“The lesson is clear. No grassroots rebellion that focuses on Congress as its battleground, or that counts Republican or Democratic elected officials as its troops, will go anywhere. The government party will hew to the people with the money. A wiser course of action would be the wholesale rejection this Election Day of all incumbents who voted for the bailout bill in both House and Senate. Do that once, and watch how much better Congress responds to citizen pressure the next time around. ” [editor’s note: I admit that even I, who certainly should know better after all these years, lobbied (ie emailed and called) my congresscritter (who actually voted no the first vote but caved on the second). Was I surprised he caved? Well, no. However, I think staying home election day is a more effective ‘protest’ than voting against the incumbents. And it sure feels cleaner - MLS] (10/04/08)