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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2008 > September > 29
Monday, September 29, 2008
Here’s how our lawmakers voted on the bailout bill
West Chester’s John Boehner, the House minority leader, and Springfield’s Dave Hobson were among just four Republicans who voted for Monday’s failed Wall Street bailout bill. The other Republican yes votes were Deborah Pryce in the 15th district (west of Columbus) and Ralph Regula in the 16th district (south of Cleveland).
Republicans voting no included Dayton’s Mike Turner, West Liberty’s Jim Jordan, Jean Schmidt (who represents Warren County), Steven LaTourrette, Patrick Tiberi, Robert Latta and Steve Chabot.
Voting yes for the Democrats were eastern Ohio’s Zack Space, Charles Wilson and Tim Ryan. Voting no were Dennis Kucinich, Marcy Kaptur and Betty Sutton, all representing parts of northern Ohio.
See the full roll call at NYTimes.com
UPDATE: Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight.com analyzes the votes and find, probably not surprisingly, that representatives in swing districts with tough re-election campaigns voted no from both sides of the aisle. I suppose perhaps there are just more incumbent Republicans who feel their seats are on the line, given the polling that shows Democrats potentially making big gains in Congress on election day.
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Bailout appears to fail despite passionate plea from Boehner
Several media outlets are reporting that the $700 billion bill to bailout Wall Street banks has failed in the U.S. House of Representatives and the markets have followed with huge drops. Big banks, including Ohio-based Fifth Third and National City, have seen giant losses.
Apparently, too many Republican house members could not bring themselves to vote yes for the bill. There were too many no votes from both sides of the aisle, but the Republican leadership believed it could deliver enough of its caucus to pass the bill. In fact, Republicans continued to defect even after an impassioned plea by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-West Chester). Check out this excerpt from Politico.com:
Minority Leader John Boehner nearly choked up as he begged his Republican colleagues to vote “in the best interest of their country” for the bailout bill.
Admitting that the outcome is in “serious doubt,” an impassioned Boehner implored his colleagues to cast aside politics — and possibly endanger their own political futures — by voting yes.
“Think about what happens to your friends, your neighbors, your constituents … These are the votes that separate the men from the boys and the girls from the women — these are the votes your constituents sent you here to vote for on their behalf — these are the kind of votes where we have to look into our souls.”
Wow.
It is presumed work will continue to either get lawmakers to change their votes or to somehow revise the plan to make it more palatable. Polling over the weekend suggested Americans did not like the bailout, with put pressure on lawmakers seeking re-election to oppose it. What is your reaction? Do you favor the bailout? Are you worried about what may happen in the markets now?
Let us know what you think in the comments.
UPDATE: The Washington Post is reporting a slim majority of Democrats voted for the bill while a majority of Republicans voted no. (Democrats voted for the bill 136-94; Republicans voted no 64-130.)
On the liberal blog Talking Points Memo John Marshall is complaining that Boehner is trying to blame the bill’s failure on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats.
UPDATE: On the conservative blog Townhall.com More than one post frets that blaming a Pelosi speech for causing angry Republicans to vote no is a bad strategy, with one post comparing it to Newt Gingrich’s government shutdown — a strategy that backfired badly. Other posts are hailing conservatives for sticking to their principles and voting no.
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