Auto Bailout Bill Failure - Democrats Should Start Admitting Responsibility

The media, UAW leadership and Democratic congressional leaders have attributed Thursday's failed auto bailout bill to southern Republican Senators voting against the legislation. I can understand why people have concluded that Republicans caused the bill to fail. The bill required 60 yes votes to be considered, and failed by a 52 -35 roll call vote, with 31 Republicans voting against the bill. However, in looking at the voting data in the table below, I conclude the Democrats have equal or greater responsibility.

Here is the breakout of the overall votes:

	Senate Vote for Considering Auto Bailout Bill
Party Affiliation	Yes	No	Did Not Vote
Democrat	40	4	4
Republican	10	31	4
Independent	2	0	0
Total	52	35	8

According to an Associated Press article $14B auto bailout dies in Senate, "Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called the bill's collapse 'a loss for the country.'" To me, it seems that the eight Democratic Senators who did not vote for to consider the bill would have given the bill the 60 vote count needed for consideration. Ironically, Reid was among the four Democratic Senators that voted no (Baucus, Mont.; Lincoln, Ark.; Reid, Nev.; Tester, Mont.). Three out of the four that did not vote (Biden, Del.; Kennedy, Mass.; Kerry, Mass.; Wyden, Ore.) were also a surprise to me.

As noted Political Ironies from the Financial Crisis, the Democrats need to understand that they're in charge now and are accountable for future results, whether they act or not.

For a detailed break out of the vote by party affiliation, see this article . For a breakout of the vote by state, see this article.

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This is not financial or political advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

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