How Can You Vote For Bailing Out Wall Street and Against Reforming Wall Street
Reasonable people can disagree about the merits of the Wall Street bailout.
But you can’t reasonably believe we should use taxpayer money to bail out irresponsible bankers and do nothing to insist bankers start behaving responsibly.
As my colleague Zach Carter just reported, there are 69 House members and 21 Senators who unreasonably believe just that. This is the crew that voted for the Wall Street bailout and against Wall Street reform.
I can understand voting against the bailout as unfair preferential treatment for Wall Street, and against Wall Street reform, believing that it was not tough enough to prevent future crises.
I can understand voting against the bailout and against reform on the libertarian grounds the both are inappropriate government interventions.
I can understand voting for the bailout as a necessary act to avert global depression (and which did not cost taxpayers nearly as much as initially feared), while believing it is also necessary to vote for new rules that would prevent the same crisis from happening again.
But to believe irresponsible bankers deserve a $700 billion line of credit from the taxpayers, and then be turned back loose on the economy without even a slap on the wrist?
Is that how anyone would treat a drunk driver or a truant student? Give them a bunch of money and tell them to go play in the street all over again?
It’s not believable. The only explanation is to be bought and paid for.
Any congressperson on Carter’s list should be grilled by their local media: how can you justify voting for bailing out irresponsible Wall Street behavior, and against reforming Wall Street behavior?
I’m republishing Carter’s list of the 90, which includes the price for their votes.
| Senator | 2010 Wall Street Cash | Career Wall Street Cash |
| Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) | $1,600,000 | $4,900,000 |
| Sen. Robert Bennett (R-UT) | $1,500,000 | $2,600,000 |
| Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) | $333,600 | $3,300,000 |
| Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) | $1,500,000 | $3,300,000 |
| Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) | $2,500,000 | $3,500,000 |
| Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) | $451,700 | $1,200,000 |
| Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) | $3,100,000 | $3,300,000 |
| Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) | $3,200,000 | $4,700,000 |
| Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) | $1,300,000 | $2,600,000 |
| Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) | $1,100,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) | $233,200 | $1,100,000 |
| Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) | $1,400,000 | $2,600,000 |
| Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) | $1,400,000 | $4,700,000 |
| Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) | $1,500,000 | $4,200,000 |
| Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) | $2,800,000 | $3,800,000 |
| Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) | $412,200 | $2,500,000 |
| Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) | $947,600 | $34,000,000 |
| Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) | $4,300,000 | $5,300,000 |
| Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) | $268,200 | $909,700 |
| Sen. John Thune (R-SD) | $1,600,000 | $3,900,000 |
| Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) | $435,200 | $2,800,000 |
| 21 Republicans | ||
| 0 Democrats | ||
| Senate Total | $31,881,700 | 97,209,700 |
| House Member | 2010 Wall Street Cash | Career Wall Street Cash |
| Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La. | $106,500 | $422,300 |
| Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala. | $611,600 | $4,400,000 |
| Rep. Gresham Barrett, R-S.C. | $20,400 | $806,700 |
| Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark. | $24,900 | $663,700 |
| Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Ill. | $395,000 | $1,900,000 |
| Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo. | $1,200,000 | $3,800,000 |
| Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio | $1,300,000 | $3,700,000 |
| Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Ala. | $90,400 | $702,200 |
| Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif. | $190,000 | $733,400 |
| Rep. John Boozman, R-Ark. | $257,700 | $491,000 |
| Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla. | $123,100 | $722,200 |
| Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va. | $92,700 | $1,400,000 |
| Rep. Charles Boustany Jr, R-La. | $226,300 | $934,600 |
| Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas | $157,000 | $840,500 |
| Rep. Henry Brown, R-S.C. | $35,700 | $494,000 |
| Rep. Vernon Buchanan, R-Fla. | $336,800 | $1,400,000 |
| Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif. | $180,300 | $940,300 |
| Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich. | $588,000 | $1,700,000 |
| Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif. | $413,400 | $1,200,000 |
| Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va. | $2,100,000 | $4,400,000 |
| Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del. | $749,100 | $3,200,000 |
| Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C. | $23,400 | $502,500 |
| Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. | $110,000 | $686,000 |
| Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas | $161,500 | $711,800 |
| Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla. | $86,100 | $717,000 |
| Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas | $90,600 | $606,900 |
| Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa. | $177,900 | $881,000 |
| Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas | $324,200 | $1,900,000 |
| Rep.Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich. | $8,500 | $292,200 |
| Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo. | $143,900 | $904,400 |
| Rep. Mary Fallin, R-Okla | ($1,000) | $340,700 |
| Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J. | $86,200 | $840,300 |
| Rep. Jim Gerlach, R-Pa. | $251,600 | $1,800,000 |
| Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas | $140,000 | $1,100,000 |
| Rep. Wally Herger, R-Calif. | $171,500 | $1,100,000 |
| Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich. | ($1,000) | $300,600 |
| Rep. Bob Inglis, R-S.C. | 0 | $572,800 |
| Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. | $173,900 | $1,600,000 |
| Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. | $1,900,000 | $4,200,000 |
| Rep. John Kline, R-Minn | $170,900 | $989,100 |
| Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif. | $31,800 | $748,000 |
| Rep. Daniel E. Lungren, R-Calif. | $147,700 | $622,500 |
| Rep. Howard McKeon, R-Calif. | $132,100 | $1,100,000 |
| Rep. Gary Miller, R-Calif. | $144,500 | $902,000 |
| Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz. | $130,900 | $558,000 |
| Rep. Sue Myrick, R-S.C. | $93,600 | $1,200,000 |
| Rep. Soloman Ortiz, D-Texas | $40,200 | $381,700 |
| Rep. George Radanovich, R-Calif. | $24,900 | $462,000 |
| Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala. | $128,200 | $1,000,000 |
| Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky. | $50,200 | $468,000 |
| Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla. | $127,000 | $986,000 |
| Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. | $531,500 | $1,900,000 |
| Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio | $121,900 | $519,700 |
| Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz. | $39,700 | $1,200,000 |
| Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa. | $30,700 | $403,600 |
| Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Ind. | $20,500 | $266,900 |
| Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo. | $112,500 | $524,200 |
| Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas | $258,900 | $1,300,000 |
| Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind. | $40,500 | $405,800 |
| Rep. Zack Space, D-Ohio | $169,300 | $476,300 |
| Rep. John Sullivan, R-Okla. | $79,200 | $494,800 |
| Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb. | $202,600 | $1,400,000 |
| Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas | $42,500 | $603,400 |
| Rep. Patrick Tiberi, R-Ohio | $555,500 | $2,800,000 |
| Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich. | $81,700 | $929,400 |
| Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore. | $180,700 | $732,400 |
| Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn. | 0 | $715,700 |
| Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C. | $155,500 | $580,200 |
| Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va. | $90,400 | $1,100,000 |
| 60 Republicans | $15,873,400 | $72,443,800 |
| 9 Democrats | $1,108,400 | $7,233,000 |
| House Total | $16,981,800 | $79,676,800 |
