Conference Committee, Live?

Today, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said that some parts of the conference committee hashing out the final financial regulatory reform bill will be public, with other negotiations remaining private.

But Brian Beutler of Talking Points Memo reports that Republicans are pushing to put the entire process on C-SPAN. That would be good for people looking for strong consumer protections and a strong bill more generally — making sure auto dealers providing loans come under scrutiny from the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, making sure loopholes are closed, making sure the derivatives language remains strong.

Why? For one, no senator wants to be out in public defending banks or watering down reforms. Second, the bill remains enormously complex, and allowing cameras in will provide consumer groups and others the chance to push back before deals are made.