Pelosi, The Scapegoat (Part II)

As more details emerge about the negotiations in the House, the more it is clear that Pelosi's speech wasn't to blame for the failure of the bill.

From Politico.com:

But Boehner told a different story. He said that the GOP leaders never thought they’d get more than 68 Republicans to support the bill — and that he sent Blunt to tell Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) as much nearly two hours before the vote.

“I sent [Blunt] down to talk to Hoyer, 11:30, quarter to 12, somewhere in that time frame,” Boehner said. “We had a pretty good idea where we were, where we thought we could get to. And Hoyer knew.”

So, Boehner knew that he was short of votes in his caucus before Pelosi's speech, which didn't even begin until 12:20!

Washington Post reports:

Republicans initially lashed out at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), accusing her of delivering a partisan speech before the vote and costing them a dozen votes. But later, in interviews after tempers cooled, GOP leaders said they had been fighting an uphill battle from the start -- too many conservatives rejected the idea of a large, taxpayer-funded intervention, and too many moderates came from swing districts where constituents were up in arms over the bailout.

A little too late, isn't it? Do a simple Web search and you'll come across hundreds of headlines blaming Pelosi's speech for the failure of the bill.

Again from the Politico article, "After Monday’s defeat, Boehner and other Republicans said a speech by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had cost some GOP votes. In fact, some Republican aides began spreading word before her speech even ended that her remarks would turn the tide against them." (emphasis added.)

Here are some reactions from Republicans about the claim that Pelosi's speech scuttled the bill.

Republican Rep. John Shadegg said Tuesday that House Minority Leader John Boehner and other Republican leaders made a “stupid claim” by alleging that Nancy Pelosi’s speech changed any minds on the bailout.

“I do believe that we could have gotten there today had it not been for this partisan speech that the speaker gave on the floor of the House,” said Boehner after the failed vote on the bailout package. His leadership colleagues endorsed the opinion. Rep. Eric Cantor waved a copy of Pelosi's speech and said the bailout went down because of Pelosi.

Shadegg said that he doesn't know of a single GOP vote that shifted because of the speech.

On Monday evening, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), a lead opponent of the bailout, told the Crypt that the notion was "nonsense" and mocked the possibility that a Republican would be shocked or offended by the partisan nature of a Democratic speech.

However, Shadegg was optimistic that Congress would soon pass some version of the bailout.

Can we expect an apology from the Republicans? Probably not.

Whatever you think about the merits of the bill, there's little doubt about Pelosi's effectiveness. She promised and she delivered her share of votes on a deeply unpopular bill, and a bill put forth by the Republican administration at that.