Today’s Washington Post notes that the bailout plan is beginning to become an issue in down-ticket races:
On the evening of Sept. 30, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) helped unveil a bipartisan deal that would open the door to massive government intervention in the financial markets, calling it “one of the finer moments in the Senate.”
Less than two weeks later, McConnell may wish to revise his remarks about the bipartisan nature of the $700 billion rescue plan. Soon after praising the plan, McConnell came under assault in television ads from his opponent and the Democratic Party alleging that his neglect helped contribute to economic collapse.
Congressional leaders in both parties demanded support for the rescue plan and hailed its passage. But that unity has given way to a storm of acrimony on the campaign trail and a crossfire of blame. In Senate races from Oregon to Georgia, and House races in northeastern Pennsylvania and Hartford, Conn., incumbents who were prodded into voting for the package find themselves under siege from challengers who accuse them of writing a “blank check” for Wall Street financiers.
And it’s not just happening in one Senate race in Kentucky:
In addition to McConnell, incumbent GOP Sens. Gordon Smith (Ore.) and Saxby Chambliss (Ga.) are facing sustained advertising campaigns either criticizing their votes for the package or their support for earlier legislation that may have helped cause the meltdown.
In House races, the role is largely reversed. With only a few Republicans in swing seats supporting the plan, it is mostly Democratic incumbents who find themselves on the defensive against GOP challengers looking to use the bailout vote as a slingshot to help their underdog bids catch on.
So will the pork sandwich bailout lead to a bloodbath for incumbents ? I hope so.
