How is it that Republicans sank the bill when the Democrats hold a majority in both houses of Congress? Pelosi and Ried apparently don't have a handle on their own party members.

The reason it did not pass was not a partisan reason as you suggest, it was because the plan was bad. 50% of the GOP voted against, and 40% of the Dems.
Not very partisan if you ask me.

I have a plan, too. Put everyone who was kicked out of their house for not making their payments back in. Give them a 5% fixed rate for 40 years. Clear their credit of their past transgressions against the mortgage company. The original mortgage company who gave the loan in the first place, administers this one. If they are no longer around, the next company who insured it administers it. This keeps the government out of the managing of the financial markets, which spells DISASTER with no doubt.

The way this is being covered in the mainstream media is enough to make you sick. The Democratic leaders of the House are claiming that the Republicans sunk the bill when 40% of their own membership voted against it! I fully agree with Mr. Martinson; this was not a 'partisan' vote. This was a rejection of a lousy bill by members of both partys.

What about the 95 Demo.'s voting against the bill . . . . Any chance their constituency providing some angry communications. We all know with majorities in both Houses, the Demo's don't need the Rep.'s to pass legislation. Second, anyone else hear Pelosi's floor speech . . . . didn't sound non-partisan. Just what you need to get House members to rally together!

Peter Cohan - UNDERSTAND the bill did not pass BECAUSE IT IS HORRIBLE! Even AOL's poll after today's vote showed the MAJORITY of respondents were happy about the failure of this bill. Americans DO NOT WANT this, only the Wall Street types. The only time I have ever agreed with Nancy Pelosi was this morning when she said "The party's over" for Wall Street.

The rescue bill is to stablize the financial market. When it is weak corporations fail and it snowballs down to all of us. Loss of jobs also means loss of medical coverage, less buying power, etc. etc.
If the financial industry isn't shored up it could be catistrophic for all of us. Email your senator, congressman, etc. something needs to be done ASAP-The longer they wait the more it will cost!

Republicans are to blame? After 90 Democrats voted against the bill too? Maybe it's just the wrong bill and doesn't do enough to protect the American taxpayer? Maybe 228 members of congress who voted "No!" believe they need to do better.

Nancy Pelosi showed her total lack of leadership by making partison political speech before the vote. She killed it. 40% of her own party voted against it. Vote her out. Worthless.

The Wall Street Bailout Bill:
Bush McCain Obama et al.

The Realignment Of American Politics:
Anderson Baldwin Carter Choate Clemente Gonzalez Gravel Kaptur Kucinich McKinney Nader Paul Perot Sheehan Ventura

lol...I am one of those Republicans who sat back allowed you to vote a majority of democrats into the house and senate in the last election. I was angry with my party. They have finally heard what we have to say.

I hate to tell you this, but the FACTS are that the Democrats didn't vote this bill in either. It is a bad bill. No one has had a chance to look at it, it calls for the government obtaining an EQUITY STAKE...which means OWNING BUSINESSES. What was happening with this bill is that we have an outgoing President who simply doesn't care anymore. The socialists were making a power grab and they got shot down...so far.

We need to vote, vote, vote...get rid of the socialists in our government so we don't have these kinds of needs anymore. No, we don't vote to put people back in their homes and give them 40 year mortgages instead of the usual 30 year, and we don't give people with bad credit or no credit 5% loans. When you don't pay your bills on a regular basis, the market is taking a huge chance in giving you a mortgage. You have to make alot of money to guarantee that loan.

We need a complete investigation of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the dem/lib/socialist/communist congressmen who had their hands in the till. We need to find other ways to give lower income people mortgages without expecting balloon type payments that they're never going to be able to make and that end them up never actually owning anything.

We need to sell the foreclosed homes to people who can actually make the payments and we need to close the loopholes created by the greedy and corrupt congressmen who helped to create this mess. By the way, one of the worst offenders, based upon the fact that he received the 2nd highest bribes from Freddie Mac and Sallie Mae, was Barack Obama. He doesn't need to be elected President so he can be ripping us all off wholesale.

A Republican Secretary of the Treasury and a Republican Chairman of the Federal Reserve and a Republican President championed this bill, and the Republicans in the house betrayed them - plain and simple.

If they had gone with their leadership, the bill would have passed with ease, so it was, in fact, sunk by the Republicans.

You sir are a complete idiot. If your analysis of business functions is as astute as your comments about republicans sinking the bailout bill, it is no wonder Wall St is in trouble

Back in 06 the dems said they were going to change things when they had a majority in congress. Well here we are, they have a majority and thing sure have changed. How is it you can say the republicans caused this bill to fail when one third of the dems. didn't vote for it. You must be in the tank of Obama too.

Everyone in our current government needs to be voted out. This was a bad bill, one of the worst in history and if it passed future generations would be studying it as a key point that sped up the destruction of the American economy.

The Republicans did not sink the bailout. It was a politcal move by liberals to help Obama. This bill moved from being an economic rescue plan into being a political stump bill.

If you look at the companies that failed the vast majority were run by diehard liberals. People who talked a good game but were stealing millions behind the scenes. One of the biggest benefactors of the game was Obama.

Democrats are famous for accusing thier opponent for doing what they in fact do. Many Democrats in congress are as dirty or dirtier than those on Wall Street. Not that many Republicans aren't.

The fact is that Wall Street and the US governemnt are both far removed from releveance to the American people. They turned into thieves stealing money to redistribute to the wealthy.

How can you thought police stand youselves?The comments I made are honest and appropriate to the postings above and the tenor of the article.

Surely the Great Oil Profits Party is resp for the mess we have in the housing and stock markets, bankruptcies and foreclosures, also two failed four trilliion dollar wars.aLSO TODAY'S DEBACLE. And they still try to weasel out of the probs as do the dolts that voted them in.
CAN THAT BE YOU ALL?lol.

Remember, whenever Pelosi says "for the American people", it is truly NOT in the best interests of the American people at large. Only the American people who are on the lunatic fringe are represented by Pelosi and her ilk. Vote her out all you folks in Northern California!

I listened to the House vote this morning. Very enlightening. Many Representatives were opposed to the Bailout Bill. While each speaker was introduced by his own "Party" leader, each speaker spoke individualistically and seemed less committed or obligated to vote the "party line". That is heartening.
Look at the numbers. Lots of Republicans and lots of Democrats opposed the Bill, each citing the view of their constituents that the Bill favored the wrongdoers over the interests of US citizens.
The Bill was breathtaking in its simplicity and the way it reflected the Bush Doctrine of My Way or the Highway... havent the last 8 years shown Bush that the last thing he should do is continue to trust his own instincts and judgment? Unfortunately his style permeated the approach of the Bill.
The Bill stepped off in the wrong direction and all the re-negotiation could not change that...adding some protections, but still going in the wrong direction.
House Dems and Republicans who voted against it deserve credit. And I was impressed by the clarity of the thinking on both sides of the aisle.

As our children in the sandbox play on our dime in Washington, their procrastination continues to disolve the retirement funds of the majority of Americans and those abroad....

Since the lack of oversight by our Washington government is the root cause of this issue, the majority of guilt for this problem lies with them.

We need a pre-qualification election in October to remove the bad seeds.

This blog is representative of all that is wrong with America and its financial systems; lies, no integrity; no truthfulness; partisanship rather than for the USA at a time of crisis; fabrication instead of honesty about the bill.
Give the money to the homeowners and help them make their mtge payments. If what our gov't is telling us is true, that should make the subprime mtge packages solvent, except for the investors and those who defrauded homeowners who should lose everything. This bill didn't help the poor defrauded homeowner or taxpayer but gives the money to investors who are greedy and lying to us every step of the way.,And let's vote all these Sen and Rep out asap. We need term limits on all these DC people!!