The Constitution IS only a goddamn piece of paper, after all.

"You'd better get this straight. Wise up before it's too late." -- Sister Sledge

This is how our government works now. Meet in secret, agree to something extreme albeit less extreme than originally proposed, and then find a way to ram it through no matter what the American people think or want.

It only failed in the House because we're a few months from elections and some of them got scared. If it were next year, it would be a done deal (and spare me about how much better Obama's plan would be than this one, he'll cave just as fast to House and Senate Republicans next year as he has this year).

here i am hot off the phone coming to post this very same news. damn you, again.

...so yes, we are going to have to do this all over again. i'm told the pressure point just now is Dodd. it'll likely pass in the senate and the house is still the place where our pressure matters most. but a few calls to senate folk won't hurt, and in general we should be prepared to fight this tooth and nail. especially since now that wall st has tanked, people who haven't been paying attention are more easily spooked by the "we must act NOW or we're all doooooomed" crap that the pundit class has been/will be producing, and in earnest.

our 401ks will be safe, we won't lose our jobs, the small business owner can make payroll. Were we afraid that these things were prescient? He wraps up the warm words with a little analogy on getting the plan done:

"Kind of like flying into Denver. You know you're going to land, it's just a little rough getting over those mountains."

I love this job!

"You'd better get this straight. Wise up before it's too late." -- Sister Sledge

headed east, to land in Denver, he's going to the right?

Most politicians' flight originate in the East, but of course he chooses another way for his analogy.

Beggers can't be choosers. They've been shopping around this bailout package to anyone they can get a captivated audience with. Who knows? Maybe, next, he'll take it to the Supreme Court and have it ruled that it would be illegal not to pass such a bill. lol

I'm only half joking, because I'm really wondering what Bush will do if this doesn't actually end up getting passed...you know, like make up some executive order to steal the money, outright. Or, if the bill does end up passing with modifications that he'll simply putting a signing statement on the thing like he does everything else and hand out the money as he sees fit.

Can someone explain how he can go to the senate first? I thought the house was always first.

I love this job!

It doesn't have to start in the House.