Republicans choose party over country?

An accusation has been made against Speaker Pelosi that her speech just before the first bailout vote was the reason some House Republicans voted against the bill, thereby defeating it. If that is true, it constitutes an admission that at least 12 Republicans are willing to place the interests of their party above what they see as the interests of the country.

That behavior does NOT tell us anything about the intrinsic value of passing the bailout bill or defeating it. That question is still the subject of vigorous debate. But a vote on this bill DOES tell us about the relative values, in the minds of 12 or more Republicans, of party and country. Note: If 12 "no" votes were changed to "yes," the bill would have passed by a vote of 217216.

There are many House Republicans who believe that it would be better to pass the bailout bill than to defeat it. We know this because votes in Congress, and especially important votes cast in a time of crisis, are clear expressions of the values of those casting the votes. In other words, each House member cares about the issues at stake and, by voting either "yes" or "no," is honestly trying to achieve a result that he or she believes to be the best available outcome.

If the accusation against Speaker Pelosi was made in good faith, it is an admission that there are at least 12 Republicans who believed that passage of the bailout bill would have achieved the best outcome that was available under the circumstances, but because of what they perceived as the Speaker's partisan remarks, felt compelled to advance the interests of their party at the expense of the interests of their country.

James T. Bork

Ingleside