GOOD!

This is what I've been urging for the last 72 hrs.

Insist that Gorelick, et al, be forced to disgorge their ill-gotten gains as a prerequisite for any deal.

Insist on the eradication of corporate tax, and a sharp reduction in Capital Gains as well, again, as a prerequisite for any deal.

But most importantly, insist that a REAL energy dominance agenda be implemented PRIOR to any such deal going through. And that energy bill needs to include a provision completely stripping the federal courts from any jurisdiction over it. Insist that 50 coal to oil plants be built in the next 5 years, and 50 more in the 5 thereafter.

Then this deal would become cheap, for the American economy would take off like McCain's old A-4 blasting off the flight deck.

But absent such REAL CHANGE provisions, ----------- let the deal collapse.

The Dems have the House, and don't need any assistance there to pass anything through it.

They have the votes in the Senate, or they can get them, once legislation is put through the House, {we're forgetting here that all spending bills HAVE TO ORIGINATE in the House}.

They know that Bush will sign off on whatever the Dems push through.

So why are the Republicans keen to provide political cover for the Dems. The Dems wanted majority status. Well they've got it. But with that status comes responsibilities, often heavy responsibilities.

So let Nancy Pelosi stop pulling an Obama, and get some bill through the House.

Let that legislation get through the Senate, where Reid can get the votes. Then let it be hashed out in conference, and sent to the President.

This isn't rocket science.

How the Republicans are letting leading Dems swan around demanding Republican cover, when the Dems have the majority, is beyond me?

Republicans should step back. And if the Dems insist that the Republicans have to be on board, ---------------- then declare certain reforms, certain REAL reforms sine qua non to the passage of any legislation.

And one more thing, insist on, again, as a sine qua non to ANY deal, the resignation of Senator Dodd and Rep. Barney Frank. Rangell too.

Resignation from Congress, not various committees.

Dan

Did you hear about the NFL football/presidential election indicator. If the Redskins win their last home game prior to a presidential election the incumbent administration stays in power. If the Redskins beat the Steelers the Republicans can just keep on being Republicans. Do you think the Steelers will fold up against another NFC East superpower like they did in Philly. Despite the Republicans being Republican they just might pull it out.

Republicans being Republican, the bailout needs to get done. If the greedy Republicans win the election, and the country's financial system collapses at least we can say the wealthy Republicans just "stuck to their guns".

Yea I heard of that before. But I forgot it.

The Redskins are a much improved football team. But they're not going to throw the kind of defensive complexity at Pittsburgh that the Eagles did.

Take a look at the official Dallas Cowboys website, where Tony Romo is being interviewed, for he made a couple of interesting comments about what the Eagles defense threw at Pittsburgh's offense.

As for the bailout, I'm not sure that it needs to be done.

Clearly SOMETHING needs to be done, but I'm not sold on this bailout, not at all.

First thing I'd do would be to explain to the American people that BEFORE any bailout is passed, legislation is going to be put through freeing the American economy to grow so robustly that it would easily be able to handle the size of the bailout. THEN I'd concern myself with the particulars of the bailout.

The Democrats screwed up forcing a massive intervention into the economy by the federal government. To save their butts, the Republicans should make certain non-negotiable demands.

Republicans can use the size {and the fear} of the bailout to get through rational energy policies that an anti-human environmental wing of the Dems has held up for three decades. This is the time to END corporate taxes, this is the time to END capital gains taxes. NOW is the time for REAL tort reform and regulatory relief.

Americans need to be told the only way to pay for this vast assumption of federal debt is a greater embrace of the free market.

If I recall, at the battle of Marengo, when Napoleon was losing by midday, he is reported to have said: "This battle is lost, but there's time enough to win another this afternoon!" Which he went on to do.

Like Marengo, this bailout battle has to morph into another one. And that other one is the battle for America's energy supplies.

NOW IS THE TIME TO END THIS FANTASY ABOUT WIND, SOLAR, and these other pathetic gimmicks that we've been hearing of for 30 years. NOW is the time to force through a REAL coal program, a real clean coal, coal to oil agenda, that will stand America in good stead for the next half century.

Make the battle for the bailout morph into the battle for energy dominance. And in the winning of that battle, the bailout will take care of itself.

Its interesting that McCain, who got his reputation as a "maverick" by tacking to Bush's left (on campaign finance, tax cuts, interogation techniques, oil drilling) now seems to be to Bush's right on the bailout. If McCain sticks to a pro taxpayer plan or manages to shift the eventual plan in a pro tax payer direction, he might get some benefit from this.

The consequences of not doing this bailout are real. Most of you academic/political types are in way too deep on the policy and politics to grasp the simple fact that more banks will fail, credit will dry up and our economy will come to a screeching halt. WashMu is just the tip of the iceberg. The effects will hit any American who owns a home, runs a business/farm, has a retirement plan or just keeps their savings in a bank or money market account. Please take a moment to bone up on the Great Depression and the Panic of 1907. When you are done reading call you local house Republican and tell him quit messing around and get busy. If not, John McCain and the house Republicans are going to get all the credit for the great depression of 2008.

The great depression of 2008 will be given to those named Ted Raines, Jim Johnson both Obama's financial advisors (great!), Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and Chuck Shumer for trying to socially engineer the housing market. When it all comes down to it the Democrats with Bill Clinton leading the pack tried to socially engineer the housing market. Liberals continually try engineer UPTOPIA by introducing socialism into everything they do. When are they going to wake up and realize that what socialistic polices we have in this country, like public schools, social security, Medicad and Medicare and now socialized home buying do not work. Thanks to the Democrats people like me who play by the rules and expect no handouts from anyone will pay for those who don't play by the rules and expect handouts.

This made for a happy read this morning.

Republicans have to convince America that real change means changing those things Dan and cowgirl mention. If Republicans make the stand and everything related to AIG and the financial sector is as bad as Sec. Paulson says, then Republicans will be left standing holding a nasty bag of responsibility. Even if the situation is just extremely uncomfortable and not a disaster, Republicans cannot stand on principles that the rest of America have shoved into a corner and forgotten about without being stuck there while Democrats take over the rest of the room.

IS the Paulson plan anti-taxpayer? I don't quite see that it is. Would someone like to explain, even, exactly why it is called a bailout? A friendly take-over I see, but not bail-out.

Someone has to speak up for responsible homeowners, people who live within realistic budgets, and workers who don't think irresponsible people are legally entitled to what they themselves have honestly earned. I think that's a majority in this country and the House Reps and McCain should speak in once voice for this silenced majority. The strategy is both morally fitting and politically smart. There will be a plan (cf. Julie's post on Tom Sowell's column), so there shouldn't be a panicked market. But we'll see what happens through the day.

Its interesting that McCain, who got his reputation as a "maverick" by tacking to Bush's left (on campaign finance, tax cuts, interogation techniques, oil drilling) now seems to be to Bush's right on the bailout.

I've seen no evidence that this is the case. McCain's preferred solution to this crisis is unknown. The talk that he is backing the House Republicans is just that - talk. And talk which seems to have originated with the Democrats.

When you are done reading call you local house Republican and tell him quit messing around and get busy. If not, John McCain and the house Republicans are going to get all the credit for the great depression of 2008.

What the hell is that supposed to mean? The House Republicans are not a stumbling block. If the Democrats want to pass this bill they don't need the House Republicans to do it. If you want this bill passed then you might want to complain to the people blocking it - the Democrats.

Pollster says election could end in landslide

A landslide for either Obama or McCain is pretty meaningless, given their marked similarities on most issues. The key to this election will be what happens in Congress. It would be great if some of the political blogs could spend a little time on that branch of government.

It was nice to think that the Republicans would stand up for something longer than to just politicly posture. Drudge reporting that the deal will go on monday and allow Paulson to set up his own system of oversight concerning prices ect. Why not put the trillion into infastructure and put people to work. Ironicly, the same article on drudge also has a link up for the new Global Dow...coming in October. The first step toward global government comes from the connection of trade. I wonder how many Ameros our kids will shell out to pay the interest on the deficit we are now creating.