I was just watching Pelosi’s pre-vote speech to the House of Representatives being replayed on C-Span. Without knowing she had the votes, self-evidently, for a plan she supposedly believes is crucial to saving the economy, she came out and blamed Republicans for everything wrong in the economy, and gave herself and Barney Franks credit for all that is good. Her intention was that the bill would pass, and that her remarks today before the vote would be heard on the evening news shows and would define the day. “This is all the Republicans’ fault; we would all be doomed were it not for me and other brave Democrats.”

If I had been a Republican member planning to vote for this bill, her speech would certainly have been enough to make me go the other way. And, indeed, that’s what is believed to have happened in a significant number of cases. Not that Pelosi was even able to get her own Democrats to vote for it in sufficient numbers, obviously. This is the same woman who accused House Republicans of being unpatriotic a few days ago. Yet, she couldn’t put her particularly nasty brand of bitter partisanship aside even for ten minutes, in order get the votes for something she is claiming is so vital to everyone’s well-being. Quite something.

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