Robert Schlesinger

GOP Lawmakers Who Voted Against the Financial Crisis Bailout Because of Pelosi? Sounds Like a Myth

September 30, 2008 RSS Feed Print

Sam seems to buy into the GOP talking point that Nancy Pelosi was to blame for the Wall Street bailout flameout on the Hill yesterday. Sam should know better.

Yes, Pelosi's speech was dumb and unnecessary, but the notion that it so wounded GOP legislators' tender feelings that they reversed their vote is insulting to the House Republicans who voted "no." It implies that on an issue of enormous national importance they were willing to either follow their party leaders and vote "yes" on a bill they thought was a politically unpopular and substantively disastrous step down the path toward socialism—or were willing to take down a historic bill that they supported because Nancy Pelosi was mean.

Here's the rub: Maybe I've missed it, but I've yet to see the GOP legislator who says they switched their vote because of Pelosi. Help me out, readers—has any such House member come forward? (Or are they hanging out in the House cloak room with the Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster, and the Muslim Barack Obama?) Post your answers in the response section after the jump.

Tags:
government intervention,
House of Representatives,
Nancy Pelosi,
Congress,
politics,
republican party

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It's an instinct for politicians to look for "cracks in the sidewalk," during elections. The Repubs are desperate for a "wedge issue." I think trying to blame Pelosi was one of those blind attempts to look for some daylight they could jump thru. If the attack on Pelosi was successful, it would of been blown up further, and used to lead an attack on the Democratic ticket. Their hopes? To even the score. The truth? Obama is bulletproof when it comes to the economy. With foreign policy taking a backseat for at least another 2 weeks, the rock McCain has to crawl from under just keeps getting bigger. The week before the election, I doubt McCain can rally up more than 5 points, if at all, before Obama is swept in on an electoral wave. I think there is no hope that McCain can win the last debate, after suspending his 1st one, but he still has enough skill he could surprise. I predict Obama gets at least 270 votes BEFORE California and/or Hawaii are counted. It could be a short night.

ZipWizard of CA 2:09AM October 02, 2008

For God's sake people don't you remember what has happened in the last several years? It started way back with the drive to get more people into their own homes. The government encouraged the relaxing of regulations guarding against making loans that were chancey. When I bought my home I was required to submit PROOF of my income and I was required to put down 25% of the total cost of the property. It's not just the present administration but many more before it. It's also not the entire fault of the government - how many of you have multiple credit cards and have maxed them out? How many of you have bought lots of toys - moble homes, boats, extra vacation homes, houses that were way larger than you really needed, went on vacations that were a "little bit expensive"? You will now have to back off a bit. As for the present econonmic situation, the whole of the congress and the Senate should be replaced. The political atmosphere has become so caustic and poisoness that all of them need to be replaced - even that one that you voted for and will vote for again - he/she is part of the problem.

slojo of 8:14PM October 01, 2008

Isn't there some kind of law against that much stupid? As a Californian I am ashamed of the amazingly ill-timed partisan speech Pelosi made right before the vote. I, along with many other Californians, spend the rest of the day shaking my head in disbelief. Our plea to the rest of the nation: please don't let what Pelosi did serve as a reflection on the rest of our great state. Believe it or not, most Californians are pretty smart.

Artbygem of CA 3:12AM October 01, 2008

Robert Schlesinger

Robert Schlesinger

Robert Schlesinger is managing editor for opinion at U.S. News and World Report, overseeing all opinion editorial content. He is the author of White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters. E-mail him at rschlesinger@usnews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @rschles.

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