LRC readers know all, so one did the analysis on bailout votes and electoral victories and losses.
Readers comment on some local races:I.
In King County, Washington Obama/Biden captured 71% of the vote while McCain/Palin received 28%. My Congressman, Dave Reichert, received a lot of phone calls and emails from me and many friends urging him to vote “No” on the bailout along with promises that our votes in November would hinge on his vote on the bailout bill.
In the end, Reichert voted against bailing out Wall Street – twice (i had a letter published in the Seattle paper that praised him for doing so). It looks as if he will retain his seat against Democratic challenger (and bailout supporter) Darcy Burner, and i think one of the primary reasons he will survive is that he listened to the voters.
II.
Saxby Chambliss of GA did not win a majority so the vote goes to runoff between him and the Dem challenger. I’d say the fact that Saxby didn’t win conservative Georgia outright says something.
[I think Georgia may be a much bluer state come 2012. -RM]
III.
Tom Latham (R), in Iowa, voted against and won. It was tha focus of his campaign, as his opponent openly favored it. Tom is a typical big-government R.
[Latham is the only one I’ve heard of who actually campaigned on the issue.-RM]
IV. While I despised the bailout as much as any LRC reader, I find it strange that those legislators who voted against it are hailed as saints by advocates of limited government. My congressman voted against it, but I certainly didn’t vote for him.
According to his own words, his reasons for voting against the bailout had nothing to do with libertarian principles (though the local rag which is in bed with him would claim otherwise), but rather he felt there wasn’t enough over site and the Fed wasn’t given a big enough role in managing the economy. In other words, if these things were in the bill he would have had no problem supporting it.
Though he probably wouldn’t admit it another reason for his opposition was because his opponent came out strongly against the bailout from the start. His campaign ripped off every platform piece from his opponent including socialized medicine. What was hilarious was those mindless Republican zombies who will do everything the party tells them to do were complaining about what a socialist this opponent was while their Republican hero was running on the same ideas.
[Fair enough -RM]
V.
I live in Iowa, and unfortunately the exact opposite of bailout justice happened here. Every incumbent that ran kept his seat.
At least here in Iowa, the bailout was irrelevant. The two republicans, Latham and King, that voted against the bailout were re-elected, as well as the democrats that voted for it.
Apparently, Iowans liked congress just the way it was.
[Thank you to all for your comments. Even if I don’t post or respond to email, I always read all of it…]
11:19 pm on November 7, 2008
