In a stunning show of lack of leadership Nancy Pelosi sets in motion a $700 billion dollar blow up by rubbing the Republicans’ noses in the nastiness which is Democrat disdain for Republicans.
Understand that this has nothing to do with Republicans contrary to what Barney Frank is saying and contrary to what Barack Obama is saying and contrary to what the partisan media is reporting. (see story)
You don’t believe me? Okay get your pencils out and I’ll prove it to you with some plain elementary school arithmetic. How many Democrats in the Democrat controlled House of Representatives? That’s right 235! And how many Republicans in the minority in the House, 198 that’s right again!
So if the Democrats wanted to pass, oh let’s say a measure stating that this is Anti-President Bush day they could do it and the hapless Republicans could do nothing about it and nothing to stop it! On a straight partisan line vote Democrats win every time 235 to 198.
So if the Democrats wanted to pass this bailout they could have done it without one single solitary Republican vote. So you see this has nothing to do with Republicans it has everything to do with politics as it always does with Democrats.
What are the politics? The Democrats want to eat their cake and have it too. (see story)
Democrats want to blame Republicans for this crisis and at the same time have Republican help them hide the fact that this crisis came about as the result of the direct failure of years of Democrat policies of forced socialism put upon the housing and financial markets. Not Republican policies of free trade as Democrats and the partisan media is reporting. (see my previous post on this subject on this site)
If the Republicans go along silently with this, this is a win, win for Democrats. Why, because Democrats get to continue to perpetrate the lie that this crisis is the Republicans fault and by allowing that lie to stand, Republicans participate in their own defeat at the voting polls and John McCain goes down in defeat because of the $700 billion pound gorilla in the room, and that is the Democrat mantra, we need change from the Party that created this mess, The Republican Party.
At every opportunity Barney Frank has said it, Barack Obama has said it and on the floor of the House just before taking the vote to pass this bailout measure Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi blasted the Republicans out right in front of their faces signaling that after Republicans signed on to this monstrosity Democrats would use it to beat down any chance of Republicans winning in 2008 while Democrats wrongly took credit as the saviors of Wall and Main Street .
Pelosi’s remarks were:
"When President Bush took office, he inherited President Clinton's surpluses — four years in a row, budget surpluses, on a trajectory of $5.6 trillion in surplus.
And with his reckless economic policies within two years, he had turned that around ... and now eight years later the foundation of that fiscal irresponsibility, combined with an anything-goes economic policy, has taken us to where we are today.
They claim to be free-market advocates when it's really an anything-goes mentality, no regulation, no supervision, no discipline. ..."
"... Democrats believe in a free market ... but in this case, in its unbridled form as encouraged, supported by the Republicans — some in the Republican Party, not all — it has created not jobs, not capital, it has created chaos."—Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
Listen for yourself at the sixteen minute rant against President Bush and Republican policies by the Speaker of the House and tell me if she knows anything about bipartisanship. (see video 16 mins) This is a must see
You see all the blame for the Republicans and all of the credit for the Democrats no wonder Republican house members voted against this bill.
But wait it was a moot point as I mentioned above even if all Republicans voted against this bill and they didn’t some 65 Republicans voted for it, but even had all voted against it if Democrats wanted to they could have passed this bill all by themselves but why didn’t they do it?
If the Republicans screwed every up why didn’t Democrats vote 235 to 198 to pass this bill and earn the title Democrats saviors?
One word answer, blame…Democrats wanted to say Republicans voted for this bill too, Democrats wanted it to appear bi-partisan without actually being bi-partisan.
The deal that Pelosi refers to at the end of her rant is an agreement that half of the House Republicans would vote for this bailout to provide cover for Democrats who vote for it. But why would Democrats need cover?
Democrats wanted to have the political advantage even in this crisis situation. This is a remarkably partisan act of putting Party before Country and putting politics before the welfare and protection of the American people. And what do Democrats do when they fail? They do what they always do they blame Republicans.
Barney Frank is such a liar! Listen how Barney Frank continues to mischaracterize the failure of Pelosi’s leadership and blames Republicans.
Remember Republicans did not stop this nor could they Democrats out number Republicans 235 to 198 so if Rep. Frank wishes to speak to someone then why doesn’t he speak to the 95 Democrats that usually vote in lock step with Democrat leadership who voted against this bill. This is solely a Democrat failure and the American people must know that.
This is what Republicans must demand to turn this crisis around.
Nancy Pelosi must correct the Congressional record and withdraw her highly partisan statement further she must rightly fault Democrats for this crisis.
If Democrats want to work in a bi-partisan way then they must stop laying the blame for this crisis on President Bush, or on any Republican for that matter when so much evidence points to Democrats’ culpability.
If Democrats want Republican participation Barack Obama must cease and desist in his blaming the Bush administration for this crisis.
If Democrats want Republican participation Barney Frank must stop lying about his part in this political fiasco and take his rightful guilt.
Nancy Pelosi must call for an independent counsel to look into who in government is at fault for putting the American people at risk.
This is the reform that we need and this is the way to piece back the agreement that Pelosi has single-handedly destroyed.
