Chris Dodd Threatens Politicians: No SOPA, No Hollywood Money
TechDirt highlights a revealing comment from the new CEO of the MPAA:
Reinforcing the fact that Chris Dodd really does not get what’s happening, and showing just how disgustingly corrupt the MPAA relationship is with politicians, Chris Dodd went on Fox News to explicitly threaten politicians who accept MPAA campaign donations that they’d better pass Hollywood’s favorite legislation… or else:
“Those who count on quote ‘Hollywood’ for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who’s going to stand up for them when their job is at stake. Don’t ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don’t pay any attention to me when my job is at stake,”
This certainly follows what many people assumed was happening, and fits with the anonymous comments from studio execs that they will stop contributing to Obama, but to be so blatant about this kind of corruption and money-for-laws politics in the face of an extremely angry public is a really, really, really tone deaf response from Dodd.
For some reason I doubt that the President is too worried about Dodd’s intimidations. “Oh and what are you going to do? Vote Republican? Or is Ralph Nader running again?” He surely must be thinking in response to his former Senate colleague’s empty threat.
Note the last sentence in particular and the attitude: “Don’t ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don’t pay any attention to me when my job is at stake.”
When one’s job is endangered by competitors it’s the role of government to pass laws to stifle innovators and maintain the status quo. In Dodd’s framing this is practically the equivalent of a bailout for GM.
But unlike Detroit and the banks, Hollywood isn’t going bankrupt. It’s just easier to dispatch Dodd and the MPAA to agitate for legislation than it is to innovate and deliver higher quality films and new entertainment technologies.
Hollywood hacks hire political hack, get empty suit making hollow threats.
Maybe not hollow – Looking at the donation record, a lot of politicians from all over take money from the entertainment industry. Some might feel safe enough to lose the money, some might decide that Hollywood/big media money is too vital and fall back into line.
The GOP can take the high road here easier than the Democrats: a lot more Democrats identify (or seek to identify) with celebrities and Hollywood. The GOP has been increasingly posturing themselves as “anti-liberal Hollywood” and could easily play this fact up. An Democrat ex-Senator is trying to buy votes? Even the biggest hack couldn’t write a better script (joke intended).
Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) was interviewed by Jimmy Cefalo this morning on his WIOD (Miami) morning show, and was asked why he supported and then dropped his support for SOPA PIPA.
He gave a stellar answer. He said (I’m paraphrasing) he’s still sincerely interested in stopping piracy and helping protect the legitimate rights of Americans intellectual property owners. But he was convinced by the national outcry that the politicians were acting too hastily, and said that IP protections shouldn’t be advanced haphazardly or without considering the collateral damage that might occur. He said Congress should take the time to investigate and make sure the law is done right; that it will make things better, not worse.
Of course, it might have been even better if he’d said that BEFORE he signed on as a co-sponsor, and then not signed on at all. But as a backtrack, this one was about as good as it gets.
The response is simple. A viral web movement to boycott Hollywood.
If Hollywood wants war with the Internet, let’s give it to ‘em.
Most of what they make sucks anyway.
Hollywood thinks they are losing money hand over fist because those nasty internet pirates are stealing their goodies.
On the other hand the video game business makes more money every month then Hollywood makes in a year. The Moroooooons in Hollywood are like buggy whip manufactures the year after Mr. Ford opened his auto plant.
Technology has made the movies obsolete. SOPA won’t change that. Pass SOPA and Hollywood is still dead. People don’t go to movies because they would rather stay home and play GTA or Ghost Recon.
As the Stars abandon Hollywood in the search for shovel ready jobs, SOPA will allow the goobermints camel like nose into the tent. The Citizens will never get it out.
Look, copyright material should be protected, but, why can we not enforce the laws already on the books? I will tell you why; Hollywood is influencing our congress & senate with their dollars. Just look at what how they are supporting the OWS even though these 1% are the ones they are looking to take down. Now that is an oxymoronic thing isn’t it. So what! Let Hollywood pay for their own lawyers and fight it in the courts like the rest of us.
Senator Dodd and Hollywood? Couldn’t happen to more deserving people. I would call that a match made in ……. Well, fill in the noun of your choice.
SOPA is censorship, pure and simple. If the 1st amendment is going to twisted to allow censorship, the first place that needs to be censored is Hollywood.
SOPA is also technically impossible.
And what the politicians need to say to Dodd is, “Money doesn’t get me re-elected; votes do, and my constituents have promised me that my re-election is DOA at the ballot box if I vote for this. If I cross you, I may lose, but if I do what you want, I WILL lose.”