House Republicans Should Get Over Themselves
Okay, I don't usually discuss politics on my blog, but sometimes a situation arises in which I feel the patriotic duty to speak out against. Yesterday, one such situation occurred.
As we now know, yesterday the US House of Representatives failed to pass a $700 billion bailout plan to help our woefully pathetic economy. I'm not an Econ or Business major, so I cannot debate about whether or not the bailout plan is a good thing for America.
Do I think something should be done? Yes.
Do I think CEOs should benefit in any way from this bailout plan? No.
Do I think the bailout plan represents a turn toward socialism? I really don't know.
What I DO know is that as our country languishes in a time of economic crisis, the House of Representatives couldn't put aside their differences and petty squabbling to do what is best for the country. I'm speaking about the dozen or so Republicans that voted against the bailout plan just to spite House Majority Leader, Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi.
Before the vote, Pelosi said something along the lines of "... this bailout plan is just a fraction of what eight years of Bush's failed economic policies have cost us." Was that appropriate? Of course not. Did it interject partisan politics into a situation that should have been bipartisan? Yes, though comments like those do not and should not affect the vote in any way. The negotiations had been completed and the bailout plan was already down on paper. Comments such as hers would not delay negotiations or mire Congress down in endless debate. It was time to vote. Nothing she said should help or hurt the process.
Unfortunately, some Republicans decided to play the political game and, because she said such hurtful things about Bush, decided they would vote *against* the bailout plan just to spite her. Tell me, who looks more like the selfish, spoiled child in this scenario? The one who made the inappropriate comments or the ones who took inappropriate action?
The Republican response was shameful. To punish the American public because "they got their feelings hurt" is ridiculous. I am not defending Pelosi's comments, but they were harmless. They were partisan and inappropriate, sure, but the Republicans should have taken the high ground and ignored them, and when the vote was over, they could go back to playing games and say in the press that Pelosi was out of line with her comments. Then she would look like the villain in this game. Instead, they decided to act like children and stamped their feet and refused to go along because they did not like what she said.
And in times such as these, when Americans see their 401ks and retirement funds drop by almost 50%, that kind of petty behavior hurts the country more than helps and should not be tolerated. Those Republicans should be ashamed of themselves, and so should anyone that supports an immature decision such as that.
--Cbake
As we now know, yesterday the US House of Representatives failed to pass a $700 billion bailout plan to help our woefully pathetic economy. I'm not an Econ or Business major, so I cannot debate about whether or not the bailout plan is a good thing for America.
Do I think something should be done? Yes.
Do I think CEOs should benefit in any way from this bailout plan? No.
Do I think the bailout plan represents a turn toward socialism? I really don't know.
What I DO know is that as our country languishes in a time of economic crisis, the House of Representatives couldn't put aside their differences and petty squabbling to do what is best for the country. I'm speaking about the dozen or so Republicans that voted against the bailout plan just to spite House Majority Leader, Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi.
Before the vote, Pelosi said something along the lines of "... this bailout plan is just a fraction of what eight years of Bush's failed economic policies have cost us." Was that appropriate? Of course not. Did it interject partisan politics into a situation that should have been bipartisan? Yes, though comments like those do not and should not affect the vote in any way. The negotiations had been completed and the bailout plan was already down on paper. Comments such as hers would not delay negotiations or mire Congress down in endless debate. It was time to vote. Nothing she said should help or hurt the process.
Unfortunately, some Republicans decided to play the political game and, because she said such hurtful things about Bush, decided they would vote *against* the bailout plan just to spite her. Tell me, who looks more like the selfish, spoiled child in this scenario? The one who made the inappropriate comments or the ones who took inappropriate action?
The Republican response was shameful. To punish the American public because "they got their feelings hurt" is ridiculous. I am not defending Pelosi's comments, but they were harmless. They were partisan and inappropriate, sure, but the Republicans should have taken the high ground and ignored them, and when the vote was over, they could go back to playing games and say in the press that Pelosi was out of line with her comments. Then she would look like the villain in this game. Instead, they decided to act like children and stamped their feet and refused to go along because they did not like what she said.
And in times such as these, when Americans see their 401ks and retirement funds drop by almost 50%, that kind of petty behavior hurts the country more than helps and should not be tolerated. Those Republicans should be ashamed of themselves, and so should anyone that supports an immature decision such as that.
--Cbake