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Chris Dodd Learned Nothing, Hints at SOPA Revival
More Backroom, Closed Door Conversations

You would have thought that the unprecedented backlash against both SOPA and PIPA would have resulted in the entertainment industry learning something about shoving bad laws down the throat of the country -- but apparently not. MPAA boss and former Congressman Chris Dodd this week told Hollywood Reporter that there are backroom conversations occurring among a small number of people, and that "between now and sometime next year," Hollywood and the tech industry will "come to an understanding."

Of course as Techdirt notes, one of SOPA's biggest problem was that it was hashed out in secret with nobody at any level (including government) considering independent expert insight or caring what the public thought. So obviously the solution is more back room dealing, right? Masnick puts it quite concisely:
quote:
Yes, you know why it would be "counterproductive" to go into more detail? Because he knows damn well that the problem with SOPA was that it was negotiated in the backrooms with private parties and no participation from the actual stakeholders: the public. So, yes, admitting that you're doing the same thing all over again would be counterproductive. You know what would be productive? Stopping this political backroom dealing crap, and finally coming out and having a public discussion. But he won't do it, because Dodd is a coward and a DC-insider who only knows how to cut deals, not how to actually respond to the public's best interests.
Masnick at Techdirt continues to note Dodd also hasn't learned much about lying and inflating numbers to try and make his point -- continuing to bandy around claims that Hollywood employs some 2.2 million people -- when it's really closer to around 400,000. Dodd also likes to claim Hollywood's losing jobs when in reality they're growing -- just not in theater chains where mergers and consolidation are killing employment numbers.

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pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
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join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

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pnh102

Premium Member

What's To Teach?

Blaming Chris Dodd misses the real point. As long as elected officials continue to sell privileged access to the legislative process, there will always be entities interested in purchasing such access.

SOPA sucks, but the problem lays mainly with the Senators and Representatives who see nothing wrong in taking bribes.