We Stopped the Bailout! But It’s Not Over Yet

We stopped the bailout! Millions of Americans called congress and spontaneously organized protests, furious that Bush and Congressional leaders would move ahead with this disastrous, irresponsible, unnecessary and profoundly unfair plan.

But we’re not out of the woods yet. Barack Obama has joined McCain in supporting this wildly unpopular and historically unprecedented give away—it could reach a trillion—to Wall Street. Bush and House leaders are preparing for another vote, and are most definitely engaged in some serious behind the scenes arm-twisting at this very moment.

MAKE TWO CALLS

- First call Obama’s Senate office (202-224-2854) or campaign office (866-675-2008). Tell him that you are a supporter and want him to oppose the bailout. Also remind him to get rid of Wall Street advisors like Robert Rubin and Jason Furman. They got us into this mess in the first place. KEEP CALLING UNTIL YOU GET THROUGH!

- Then please call your congressperson and tell them to VOTE “NO”: 1-800-473-6711 (capitol hill switchboard)

Michael Moore (http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=236) notes that the new bailout “compromise” still does nothing for homeowners. Nor has there been sufficient research to show that this will actually be an economic help in the first place:

“The 95 brave Dems who broke with Barney Frank and Chris Dodd were the real heroes, just like those few who stood up and voted against the war in October of 2002. Watch the remarks from yesterday of Reps. Marcy Kaptur (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S27yitK32ds), Sheila Jackson Lee (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwysnA7ZmE8), and Dennis Kucinich (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaF_MZVWM3E). They spoke the truth.”

These speeches are worth watching, because you won’t see their point of view—one that represents a majority of Americans—represented in the mainstream press. The media long ago jumped on the bandwagon of apocalyptic hurry, endorsing Bush-Pelosi’s call for an economically necessary evil.

MAKE TWO CALLS

- First call Obama’s Senate office (202-224-2854) or campaign office (866-675-2008). Tell him that you are a supporter and want him to oppose the bailout. Also remind him to get rid of Wall Street advisors like Robert Rubin and Jason Furman. They got us into this mess in the first place. KEEP CALLING UNTIL YOU GET THROUGH!

- Then please call your congressperson and tell them to VOTE “NO”: 1-800-473-6711 (capitol hill switchboard)

Moore lays out 5 reasons that this bailout doesn’t go far enough. They bear repeating:

“So the ball is in the Democrats' hands. The gun from Wall Street
remains at their head. Before they make their next move, let me tell
you what the media kept silent about while this bill was being
debated:

1. The bailout bill had NO enforcement provisions for the so-called
oversight group that was going to monitor Wall Street's spending of
the $700 billion;

2. It had NO penalties, fines or imprisonment for any executive who
might steal any of the people's money;

3. It did NOTHING to force banks and lenders to rewrite people's
mortgages to avoid foreclosures -- this bill would not have stopped
ONE foreclosure!;

4. It had NO teeth anywhere in the entire piece of legislation, using
words like "suggested" when referring to the government being paid
back for the bailout;

5. Over 200 economists wrote to Congress and said this bill might
actually WORSEN the "financial crisis" and cause even MORE of a
meltdown.”

This alert was created by Daniel Denvir (daniel.denvir[at]gmail[dot]com) for the Facebook group Progressives (Critically) for Barack Obama