As the Senate is about to vote (again) to begin debate on financial reform this comes from CNN's Jack Cafferty:
2/3 of Americans support financial reform, but Senate GOP blocks it
Despite the fact that two-thirds of Americans support tougher regulation of banks and Wall Street... Republicans have already voted unanimously to block financial reform from reaching the senate floor - and they might do it again minutes from now when another test vote happens.
A new ABC News/Washington Post poll shows 65 percent of those surveyed want stricter financial reform. 31 percent are opposed.
The poll also shows majorities back two key parts of the senate bill... including greater government oversight of consumer loans... and a fund - paid for by the banks - that would help dismantle failing institutions. According to this poll, the public is split on letting the government regulate complex financial instruments knows as derivatives.
The Senators are painfully aware of where most Americans stand on the Too Big to Fail Banks, Republicans remember the title wave of public opposition to the original bank bailout in the fall of 2008.
Yet right now as we await today's test vote to begin debate the two Senate leaderships have been wheeling and dealing on just how much to water down the Sanate bill to get one Republican's support.
America shouldn't need even more Republican input than has been already been incorporated as the reforms took shape in the many months since this legislative process started, not to go ahead with the debate. To block debate in hopes of an even better backroom deal on behalf of the Too Big to Fail Banks is the to only possible reason for further Republican obstruction. We need to make sure its seen as such, and make sure the Financial Rerform Bill isn't watered down any further.
The Republicans are taking a stand against increased financial transpenency
Cafferty nails it:
2/3 of Americans support financial reform, but Senate GOP blocks it
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
UPDATE: Senate Republicans were successful once again in blocking the start of debate of the Financial Reform Bill
US Senate Republicans block bank reform bill again
WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - For a second time in as many days, U.S. Senate Republicans mustered enough votes on Tuesday to block debate of a Democratic bill that would bring the biggest overhaul of financial regulation since the 1930s.
President Barack Obama and the Democrats want tighter rules on banks and capital markets to prevent a repeat of the 2008-2009 financial crisis, which tipped the economy into a deep recession and unleashed reform efforts worldwide.