I've been following the debate going on around here, and I'm actually a little unclear on where people stand. There are a lot of good and different ideas I hear, and that's great--this isn't and shouldn't be a solely partisan issue.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who is wondering how these opinions aggregate. So, indulge me here.
Reading for the last couple of days, it seems like I'm hearing at least 4 different progressive responses floating around:
- People who would have voted "yes" today--notwithstanding the bill's faults--because they think it's really important that we pass a bailout bill ASAP.
- People who generally support a bank bailout but would have voted "no" this afternoon because couldn't in good conscience vote for this particular bill--for example, because of the unnecessary pork, lax oversight, failure to close loop holes or offer relief for homeowners, etc.
- People who do not support a bank bailout of any sort and think that emergency measures ought to be directed exclusively at homeowners and others hurt by the financial crisis and not at banks.
- People who do not support any sort of a bailout package at all.
I know what the front page consensus is on this site, but I also know that these issues reach beyond the political. Fwiw, I'm a category 1 person because I honestly believe that--whatever its faults--the consequences of not passing this bill are too great to be ignored, and I don't foresee getting a better deal out of the crazy House Republicans in time to save our economy from collapse.
However, I respect the opinions of others who feel differently.
There's no national polling data out on this, so really I just want to know what y'all think. Please indulge me.