Senate Dems kick off financial overhaul with pollsters briefing

Senate Democrats will kick off their financial overhaul effort with a meeting with pollsters and strategy groups on Thursday.

The Senate Democratic Policy Committee (DPC) is hosting a meeting with all Democratic Caucus staff on "how to communicate with your constituents" tomorrow morning on Capitol Hill.

The session will review recent public opinion polling and recommendations on proposed reforms, and will be conducted by Lake Research Partners (on behalf of Americans for Financial Reform) and Benenson Strategy Group (on behalf of the Service Employees International Union).

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) introduced the preliminary language of his bill to overhaul the nation's financial system on Tuesday. That legislation would install a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency and establish a regulator to evaluate systemic risk within the financial services sector.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) quickly seized on the bill yesterday afternoon, though, calling it another 1,000+ page bill that no Republican is likely to support.

Senate Republicans mocked the meeting as an effort to try to figure out what's possible, rather than a discussion over what will work.

The DPC's briefing is the third in a series of briefings, previous ones having been on over-the-counter derivatives and a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency. DPC staff notes that such meetings are routine on both sides of the aisle.