America, now land of fire sale price, land of many bargain! [with CHINESE accent]

* * *

Pelosi and her speech was stupid (as notes anyone who knows what she said), and to the extent this reflects ambition and over-confidence, as well as misinterpretation by the Democrats, it's an ugly threat to Americans about what an Obama White House _and_ a Democrat-controlled Congress would portend.

Did the GOP overreact or exploit Pelosi's stupidity. Maybe. The Dems want total junk foisted on the public, but the GOP are dysfunctional. Don't forget that while it is in and of itself a good thing, it was wacky for some House Republicans, in trying to negotiate the content of the bill, to seek or even insist on capital gains tax reductions at this time. That's just GOP dysfunctionality. Complaining about Pelosi is also somewhat grasping at straws (albeit with substance behind GOP dissatisfaction).

95(?) Democrats as well as so many Republicans voted to reject this bill.

The Democrats can, if they truly [mis]believe the public's desires, write and pass their own bill, with features they want, against GOP opposition, and hope for a veto override after Bush likely would veto such a crazy bill. They want to buy favor and votes of those whose souls are for sale among the debt deadbeats who face possible or likely foreclosure and deserve it. This in the name of helping “Main Street rather than Wall Street” or simply helping “the people,” at the expense of people with better judgment and character, who didn't want something for nothing or next to nothing. Let no success, even that which is merely relative, go unpunished by the Dems, who seek to salve and effectively to reward failure.

It's really up to the Democrats now, who control Congress, the same Congress on whom the Bush administration is dependent on getting some kind of bill passed. The Dems just have to not be stupid and go farther left and risk a veto; the GOP will not vote to override a veto of worse junk than this late bill contained.

BTW, Pelosi's speech is hardly a “partisan” speech. Yes, it blames the financial crisis on a culture of “anything goes” during the Bush years. But hasn't John McCain said pretty much the same thing?

This is baloney. Pelosi's speech had nothing to do with GOP members voting no. It was just an attempt at cover by Boehner…and a poor one.

Look, lots of conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats opposed the bailout bill on principle. Why don't the opponents of the bill just admit that they opposed it on principle and not because their feelings were hurt.

How's that “invisible hand” thing working out for us, America? Ready to bail out (pun intended) on that yet? The GOP deserves the blame for letting “unfettered market forces” be our mantra, AND for scuttling the deal on the bailout. May the voters punish them severely next month!

Democrats should have never allowed a bill they didn't believe in to come to a vote in the first place, especially if they have the votes to pass a bill without significant Republican support.

If they don't have that ability (which is entirely possible), that's another thing entirely… but still they shouldn't be trying to push through such an important bill if they think it sucks.

Pelosi didn't come up with the bill— Paulson did. And then Republicans would blame the bailout on the Democrats since they all voted for it. It would be political poison to vote to give 700 billion to wall street when 88% of Americans oppose doing so.

Senator Obama should demonstrate his leadership ability and come out with a fix that will get all of the Democrats on board and is something that his administration will find acceptable.

Trying to share blame with the Republicans demonstrated that the plan was weak.

Patrick,
No disrespect, but Barney Frank says it better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLPki41U-lE

LINK.