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.