House Republican Leadership supports sulking

The Republican House leadership couldn't exercise leadership and keep their promise to bring half their caucus to vote for the bailout bill...and somehow, it's Pelosi's fault?

Apparently she's made the first partisan speech in the history of Congress? Frankly....I don't care if Pelosi said bad things about their mamas. You don't punish the entire country (and the whole world economy) just because your feelings are hurt. This has got to be the lamest excuse for a leadership failure I have heard.

Just who is it that is leading the Republican party? Is it Bush? McCain? Apparently not, since they can't get their share of the votes on the bailout bill they support.

You know, I'm not happy about the bailout bill either. The idea that we should fix the results of the unchecked greed and speculation on Wall Street on the backs of the poor, the middle class, and our children really makes me angry.

However....

The market dropped about 777 points yesterday. Now, for me, from a retirement perspective, that's probably not as bad as it seems to be. I have a long time before retirement. Some people, particularly those close to retirement and those already retired, are taking a brutal hit due to inaction. For those people, this isn't a loss on paper. This is a "do I have to start subsisting on cat food?" kind of loss.

From a job market perspective, the market drop yesterday is horrible. Many companies, and in particular, financial services companies, make much of their profits through investments. When their investments aren't making money....they lay off employees in an attempt to reduce expenses to boost their profit margin. Unemployment was already high prior to this mess. The more unemployment there is....the more foreclosures and bankruptcies there will be. The more foreclosures and bankruptcies there are, the more home prices will drop and the credit market will freeze up.

And if you are lucky enough to not lose your job, perhaps you just won't get paid in a timely manner.

This bill, or something like it, needs to pass, and it needs to pass very soon. Sulking is not acceptable.