The proposed $700,000,000,000 economic package rejected by congress on Monday quickly took center stage on the campaign trail. Republican representative Pat Tiberi voted against the package at mid-day and then defended his vote at a campaign appearance last night in Delaware County. Tiberi says he felt like congressional and Bush Administration leadership "put a gun to congress' head.
I kind of felt rushed. We're asking to spend the biggest outlay of dollars ever in the history of the United States congress and we kind of had a gun to our heads. And if you talk to bankers and people in the financial services area the thing that they would like to have is the lifting of a rule called mark-to-market' and we couldn't get Secretary Paulson or Speaker Pelosi to agree to that. This is essentially what's causing the problem with the credit crisis. Says Tiberi.
Tiberi's democratic opponent, David Robinson, says he would have voted for the bill.
I think the risk, the downside risk of not passing it is so great that the bi-partisan support that it received from Boehner and Pelosi is indicative of the seriousness of the situation and I would have voted for the piece of legislation. I think importantly it had some qualifications in it. Only half the money was voted on and congress seemed to have sufficient oversight of unfolding the bill if necessary." Says Robinson.
Ohio's congressional delegation split its vote 10 to 7 against the economic rescue plan. The only Ohio Republicans who voted for the legislation were House Minority Leader John Boehner of West Chester and three incumbents who aren't seeking re-election.