Login HereAs I write this, Pelosi is giving a speech in support of the bill. She's so mean and partisan that I worry it won't pass telling us it's awesome and that they've all come together, blah blah blah.
WaPo:
The fate of an emergency economic rescue plan was uncertain this morning as the House prepared for a climactic midday vote, but both Democratic and Republican leaders said they are optimistic that they can marshal more support for the $700 billion bailout than they did last Monday.
...
"We're not going to take a bill to the floor that doesn't have the votes," Pelosi said. "I'm optimistic that we will take a bill to the floor."
They have just begun voting for 15 minutes. Liveblogging the vote in comments.
Follow it live on CSPAN here.
UPDATE
Vote succeeds, 263-171. Majority of Goopers oppose.
Share This 
Spotlight
Support this site!
Keep
up with news
Advertise on Firedoglake
Send
us your tips
Make us your homepage
About Firedoglake
Advanced sear
So far, 37 yea, 26 nay.
Scratch that, it’s 77-27 now.
83-34.
Unless something weird happens, it’s passing.
It’s Obama’s fault! Vote for Mc Cain.
93-36 with 11 min remaining.
Twice as many Gooper nay votes as Dem.
I voted for Wall Street bailout and all I got was some lousy toy arrows.
100-38.
I bet Boehner’s bank account is looking stronger today.
Market up 273…
106-41.
115-44.
Someone’s laughing in the background, and it’s creeping me out.
117-51.
126-60.
157-79
4:30 to go.
168-86.
I was wondering if you were going to make it here *g* how are you today?
this is not going to be pretty.
Why We — Ack! — May Need the Bailout
it’s the fucking *democrats* who are pushing this thing through.
Idiots, incompetents, knaves, whores, and fools.
194-110.
72 Goopers against. 38 Dem.
url? for some reason, I can’t use that linky.
hi all,
i’m present for the catastrophe.
((TexBetsy)) how are you?
After talking to bro in law the other night, I’m still not happy about the bill but I can understand the far reaching consequences if it isn’t or some other bail out is not passed
am i the only one who thinks this vote is as important a vote as the one the democratic congress cast for the iraq war?
229-146, no time remaining.
TV news says it passed - more than 217 votes.
no
242-163.
applause from the house as the ‘yeas’ exceeds the number needed for passage of the sellout bill.
i’m present for the catastrophe.
I was. Now I’m not.
Out.
Crap.
this one, iraq war, patriot act, fisa. they’ve all been very important.
I’m not omniscient so I can’t really answer that question. I can say I don’t like it anymore than the Iraq vote but that is as far as I can go comparing what are essentially apples and oranges
255-167.
17 minutes into the vote:
D 162 to 61
R 88 to 105
total 251 to 166
Dem 168 yea 61 nay
Rep 91 yea 108 nay
Why We — Ack! — May Need the Bailout
Try that one
yes. and i have no object way to measure.
as our dear leader like to say, history will judge.
253 171? that’s it? Or did they say 263
We need to auction off DC to recoup
CSPAN is over whelmed. Can’t get in right now.
263-171
roll call vote will be posted here in a few minutes.
cspan reports that there will be a press conference by pelosi and others coming up.
BT - many thanks for this thread.
Is it ROLL CALL 680?
This bill was a con. The White House made no move to introduce legislation for over a year. The bubble officially burst on August 9, 2007 but it was clear throughout 2006 and certainly by January 2007 (when some of the big mortgage writers officially went bankrupt) that it would burst. Paulson came in as Secretary of Treasury in mid-2006. They now tell us they were surprised, surprised I tell you, that there was a meltdown and now the Congress must pass a crap piece of legislation (which gives Paulson and the White House everything they want) because Congress is about to adjourn and there is an election in a month, and Paulson wants to bailout his buddies and Congress wants to bailout their big contributors. So we are told it is this bill or nothing. But as I pointed out earlier today, there were at least 3 good alternatives to it (which unlike this bill) would actually have fixed the system: 1) direct government buy up of bad mortgages, 2) direct government investment in banks, 3) direct government valuation of toxic paper.
Lousy, head cold kilin me.
no.
i think it will be the next one posted - 681. will have to confirm when it comes up.
The difference is that we knew what the meaning of the Iraq vote was: it was a vote for war.
I don’t know what future this opens up or closes off, and I’m not alone.
paraphrased from “A Thousand Clowns”.
Feel better soon.
The worst part is gee, we didn’t realize you guys were in trouble last week so maybe this bill is a good idea after all. shiiit.
does anyone have a link to see who voted for and against?
i wish i could say that it was the democrats in congress who were being conned. but i’m afraid is was them attempting with the Rs and bushco to con us.
ailin’ from too much palin?
get well soon.
just went backwards and saw your 42 selise.
thanks
well said
no, but i think it will be here any minute.
if i have the direct link wrong, check here for all of today’s roll call votes.
What we have here is the government throwing trillions of dollars that could have been entirely avoided if it had exercised even minimal regulatory oversight and being spent by those (Paulson) who were most directly responsible for the financial bubble which burst and set off the meltdown. I do not think even our economy can stand these kinds of losses that have been inflicted on it by the crony capitalism practised by Bush and Paulson.
Absolutely, the con is on us.
the roll call is up. my congressman doggett voted FOR. switched his vote. he was even supposedly working on an alternative plan.
damn.
So the final rape has occurred. I haven’t been watching, frankly, because I’m too busy vomiting in the bathroom to get to a TV. I’m wondering if Cheney was watching from his perch in gold-rich Dubai: I’m assuming he’s there because of the lack of sound from The White House.
Yes, half our leaders were telling us they were stupid not lying, the other half were saying they weren’t stupid they were lying.
Actually a re-visit to Biden’s performance might cheer the spirit some.
He done good. ;->
Seriously, take care and move easy for awhile.
We need yer spritz and substance ’round here.
Yep. He and (pardon my tinfoil hat) Ken Lay.
What did Maxine Waters put in the bill that will help homeowners with distressed mortgages? I cannot find any reference to a specific provision but the Speaker referred to it in her remarks.
Oh good, now the GOP can run against this.
Way to go, Democratic leadership.
Humph. You give Wall Street what it wants and it doesn’t even say “thank you.” DJIA was up 253 at 1 PM, it’s now up 19. Ingrates…
curious. the djia climbed today - until the minute the house started voting. down 250 since 1:09 this afternoon.
wonder how pelosi will explain that in her press conference?
This looks to me like a bunch of “leaders” hiding behind the veil of “the-sky-is-falling” fear-mongering of Paulson & Bernanke. I have no doubt that a response is needed . . . but puh-leeze! Are these “leaders” in such a rush to adjourn, go on campaign vacations to secure their next tenure that they could not ’start from scratch’ and bring us a better bill?
How soon does the outgo (purchase of toxic crap) begin? How soon does the OVERSIGHT begin? And what parameters have been put in place to REQUIRE the financial institutions that benefit to loosen the credit market? Oh? There aren’t any such parameters? Well surely good intentions and faith will work wonders for the middle class.
Hell, call it what it is: fascism.
and you were expecting [?]
i’m not condoning it. i just think we mbrs of the PUBLIC need to refine our message too, silly goose that I be.
panicked cattle are no more reliable than panicked sheep, much less panicked cats.
When Obama is elected he will have to channel FDR because he is going to have to make dramatic and profound changes to keep the ship affloat.
role call vote is up.
Go to bed with a Blond & a Bottle of Scotch. It does nothing for the cold, but it gets your mind off it.
Ad buys being made even as we write.
15 years totally sober
apologies - he voted AGAINST. i called his office. i was reading the roll on the wrong bill. i feel better now.
Markey drop on news of bailout!!!!!!!
150 points.
More proof the the robbery of the treasury and transfer to the Wall street crooks will not fix the economy. Ian is right Paulson, Bushco and Congress are wrong.
The sell out stimulates a sell off.
House Bailout Bill Friday Vote: YEA - 263, NAY - 171
Was there ever a doubt?
As I stated above, I’m no fan of this bill and I also do not claim to be an ‘expert’ in this area so I have to listen and read different sources. This is the course that they have chosen to take given the information that they have and the limited info I have. But I would never compare this vote to iraq because it’s similarity to this vote is as similar as an apple is to an orang–namely that they are both fruits
guess i owe you a drink
major congrats.
It was more than war, it opened the door to far worser things (torture, rape, murder, refugees, etc.)
Feel better.
ill-timed sneezes are not a terrific cure for anything.
and angry spouses are vastly overrated as a source of joy and thankfulness.
be wary of free advice, Raven.
war always includes torture rape murder and refugees. and they should always be included in the calculations made when we decide to support or oppose war.
I’ll call it a tie!
So blowing up children is similar to this bailout bill exactly how?
intended for Selise @ 86
(famine, destruction etc.) but then u knew that…
taking a break. will listen for the press conference. i want hear how the house leadership will describe their actions today.
thanks to everyone for the moral support as we witness together history being made.
New BT post upstairs.
and on and on…human trafficking, etc. etc.
dead is dead.
hope i’m wrong, but i expect the long term results to be many unnecessary deaths. via lack of medical care etc and because further economic distress will enrage the public, new wars to distract us.
i’m gonna assume you’d like to recall that one….
c’mon people.
take a deep breath.
this is one fragile, abused earth we share…
No, I don’t. The two votes (war and bail out) are not similar was my point. Sorry if you don’t like the question but it still stands
The demo rats! Who are these people? Oh yeah the are corporatists. We need progressives or the D word has no meaning. Maybe it is time to form a third party.
interesting that you would put it that way. but maybe you have a greater awareness.
I hate this bill. $700B, plus a bunch of “sweeteners”, all with elements that boil down to “rules that duplicate what’s already in place for oversight.”
And yes, we should have seen something done sooner. And there was a lot of panic about it all that probably wasn’t necessary.
I’m still glad it passed. We were skirting the edge of - as in probably within a couple of months of - a credit collapse. I use an analogy to explain - bear with me, please.
In your wallet is $20 in cash and a check for $2000. You have $2020 in your wallet. You hear that the check-writer may not have any cash at all to cover the check. Now your wallet holds $20 and a piece of autographed paper. If the people to whom you owed money were planning to get some of that $2020, you and they have a bit of a problem.
Suddenly someone offers a deal that lets your check be worth $1000 for now, with the expectation that down the road the writer will be able to cover the other $1000. You know that the check-writer is still going to have trouble, and you’re going to be tight on several of the debts you have to pay, but at least this way it’s not a total collapse. Besides, given some time either the writer can get back on his feet. Even if not, you’ve got time to make preparations and adjustments.
Is it more complex than that? Heck yes. But that’s the basic problem in small scale - the government is trying to cover part of it while the credit is made less volatile.
I think the bill sucks. And it’s possible that we’d have been able to last till congress came back into session. It’s just I’m not sure that we really had the six weeks plus negotiation time, and this may at least give us time to do something better.
or maybe i’m wrong? here’s hoping that i am.
I think I’d better pass on the presser.
I’m all out of iron garden stakes to heave for therapeutic relief. Some nice fella came by yestidie, just as I thot he would, as I was just starting to stack them up out by the road. He wanted ‘em so he could sell the metal as part of his family’s attempt to survive this mess.
Anticipating the direction of American History.
Imagine the absolute worst circumstances possible, factor in a threefold increase in consequence, a tenfold decrease in the average level of infromed citizen AWARENESS, the cannonizarion of imbeciles, traitors, knaves, thieves, psychopaths, sociopaths, and clever narsissists, a Media populated by incompetent blowhards, universities filled with flat-earthers,
crumbling infrstructure, a non-viable (and blatantly rigged and deliberately ‘unfair’) economic ’system’, a bloatted military and the ready willingness of the ‘leadership’ to declare (and accept) martial law etc.
Now that is the extent of the good news.
Add in human(?) nature,
Half bake ….
And presto!
You will have a fair idea of what will likely happen next.
I trust this explanation has been sufficiently clear that virtually anyone could write the next chapter in our exciting and singularly EXCEPTIONAL history.
Oh, I forgot, Gawd is on our side.
And praise be to those who are diligently trying to get as all closer, much closer, rapturously closer in fact, to thee.
On the other foot, a Savior could arrive on a glowing white horse … with saddle bags full of money and wisdom.
Each of us must remain resolutely optimistic, otherwise we shall tumble into to a pessimistic funk. And then the scum of the earth will really be riding high; apparently, they are feeling pretty good right now.
i know. thanks for the come-back. i’ll try to stand up a little straighter.
each decade, it gets a little harder.
but i know how to stay stubborn, whether physically stooped or straight.
and i promise i’m on board and quite used to rocky boats.
deal?
*g* We all have to voice our opinions no matter how (un) popular, right?
stay strong and stubborn
ask any half-way decent biologist. we’re cooked. u believe in starting your lobsters in cool water and slowly turning the dial, or just tossing them in the boiling pot?!
that pessimistic enough for y’all?
Pelosi, Finest American, should be a shoe-in for the Benedict Arnold Award.
yep! with help from all u marvelous Puppies. ;->
how about just ‘hopeful’?
Aside from the bloated military Germany in the 1920’s to 1933 had similar circumstances. The big difference is the U.S. will have larger and more automated camps to protect true Americans from liberals, progressives, the educated, atheists, Muslims, Hispanics, blacks, union members. Not sure what the far right wing’s (neo-fascists) take is on the Roma.
… actually, he was a patriot before he wuz, um, well,…
too much larnin fries yer brain.
where will they place the blatinos (black hispanics), hispanic gays, minority loving white people? lol
but, but,… pessimistic funks can be fun in the right company.
or at least productive, in a way, sorta, as it were…
y’know? We COULD make a delightful mess of our own, if we really got into it.
Don’t forget the eskimos!
oh, and the fundamentalist quarter Eskimo hockey players.
I would. They are both stupendously stupid and bad and will have enormous long term consequences.
Adie, I think you, wobbly and I are definitely getting into the spirit of things.
At this point I am not unduly pessimistic, just more disgusted.
Ask me, about two years into the Obama Presidency, about ‘optimism’ and we will probably be in agreement.
Yer beginnin’ to sound a little on the radical side. *g*
;~D
Thank you Congressman Mike Michaud of Maine for not voting AGAIN for this atrocious Wall Street/White House burglary! You did this twice this week. I can’t wait to cast my vote for you in November. ;-)