you can bribe some of the congressman some of the time...... but you can't bribe all of the congressman all of the time.
The naked abuse of power is never a pretty sight, particularly in a First World country with nearly 10 % unemployment and no end in sight.
with > 26000 petition signatures and rising, Hollywood, MPAA and Dodd could join the illustrious ranks of America's most hated.. I can only hope so. Cause it's gettin' down right ugly out there. Do keep fannin' the fire, citizens.... please.... something has to give.
@ Richard 15 : Yes, but...
(Need a 'Rotten Fish' icon)
I agree from your examples that this is not a bribe, yet there is still something smelly about it.
He expressed annoyance that the politicians concerned didn't act in his favour. His annoyance indicates that he thought that his donation would lead to favourable treatment : it is only the absence of an agreement from the recipient that stops it being a bribe.
His statement clearly says (to me at least) that in future he will only donate to politicians who he can be sure will give him something in return. That arrangement is commonly understood to be a bribe.
Whether it is "technically" a bribe
doesn't change the fact that the whole thing is a f**ked-up system.
These technicalities used to be a nice facade to cover the god-awfully enormous amounts of money sloushing around the system. To cover them at least a little bit.
What's changed in recent years, apparently, is that facades are no longer necessary and people openly speak about the full role that money plays. Obviously Supreme court decisions had a lot to do with this.
nope
The fact they their votes were 'bought' in the first place, without them having the opportunity to change their view, is corruption.
He is not saying he will only write a check to people who's views coincide with his - he is saying he won't write a check to those who 'USED' to agree with him unless they revert back to their original stance. He is bribing them to change their current stance.
It's not just at national level though is it....
A major supermarket chain in my small market town has just pushed through it's planning application by offering what is known as Section 106 (I think that number is correct) money, a large chunk of wedge for the council to spend in 'improving' the town. What do you think would happen if I offered a few hundred quid to hurry through the planning application on my extension or conservatory?
Hmm, Section 106
That's a rats' nest of bureaucracy if ever there was one.
Council: We can't even consider your planning application for a grotesque supermarket/retail box/bowling alley unless you promise to spend an additional small fortune putting in other infrastructure in a completely unrelated area that we overlooked in last year's budget.
Developer: But we have evidence to show that this store is needed by at least six people, and we'll be creating jobs (most of which are temporary in the construction of the site). And that cycle path you want us to put in as part of the 106 doesn't actually go anywhere.
Another amazing display of the corrosive power of these scumbag parasites...
...like MPAA et al.
Also it gives you a chill when you see how quickly a formerly reasonable Senator turned into this utterly immoral paid mouthpiece (scumbag lobbyist, that is.)
Let's close that revolving door for good, shall we?
Formerly reasonable?
Whilst a Senator, Dodd received more campaign money from Wall Street than any other politician. And the bulk of the $47M he received in donations during his 20 years in office came from individuals and PACs affiliated with the major investment banks. So he understands very, very well the way that money buys political influence.
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