Politics | bailout Voters Tanked the Bailout Vulnerable members scurry away from unpopular plan By Gabriel Winant Posted Sep 30, 2008 9:04 AM CDT Copied Rep. Todd Platts, R-Pa., is cheered by demonstrators after he informs them he will cast a 'no' vote on the financial bailout package Monday, Sept. 29, 2008, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke) The bailout plan was defeated by a 1-2 punch from angry voters and special interest groups on both ends of the political spectrum, reports the Wall Street Journal. House members were overwhelmed into voting “no” by a flood of liberals crying elitism and conservatives shouting about the sanctity of the free market, the combined din of which drowned out pleas from party leaders to pass the bill. Not surprisingly, members facing tough reelection campaigns almost all voted against the bill, reports Politico. Of 205 votes for the bailout, only seven came from members with close races back home. The flip side was also true: of 31 members who are retiring and don’t need to worry about reelection, 26 voted for the bill. Read These Next North Carolina shooting suspect once walked the red carpet. The gunman who killed 4 at a Michigan church was an ex-marine. 'We heard a big bang,' says churchgoer in Michigan Skydivers leap from plane 2 minutes before fatal crash. Report an error