The only way they can pass this bill is by creating and sustaining a panic atmosphere. That atmosphere is not justified. Many of us were told in private conversations that if we voted against this bill on Monday, that the sky would fall, the market would drop 2 or 3 thousand points the first day another couple the second day. And a few members were even told that there would be martial law in America if we voted no. That’s what I call fear-mongering. Unjustified. Proven wrong.

Interesting that the same level of coercion was not applied to the first vote, before the pork fest…

And Dr. Phil, that still comes down to either playing politics on the first vote, or incompetence, given the level of whipping on the second vote.

As far as I can tell, the only thing is changing the FDIC limit from $100,000 per account, to $250,000 per person no matter how many accounts they had.

Well, I guess strictly it’s too late to do it before you get off on the rant, but it’s never too late to think.

I certainly don’t need remedial reading lists on the situation and never claimed to.

And the point of fact is that the Dems were never going to be 100% behind this bill just as the Republicans were not going to be 100%. However, there was no advantage to the Dems for putting in enough votes by themselves for something as huge as this just weeks before a major election. As for the whole Nancy-is-evil-and-or-dumb storyline, I could point out that had the Republicans delivered their people, those Dems who’d voted against could’ve changed their votes. Perhaps those committee chairs, etc., were making sure that the Dems didn’t vote for it all by their lonesomes by accident. Such a concept doesn’t fit your binary strawman decision tree for Nancy Pelosi, does it?

My other point was that given the unprecedented nature and size of this bill, the nearly unholy speed being requested to prevent All Doom from descending on us all, I don’t see how it is in human nature not to comment on possible reasons why one has to swallow such a bitter pill. It’s what politicians do — and whether one favors the Democrats or the Republicans or neither or both, the House of Representatives is filled with politicians.

Had the Dems passed the bill the first time all on their own, they probably would’ve been labeled as evil incarnate, especially in their district races. That they thought there was a deal with the Republicans to “share the blame”, if you will, and that wasn’t happening, now makes the Dems/Nancy Pelosi as eligible for being labeled as evil incarnate because they didn’t play out their hand solo? Gee, that would sort of proves my point, wouldn’t it?

Of course, having just gotten back to this thread there’s been much more goings on. And haste and need have piled on much more into this bill. And will it be enough? Will it be relevant? Is this a better bill? Aye, there’s the rub.

And for the record, Physics still makes more sense.

Dr. Phil

The bill was defeated by a dozen votes.

If all the Committee and Subcommittee chairs had voted aye the bill would have carried. Not may have, not might have, would have.

Those chairmanships are the Speakers to give and withhold, and they serve at the pleasure of the Speaker of the House. The whip of the Democratic Caucus of the House made NO EFFORT to ensure passage.

Which gets us back to two choices.

1. Nancy Pelosi lacks the competence to poor piss out of a boot with instructions written on the heel thereof.

2. Nancy Pelosy wanted the bill to fail.

Choose one.

Freddy and Fanny have not yet been dealt with. The oversight measures which may have either prevented or ameliorated this crises have not been instituted (and won’t be as long as Barney Frank is calling the shots).

Freddy/Fanny were delt with weeks ago. Even if this pathetic republican spin were accurate, it would mean that the problem was settled weeks ago. Obviously not the case.

The problem is the derivitive traders, the CD instrument swappers and all the ponzi schemes loosely related to mortgages and items that are worth something but that are themselves worth nothing. Offering short trades on stuff you don’t have and selling those before you have to put up is another phrase for “finding a sucker”.