CNN

What has happened to the media and people of this country when the only dissent allowed is that which is PC and promotes socialism and socialist causes? People in Hollywood are blacklisted, politicians and their supporters and ridiculed and lampooned based on their conservative views. I am not a mindless drone of the far right, but even though I support the social causes of the left, I’m considered a conservative because I find our government and all who feed on the labor of others to be repugnant and corrupt. I feel this will only get worse when we suffer through 2 years of one party rule should Barack Obush win the election

SOCIALISM – JUST SAY NO!

McPalin '08

Joe The Plumber get's it!

who is controlling t his guy Paulson? Anyone?

Palin knows the answer to the problem, "GOD will do what is right" She said so herself. Now Republicans don't have to stand in long lines to VOTE, GOD will take care of that.

count me as one of the 64 percent.that dissaprove of 700 billion baliout.

Let's see, Paulson wanted the bailout in the first few days of the "emergency" or the economy will tank....with no oversight of course. Then he picks who will handle the bailout....Bernake says maybe more stimulus dollars, McCain pushes for it also....The government buys shares in our banks, which they now own.....and the Republicans call Obama a "socialist?" Let's see didn't Iceland just declare bankruptcy, a country run by right-wingers using Milton Friedman's economic policy?

I haven't heard anyone come forward and say there is or isn't a Santa Claus! Or that there isn't a real Easter Bunny! I've been lied to since birth, its my right as an American to be told as many lies in a day as possible...So when I'm told that a 700 billion dollar bail out is going to work, I believe them! So heres my plan...Write me a check for 100 million, and I'll pay taxes on it, and give me thirty years to pay it back at 8 percent interest and what ever is left over when I die, the government can have it...This way the government is at least getting monthly payments...The other option is lets give the entire 700 billion to companies we know have failed, and to companies who have lied cheated the government...Its a no brainer to me!

What has government done right??

I think any response that begins with...

"Give me $700 billion and no oversight"

...deserves a low grade.

I will be voting for Obama in this election, but c'mon people, open your eyes. What did you want Paulson to do? Let the economy go to ruin. I wonder how any of you would have felt if your business lost their line of credit due to the frozen markets, and had to lay you off because they couldn't make payroll.

Also, Barnie Frank is a complete moron, and deserves to be thrown out of congress. It was this idiot who pushed for Fannie and Freddie to buy up loans for low-income housing. If all the Wall Street execs get fired, so should this idiot.

Oh and btw, can someone please tell me why Main St. should get bailed out, just because Wall Street did?

Look at the exec that is leaving Merrill Lynch. For some reason the pay cap that was part of the bailout package does not apply to him. How can this be? But, Obama is a socialist? I want my money back!

George Bush will leave us a cigar that is lighting in both end so no one will be able to smoke it. This is what we get America for letting the republican still the election in 2000 and 2004.

Forgive that dummy Sarah Palin because she does not know what a VP role is. She charges the state of Alaska for plane ticket for her and her kids' personal plane ticket that was not state business. She is not trustworthy and she cannot trust her with all the money that we have in Washington. She will still all the money that we have to buy her own personal mansion.

When you go out there to vote you better pay good attention and double check your vote before you summit it. In some state if not all the republicans fix the machine up. If you vote straight democratic they fix the machine so your presidential vote go for McCain instead of Barack. So you might think you vote for Barack and the machine was fix and it goes the other way. So pay good attention to make sure your presidential vote goes to your choosing candidate. These are disgusting tactics that the republicans are using right now in some part of Texas and may be nationwide. We need fair and free election so rigging these machines is nothing but disgusting tactics. Also when you go to the polling place no political T-shirt because they will turn you away.

I'm still waiting for Trickle Down Economics to give us anything but debts...

Instead of all you idiot bloggers blaming Paulson and Bush you better try to figure out what caused the bailout in the first place. Your beloved chairman of the house banking committee Barney Frank democrat, and chairman of the Senate banking committe Chris Dodd democrat were both warned of pending trouble. But they chose to disregard those warnings and we now have a federal bail out. Once again, the democrats and ignorant bloggers blaming someone other than their own kind even if its incorrect. Confucious say " dont loan money to those who can't afford to pay back money."

In the meantime, Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, Obama, etc. are walking around smiling because they profited, and Bush is getting the blame from people who don't keep up on the truth.

Sweetie-

Your arguments are shrill and baseless. How about some facts for a change?
Were you this upset when we had Bush and a Republican congress for 6 years? Did you scream out as they spent billions and billions while cutting taxes for the rich??

Look around, this country has been weakened by the greed of the Republicans and their corporate friends.
Time for a change.

We have given him 700 billion taxpayer dollars.

The Bush haters vs. Obama worshippers:
I can't wait, at this point for Obama to get in, along with the 'dems' in congress to show you what a mess this country is going to be in......but then, alot of you are in favor of socialism, and want the gov't in your beds. Not I!!
The dems are in control of congress now & have been for 2 years or more, and you are not being realistic here as to who is to blame.

This really doesn't surprise me one bit.

All we can do is just pray that things get better.

If the advisers that McCain has surrounded himself with are as 'effective' as Paulsen, then the country would be in serious trouble if he were to be elected.

He has already shown he has poor judgment when he chose Palin as his running mate.

Obama/Biden '08

Kind of a funny story, the news media arund the world is paying close attention to this election and they have to translate everything the candidates say into their own languages. I have learned that in Italian there is no direct translation for the word "maverick". So in Italy the translation they use for the word "maverick" is "a dog off of it's leash", very very fitting.

To "ran." Your math is way off.. Think about it. According to your calculations, each person would receive $1.00. ($200,000,000 to 200,000,000 people = $1.00) To give each person over 21 a million dollars, that would be $200 QUADRILLION dollars! To give each person over 21 just $10,000 would cost 2 TRILLION. It's just incomprehensible either way. So, take that $700 BILLION and divide that by 200 MILLION and that would be just $3.50...Yes. THREE DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS–each. So your argument fails.

We have to start holding adults responsible for their actions, otherwise how can we discipline our students for cheating on an exam?

Of course Americans hate the bailout. Who wouldn't?? It wasn't necessary 12 months ago, but since they took so long to act drastic action was required now.

What cracks me up is that most of us in the homebuilding and mortgage industry were predicting this about 18 months ago. Why did our government take so long to act?? This is ridiculous and everyone from the Business leaders all the way down through Congress should be ashamed of what they have allowed. This isn't a Republican or Democrat thing, this is a complete breakdown in our system.

Bernacki and this guy are criminals and crooks.

OBAMA! All the way!

i 62 and slow on computer but try to keep open mind and find the tind the lies and i ran in a pp.

Wall Street huckster, friend of Bush!

"Brownie Your doing a Great Job" ! Another Bush apppointee taking care of Business. The Light at the end of the Tunnel is that these Turkeys will soon be a "Sad Page" in the Books ! But first, An Audit !

Why bail out Wall Street. They dont care about anyone but themselves. Let them feel what it is like to live on a budget. If I were in Congress I would let the bubble burst and let housing prices drop to where they should be. Let nature take its course. Then everyone can afford housing, not just the fat cats.

i think obama will do some thing and if he can he will fix it that us little people wont get short changed. he did fight to fix up old home that poeple can live.in you know i watched a clip of him and his family and his girls was making cute remark about his shoed and his clothes, that he had had them for a long time they were old ,it got obama but they was haveing a good time. obama can get hard if he needs to .i love the way powell talked about him. powell is a VERY SMART MAN and he know a lot more than we do, i think he is trying to tell us some thing that will help middle and poor people and obama is for women, look how many women has made him a good man look at his family.as for joe go to your clip of that debate this was before joe can up well him and his son are in the front row. mccain had that set up joe dont work he has no money and he could buy any thing and he dont have a premitt to me a plumler. obama said to tax the people making 250.000. how many small bussnes make that much. come on guy listen dont let mccain make a fool out of us. i know there are people out ther that smarter than, did any one see joe that night in the front row? thanks i also can tell you about insurance of obama. but i bet you dont get to read this.

If anyone in government should have seen what was coming in the financial world it was Henry Paulson and yet he appeared mystified. As recently as the Spring of 2008 he was saying what good shape our economy was in, the best of his career. What does this tell of us of his supposed expertize? We need someone in charge with true expertize.

Hey McCain wasnt' that Socialism? The bailout of WallStreet ? Just my thoughts!

28% approved? that's 14% higher than the congressional approval rating!

ran @ 11:19 am,
You might want to re-run that math again.

No wonder we're in economic crisis....

MCCAIN LIES TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!

1. OBAMA A SOCIALIST
2. JOE THE PLUMBER IS INDEPENDENT VOTER
3. OBAMA WANTS TO TAX MIDDLE AND LOWER INCOME AMERICANS
4. PALIN IS READY TO BE VP
5. MCCAIN HAS A PLAN FOR ECONOMY
6. MCCAIN IS A MAVERICK FOR MIDDLE AMERICANS

THESE ARE ALL LIES TO INFLUENCE AMERICANS WHO HAVE NO EDUCATION OR KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH.

IF your a thoughful american, check the facts, dont be fooled. Mccain LIES THROUGH HIS TEETH, ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE LIAR PALIN WHO ABUSES HER POWER AS A GOVERNER AND SPENDS TAXPAYER MONEY ON HER PRIVATE FAMILY FLIGHTS AND HOTELS. SHE IS A FAKE SHE IS NO MAVERICK, DONT BELIEVE HER JOE AMERICAN TALK. SHE ONLY PRETENDS TO BE FOR MIDDLE AMERICANS JUST LIKE JOHN MCCAIN.

Paulson, low marks. Obama, (call me if you need me), low marks. John McCain, drop everything to confront the problem, high marks!

I only have one word for this man,CROOK.

Guys/Gals:
We really appreciate your involvement in this election, and especially your support for Obama. I truly believe that it will be YOU guys that will put our beloved Senator in the White House. More than us, more is at stake for you all in what direction the future of our country takes.

I am making an appeal to you to not get complacent and go out and cast your vote, preferably during the Early Election period. Remember the early election will end in most places by the end of this month. Not only you vote, please make a list of friends and relatives that you know and get them also out to vote. Lastly, talk to your parents if they are not planning on voting, or they are not planning to vote for Obama – convince them as best as you can.

I saw a poll today that said the chances of youth vote this year is not all that different from previous Election years. We can’t afford that!!! We need to make a big improvement in the youth vote to get Obama elected. So, between now and Nov 4th, you need to do the extra bit. We are counting on you!

Of course it received low marks, the majority of Americans opposed it but our congress and president acted against the will of the people. So much for them representing us. The bailout is nothing but robbery. It was a made up number to transfer the wealth of the people to the hands of an elite few (mainly international bankers). We are on the brink of the takeover of America.

ALL OBAMA SUPPORTERS!!! VOTE EARLY, the republican party is once again employing tactics to suppress millions of democratic votes around the country. They have many methods for doing this so & voting early is the only way to make sure that your votes is counted on election day!

Ephesians 6:12
For we[a] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. We have to stop the division, and come together to take our country back from these evil people who only care about operating in greed. We are all the same, and want the same things in life, to take care of our families, and leave a positive legacy for generations to come. We have to vote these people out of office, and try the Bush Adminstration for treason, for they took advantage of the American people, with their fear tactics of terror, and oppression by taking away our rights with the Patroit Act, they have a agenda, and they have been playing it out for almost a Century now. Power to the people. REVOLUTION.

They should have taken that $750 Billion and BAILED OUT the AMERICAN CITIZENS........It would have been A LOT CHEAPER

WHERE IS GREENSPAN WHEN WE NEED HIM.....

They could've given 1million dollars to every AMERICAN family, and jump started the economy, and saved alot of money!

I don't understand why our 'All knowing, all powerful' government would trust these same unregulated people to fix a problem they allowed to happen. If it were you or I, we would have been fired! None of these people qualify for their positions!

If they were serious about doing the right thing for the people and at a much less cost to us all;all they had to do was give ever person over 21 $1 million and we could start stimulating the economy now.

The banks will sit on the bailout money and give it out to only the few and this will not help the economy for us all.

According to the last census we have about 200 million citizens over 21 so it would only cost 200 million. Makes we wounder why we need 700 Billion?

I GUESS THROUGH THIS WHOLE THING NO ONE REALIZES THE TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT. OKAY NO BAILOUT:

FIRST: WALLSTREET CRUMLES
SECOND: BANKS CRUMBLE
THIRD: LOCAL BANKS CRUMBLE
FOURTH: SMALL BUSINESSES CRUMBLE-MORE JOB LOSS
FIFTH: BIG BUSINESSES CRUMBLE-MORE JOB LOSS
SIXTH:.............

DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN............... SO IF TH BAILOUT DID NOT HAPPEN WHAT THEN??????

POST THIS CNN..THANK YOU

»JOHN MCCAIN is the MAN.Of course.

PAULSON WHO? This guy's job is history when the next President gets into office and CLEANS HOUSE!!!!

Any economist outside of the controlled media, should have been able to see that the current situation will continue, and even get worst. The bailout was suppose to help the people, and prevent job loss, but it will not, it will only provide the CEO, more money to walk away with, and people are still going to get fired, and taxpayer will still have to pay. Paulson, and the Bush Adminstration should be tried for treason, and persecuted to the full maximum of the Law for they have failed the American people. The people need to take this country back, and stop falling for the division. We all want the same things out of life, to take care of our families, and leave behind a positive legacy for generations to come. REVOLUTION. VOTE ALL OF THESE GUYS OUT OF OFFICE.

I have NO confidence in Paulson whatsoever. He and Bush have ruined our economy.

LET ME..........SHOUT........THIS.......... TO ALL FAR-RIGHT PEOPLE SAYING THAT OBAMA IS A SOCIALIST:

LISTEN UP, BUSH AND PAULSON, ARE THE SOCIALIST,

BAILING OUT AND NATIONALIZING BANKS...... IS NOT CAPITALISM!

WAKE UP!

wow .... this is not surprising considering this is a Bush and McBush deal ... it is not going to get better until Obama is in the office and he will regulate the funds.... hopefully Bush will not spend it all prior to Juanuary.

Not surprising – but largely a reflection that most people don't have a clue as to what is really going on. It can't be explained in a 30 second sound bite.

Paulson is an incredibly intelligent individual and the one person who initially understood the seriousness of the situation and worked tirelessly (on a schedule none of his critics could possibly endure) to actually get something done.

Too bad we could run dual tracks (impossible). Would be intersting to see what the approval rating of a rescue plan would be if one hadn't been enacted, credit was still completely frozen and the Dow was at 6,000 today.

Paulson is being controlled by the puppet masters of the world, Federal Reserve, and Central Banks. He is controlled by the International Bankers who want to keep us oppressed, and in debt. The majority of Americans didn't want anything to do with the Bailout, but the politicans did what they wanted to. Some democracy, we need to vote all of these guys out of their positions. Paulson Sucks!!! The dollar is being destroyed on purpose. Revolution is need against this system, and Big Business. REVOLUTION!!

Congradulations on that last election win democrats..

I suppose the "Socialists" policies of granting welfare to Wall Street suits the "Pro-Americans" just fine. Nov. 4h cannot come quickly ENOUGH!

I am really scared with the direction that the republicans and John Mccain are taking with all of this racist stuff they are trying to kick up into the air. We need to move forward and leave all of that dark history of ours in the past where it belongs. My uncle and I voted for Barack Obama yesterday and today my girl friend, my mom and my little sister are all voting for Barack Obama and we are white. I am ashamed of our party and the backwards tactics they are using to create hate just for a few votes - and if they win they are only going to continue to mess up this country for working people like myself and my family. We need to turn the chapter on the hate and move forward.

Chris from STL,
You have the most accurate take on this I think. There have been MAJOR screw ups on both sides of the isle. Dems and Repubs both share in the blame, but WE also share the blame. We voted them in and keep them in. We have been blinded by ideology, greed and the like.

Realist:

So no one that you know has lost big money from their 401(k)s? No one has lost a job or seen a decrease in sales that affects their pay? No businesses have closed that you have patronized? Wow, it must be nice living in a little, closed-minded, racist, bubble.

We, the people, once again ask the question – where is the plan? How can we measure and rate performance without knowing the standards and expectations? Please explain the system in place to track and report progress. We know $250Billion is headed to many of the same financial institutions responsbile for this extinction level event. Who else will share the billions in this hastily ill-conceived rescue?

S O C I A L I S M.

What's the matter "LIP"?
Angry little man, aren't you?
Can't dance, the Liberals are un-American, your life is miserable, your kids probably don't visit.... Ah, life is hell for an angry little closed minded nut.
If you want, you can live in the sunshine and not be crippled by hate and fear. That's the difference between you and me my "friend".

The voting machines will definitely malfunction cos you know who "calibrated" them >> "You Betcha" !.
Please make sure you confirm that you vote and your vote was cast correctly

Funny how you obamaites forget he, (sorry, I cannot capitalize "he" like so many of you do when talking about obama. He is not a deity), voted for this package but you still blame the Bush administration. Remember it was Carter and Clinton that got us into this mess with Fannie Mae.

It really scares me how blindly people are following obama. No matter what the issue or how he changes his view, people accept whatever he says without question.

Oh, by the way, I have a bridge for sale in Alaska. Obama voted for it so I guess I can count on all of you to buy it, no questions asked.

Economy is a wreck, and Obama wants to raise taxes, i.e., increase inflation. Obama's own VP pick sent chills up my spine with his warning of an attack on the U. S. within 6 months of an Obama Presidency, just to test him. No experience, higher taxes, spread the wealth attitude. No thank you. Hey CNN, did you ever hear of Ayers and the real connection between this terrorist and Obama. You can get your information on Fox if you can not seem to do the research yourself. Judgement does matter in a Presidential candidate. Ayers, Wright, he denies and lies about the relationship. See the pattern anyone?

Politicians like to quip that we need to help Main Street, not Wall Street. Unfortunately, this clever play on words belies the fact that Wall Street has major influence on Main Street's economy (and vice versa). Helping Wall Street helps Main Street, and vice versa.

Bailing out Wall Street, therefore, is a necessary step but is not the end solution. Our current economy is the result of a domino effect which started with deregulation of the real estate market. We need to install intelligent regulation and implement policies to reverse the foreclosure trend. This has not yet been done.

We need to stop regarding foreclosure as a just consequence for people who made dumb decisions, and realize that the rest of the economy can't truly reverse course until we address the root cause of our current problems. If that means tax dollars need to bail out homeowners, so be it. Better that then recession or depression.

What happened to our gov. helping main street? All they wanted was the go ahead to save their own money at our exspence. They had no intention of helping the ones who really needed it.HOMEOWNERS.

He is just part of the mess. There is no leadership at all and NONE OF THEM KNOW WHAT TO DO. Just watching some of these cats like Barney Frank and Pelosi flail around making all sorts of politically correct non-statements makes me laugh... well so what happens after Bush leaves, those two will still be around and dozens more just like them. Only this time they'll have Obama to tell what to do, and he will go right along... because HE DOES NOT KNOW ANY BETTER. He is JUST LIKE THEM.

I say don't give anyone a mortgage loan who doesn't have a reasonable ability to make the payments. Don't raise taxes on anyone for any reason. Cut out wasteful spending and earmarks. Cut out some of the bureaucracy. Don't give handouts to people. Use our education system to teach math and language skills, not as some sort of social experiment.

Let's tighten this thing up for a while.

It is probably going to go lower if what I heard this morning is true. CNN was reporting about how much money the CEO of Merrill Lynch was walking away with–something like 25,000,000 dollars. Why are they rewarding the ones who have caused the mess? There were to be controls in the rescue package that would not allow this to happen. Why isn't Paulson doing something about it?

Interesting comments...I can't help but wonder though what would have happened if the employees (congress) working for the country and our President, had cooperated to solve this problem when first asked 7 years ago? Imagine a company where the employees refused to do as asked by the management team...they would all be replaced. Here we have a congress with Nancy Pelosi's leadership that stated they will do everything they can to sink this ship and by golly they have, along with the country...

He is just implementing SOCIALISM for George W. Bush and the republicans who are still trying to scare the american people into believing that Obama is a socialist. Enough with the smoke and mirrors. Please end the insanity on Nov. 4. Obama/Biden!

Rumsfield..."we are fortunate to have these folks working on the plan"...." they understand how to manage the crisis"....are you nuts??? These are the very same people who have turned a blind side to the willful abuse of the system for years! They have no REAL plan to save us just one to BAILOUT their rich cohorts in the industry. That money would have been better spent going directly to the people who'd spend it on their mortages...kids college...buying necessities and everyday needs... An influx of cash from the bottom up would have things turning around by now instead of mired in the muck of the politicians PLAYING games.

Financial expert is an oxymoron.
and so is Paulson

vote anti-incumbant- we need some new filth in washington.

Of course low marks for Paulson CNN. The average American, who by the way is too stupid to understand what's going on, has been coned by the liberal, socialist media into thinking that everything is going to hell. It's not, but it makes for good liberal blog fodder to increase the black radicals chances for election. Not to mention, all the majority of the moronic populous in this country needed to know is that Mr. Paulson ran Goldman Sachs in the past and they will equate him with Wall Street; and ultimately of course with Bush & McCain. I live in Chicago, a liberal bastion of hell, yet do not know a single person negatively impacted by this so called "bad economy." Educate yourself, achieve at least a nominal degree of success and you will not be impacted by a moderate economic downturn. Additionally, if you cannot afford a home – rent one! No where is it stated that you are entitled to own your own home. This economy is way too resilient to fail as it did in 29.

In support of Paulson, here is a manager working under several bosses (Bush, Cheney, Senate, House) who have no clue as to the complexity or workings of the job he, Paulson, must carry out.

He is taking the obligatory cautions to _be_ cautious, to be sensitive to the political and personal personna of any number of governmental and even private sector characters. He is not independent. HE IS NOT INDEPENDENT. This perhaps extreme caution has meant a monetary machinery that moves too slowly for the quick-meltdown, domino-effect system crashes. At long last, the government has given his level some breathing room, which they should have made clear he had prior to this current mess.

I do not see how we can blame Hank Paulson for the way DC works; he is/was more responsible for the way Wall Street works. I'd like to see some documentation that he gave a yellow light early on about the coming crisis, and how that was received, and by whom.

as a consumer of news... from many different sources... i am becoming more and more dissapointed with CNN... the comments Joe Biden made yesterday, basically making a guarantee that the US will be attacked if Obama is elected is not even on the headline page, if anywhere, on CNN's website... this is a big story but doesn't serve the campaign well so i guess CNN decided it wasn't news worthy... also i read through all of the so called "fact checks"... it appears to me that every "Fact check" story is either in defense of obama or in condemnation of McCain...not that those should\nt be done... but why not report any the other way.... This is rediculouis for a so called News source to behave in this manner and it is not even subtle... so disgusting...

I can only hope that the Obama administration will be able to make things right when they take over. Paulson is only a reflection on how bad the Bush administration has failed in every area of running our country.

That's what you get for calling it a Bail-out!

MORON

He can't wave a magic wand and make it all better. People are worried, and fear is hard to hold in check for long. When you see your life savings go down the drain you want some action. So far the average peorson has seen only more drops in the stock market.

We need a new leader, we need CHANGE, WE NEED OBAMA

VOTE
nothing changes with out your VOTE

The last thing this country needs is an ex-CEO of Goldman Sachs, who after only two years on the job, left with a $140 million dollar package, saying he understands what America needs.

Most Americans diapprove of the bail out. Does that mean the congressen/senators who voted for it will get voted out?

Here it confusion..Paulson does not work for the people, he works for the banking system. Voters would be a little more understanding if the amount of effort to bailout the banks was applied to providing oversight of the banks prior to this economic mess.

Its like the people who buy cars, spend years paying them off suddenly have to come back and lend money to the car makers. Free market systems does not mean you are free of oversight.

Paulson mite recieved low mark for this bailout because it tried to help wall-street not the american people. Of 1,058 people surveyed in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, 64% said they disapproved of Paulson's performance and 28% said they approved. I would like to know where the goverment is getting all this money to give out, not just printing more paper money. Go Obama/Biden

Look, lets get real people. This guy, like ALL of the others, does not know what the heck he is doing. WHY? BECAUSE HE IS A CRONIE. He is a Yes Man. A don't ask any questions,sit there and look smart, type of guy. a Dee,dee dee.............12 more days for this nightmare to conclude. Geez I feel like I'm at the theatres having to watch a 3 and a half hour movie that wasn't worth ANY of my money and the ending credits are rolling on land line time....

So many Americans don't want our tax dollars getting ownership of banks, which would allow us the possibility to eventually make a profit, but instead want the money to go directly to struggling homeowners, in which case the tax money is almost certainly going to never be made back. I thought many people, especially conservatives, don't want hand outs.

The inconsistancies and contradictions of the American population tend to be quite interesting. I'd love to know the percentage of people in this survey that any formal education in finance, economics or business. I'd be surprised if as many as 20% had an intro course to economics.

Americans should familiarize themselves with the practice of patience, tolerance and discernment. This latest economic episode will take time to resolve. It will get back on track. We are fortunate to have these people working on this plan. They do understand how to manage the crisis.
My concern is, what happens once they are gone? Americans will go back to their decades old ways and self-deserving attitudes. If this plan collapses it will be because the American people chose to blame someone else for this problem and not step up to do what they can to fix the issues that brought us here and failed to exercise the patience that is required. This is an opportunity to re-evaluate and change this country going forward. Past history leads me to believe that Americans are not equipped to pull this off. But, it will not stop me from doing everything I can to have a positive influence on the events around me. Try it, you'll like it.

Paulson is only an extension of the failed Bush administration. An administration that John McCain has endorsed 90 percent of his voting life. The whole bunch should be dismissed from office as soon as Senator Obama is elected president and put in Jail for treason. Only when our elected representitives are held accountable for their wrongdoings while in office will future generations of politicians be more responsible in their elected office.

How about that... I'm part of the majority this time and can't wait until President Bush and the rest of his little pigs leave the barn in Washington. But does this mean that a whopping 28% still think Bush is doing a good job? Maybe they're the "real Americans" we've heard so much about from Republicans recently... the "real Americans" who are hated by liberals; the "Real Americans" who are actually ignorant enough to believe that the moment you disagree or have the courage to voice something other than a cheerleader response to a bunch of idiots, you are also being un-patriotic. That's part of the mentality that has divided our nation for eight years. Enough.

It's not the bailout in and of itself that I have my biggest problem with Paulson's job; it's the fact of his silence in the lead up to our economic troubles that concerns me.

Did he not see it coming and why was he not on every news station to inform the public?

Paulson is part of the problem and does not have a clue if this bailout will work. He and the entire Bush lot should be fired and impeached ASAP

Perhaps it will become more clear, but at the moment the plan seems to be something of a muddle, with the only guaranteed results for the people who funded bad loans.

Which congressmen or women voted for the bailout bill?
You have to ask yourself this question before you go to the poll.

There were better ways to handle this. Giving these companies a free bailout was not the way. Until someone steps up and has the courage to say "NO", this type of abuse will continue with banking, mortgages, etc. Our country needs leaders who will step up and stop the overindulgent behavior that we as Americans have grown accustomed to as if it is our right. It will be hard to swallow, but we must tighten up and be responsible. That starts at the top. Interesting how the Republicans can call this 'helping' and are blind to see this as a form of 'socialism'. I think anyone in this administration is viewed as flawed after what we have witnessed for the last 8 years, hence Paulson's low ratings.

How many in the poll knew any thing about the economy?
This step was needed .... should have taken place much earlier.

What'd he expect? He lost all credibility with me when he proposed his solution "I'll need $700 billion to fix this. Oh, and there can be no oversight of how I use the money, and there can be no legal action taken against me no matter what."

I'm about 90% positive that if his original plan went through as proposed, Paulson would be $700 billion richer, sitting on a beach in a non-extradition treaty country.

(Let's see if CNN posts this one, unlike all my other comments...)

Paulson needs to learn to dance then maybe he will be accepted for his remarks. God help us when the Liberals that hate Americans vote the next President in because he wants to tax all the Middle Income Americans to help pay for the about-to-come-back Welfare and Entitlement programs of the old Democrats and also that he can dance...thats what I want, a President that knows how to dance. Foreign governments base their acceptance of American policies by how well our President can dance...right.

The Paulson Bail out is getting help from the Sarah Palen economic stimulous package. Sarah has spent over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in campaign funds for clothes and accessories for her and her family. This includes a seventy five thousand dollar Neiman Marcus shopping spree ! Wow Joe the fake Plumber. Thats more than you made in five years!!

Paulson was chosen by Bush.....surely there is no explanation needed!!!!!!!

LOL, I just have one question. On whose behalf did our representatives approve a bail out that virtually none of us like? OH, for the first time ever I am proud to be an Alabamiam (by way of NY). Our representatives voted against it (I think, lol).

I wonder how many people that hate this thing realize that Paulson came from Wall Street to get to Washington...

Of course we disapprove of this bail-out. Some of us are old enough to remember the S&L fiasco. Time to fire Congress, Paulson and Bernanke.

arrest the bum

Congress should have never agreed to this bailout; they are just trying to cover up their mistake! Many senators made lots of money prior to this financial crisis and their still have jobs, what an outrage!

They Frank, Reid, etc. should be fired from their jobs as senators, they clearly don't have the American people's best interest at heart, they just want to keep lining their pocketbooks with tax payer money!

Wall Street and the financial sector will fix itself; how can anyone think government involvement in the free market is a good idea!

Fire them all!

McCain is still campaigning and "making stuff up" and still can't address the economy. Paulson is a economist and if he gets low marks on the bailout I can't image having John McCain as president who admits he knows nothing about economics. God Bless America.

It will be a while before we understand the effects of the "bailout". It has however done some good providing optimism for the market and it is starting to thaw the credit markets a little. However a bailout for "Main St." should be in order as well. A $300 or $600 stimulus check won't cut it.

Real Americans don't sell out their country for profit, they don't take America to war without provocation, they don't argue against freedom and human rights, and they don't destroy the world economy.

Not the least bit surprising!

If we had put 1/4 the money that was put into the bailout into infrastructure we would be much better off as a country. We could rebuild the crumbling bridges, modernize the electrical grid, revamp security at ports and tunnels, replace the outdated air traffic control system and put more police and firefighters to work. All these efforts would have created real jobs that cannot be outsourced instead of more paper shuffler jobs that promote the shufflers to take a cut every time they shuffle some body else's money around. All these efforts would would lead to higher tax revenues through increased employment and a sense of pride and a more secure country. I think every American would agree that these measures would result in a greater benefit for our country. Whenever I hear the politicians say we are going to make money off the bailout I know they are lying. If it was a way to make money the government would be bailing out every industry to raise revenue. What it says to me when I hear them say this is that the American public is being sold a bill of goods.

What would you expect he's a Republican after all.

IF YOU BRING IN WALL STREET EXECUTIVES TO SERVE THE MAIN STREET CITIZENS, THIS IS THE PRICE WE HAVE TO PAY.

I've got to hand it to Paulson as he even bored Charlie Rose last night while lauding himself. The government flks are simply enamored with being legends in their own minds. Having to bail out American business after 232 years of success is nothing I would be proud about. Perhaps I have a different definition of sucess than the Bush Babies!!!

He is the FOX in the HENHOUSE...Hiring a 35 yr old from his old firm and doing noting to help the mortgage holder...Resisting the stock injection option till forced to by Americans calling the Congress to say noe to Corp/Wall street bailout...

All that expedient need to fix ASAP ...then nothing that helps the people who are paying for it!!!

barack will fix it, and make it work for the interests of everyone.

Fortunately, we have leaders that are not concerned about poll numbers. Democracy ends after the election, then it's all about executive privilege. Bush and Paulson are doing a stand up job of paying back the people that helped finance their rise to power. Why should they be concerned about the opinions of those they rule?

So the nation should be equally upset with the Democrat majority Congress for enacting this bailout. If it had not been for the Republicans the first 20% of profit made from the sale of foreclosed homes would have gone to ACORN instead of the taxpayers. What is it going to take for America to wake up and realize Democrats are not on their side?

Hmmm....wonder WHERE they took this survey? Because I darn sure don't agree with the government bailing out homeowners.

Again, I ask–HOW IS MORTGAGE RESTRUCTURING FOR THOSE WHO OVERSPENT FAIR TO ALL THE REST OF THE HOMEOWNERS WHO DIDN'T OVERSPEND???

Everyone loves the blame game. Yeah, it the LENDER'S fault. Sure. Who held a gun to any buyer's head when he/she signed at closing?

Sorry. I don't buy it for one second. And McCain has probably lost a LOT of his base by coming up with such a *socialist* plan as that.

OBAMA HAS BEEN THE MOST DANGEROUS CANDIDATE TO BE PRESIDENT OF U.S.A. JOE THE PLUMBER NEEDS TO MAKE KNOWN, STAND UP AND FIGHT ABOUT REV,WRIGHT TIES WITH THE MESSIANIC OBAMA. MAKE KNOWN OBAMA RELATIONSHIP IN 2002 WITH BILL AYERS, THE TERRORIST. QUESTION ABOUT BOB DOLE LOANS AND FREDDIE+FANNIIE MAE CORRUPTION MELTDOWN. AL QAEDA BRANCH CASH DONATION TO THE NEXT NOVEMBER ELECTIONS AND LINKED TO DRUGS DEALERS IN USA/ LET STOP NOW ANY CROOCKED,CORRUPTED BAD POLITICIAN.////////////////

'

Americans are not going to be happy with this "bailout" until we see some CEO's and exec's taking a perp walk.

Why do they get to keep their jobs at the taxpayers expense? Is that supposed to make us happy?

We should be seeing lots of people at these "bailout" businesses walking out the door with their stuff in a carboard box. But we are not. Hardworking taxpayers are being layed off by the thousands while these guys party it up at spas.

We want to see someone go to jail.

Instead they are rewarded.

`

As far as I am concerned, Paulson sold out this country with this bailout.

Are the people gonna hear more about the GOP stealing the election like we heard about ACORN? This is serious and the people need to make the MSM like (CNN and MSNBC) be more responsible and inform the public about these types of issues instead of nonsense.

There is a repeat of the 2000 and 2004 voter suppression and purging of registrations going on in this election. If the MSM don't report and put and end to the madness Obama is going to lose.

Have your say people and make the MSM report about it. Kieth and Rachel has already started the crusade.

Well, let's see, since Paulson wanted absolutely "NO OVERSIGHT" with $700 BILLION of our money and no authority by any court to have jurisdiction over anything he did with that money, I think he is irresponsible. After all, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. Now he is asking for another stimulus to go out - hmmm - imagine that, asking the taxpayers to pay for checks to be sent to everyone (isn't that why McCain/Palin are calling Sen. Obama a "SOCIALIST")? - which is not what Sen. Obama is proposing anyway. But business as usual for the republicans - all smoke and mirrors.

What a CROCK OF FEAR he sold to America, this is like Palins Bridge To No Where and Wall Street CEO's ar laughing their heads off fooled them all again, Golden Parachutes all around!!

wasn't it the house democrats that pushed that bailout through that he's working with now?

i wonder what their approval ratings are at now...

can we just get a whole new congress and secretary of the treasury please?

With Bush's paws in it it has to be a failure.

Is there anything that government get high marks at!!??

And yet, some still mindlessly want to continue hugh expansion of it by "spreading the wealth"...(eyes rolling).

Heckuva Job, Hankie! Bail out your pals at Goldman Sachs much? Guess that's why whey gave you the big bucks when you split, huh?

New motto for American capitalism: Privatize the Profit, Socialize the Losses! How doeth thou suck? Let me count the ways...

How could we possibly be happy with Paulson. His plan to take our money to bailout companies that essentially stole money is very difficult to swollow. The real situation that our country is dealing with is just beginning to come to light and it is scary.

Good news! Barney Frank has clarified that our national economic mess is only psychological!

This woman from Henderson, NV is NOT voting for McCain/Palin – I dont understand those women on stage today with Palin – representatives from NOW – dont they realize that Sarah Palin would set women's rights back at least 50 years- she is uneducated, unqualified and NOT a representative of ALL women across this great country – you cant be serious about supporting her just because she is a woman – Obama knew what he was doing when he didnt pick Hillary, he knows that she will be a strong ally in the senate, she is a strong woman of conviction and fairness and honesty, Hillary WILL be president in 2016 with the endorsement of outgoing President Obama!!

Wow, what a surprise! Hey who has been in charge of our government for my entire lifetime? (52 Years) Oh I know it was both the Republicans and the Democrats together that is who ! Both have forgotton that they took an oath to uphold the U.S Constitution, Both parties are responsible for this mess, and "We the People" need to hold them accountable by adding them to the unemployment rolls.
But what will the voters do? Will they vote for the same guys again? Obama? Mc Cain? If you what change, then you will have to change your vote, NO Democrats, NO Republicans, and most of all NO INCUMBANTS WHO VOTED FOR WALL STREET OVER THE AMERICAN CITIZEN!

i would agree on the low marks! still have'nt seen any help for foreclosures and keeping americans in their homes!!!

AC 360 last night had a good spot – the RNC (taxpayer funded) spent $150,000 on clothes, accessories, makeup for the Palin family. Our kids are cold and hungry and get nothing.

I'm confused – is that socialism for a Governor's benefit. For the wealthy?

Low marks for Paulson. Low marks for 'just call me if you need me' Barak. High marks for the focus of John McCain to put the crisis first above politicing. Our economy was doing fine until Democrats took over congress. If you have a mind you can look this up for yourselves.

I cannot blame one more than the other. We will do that after further study of the whole thing. Now all I can say is that they all screwed up collectively.

CNN, are you going to report the offensive amounts of money that the RNC spent on hockey-mom's cloths? Joe Six-Pack my fanny!

He looks like an idiot, walks like one, acts like one as well as talks like one... he must be in idiot.

I feel bad for the poor guy though. I don't think he has a clue about what to do but has to do something. Same thing goes for my beloved President and Bernake.

I'd say that Congressman Hayes hit the nail on the head. No need for an apology.

This "bailout" is the REAL Socialism.

Democrats 08.

Not hard to do better than Bush, the devil would get higher ratings...

Honestly, what do most Americans know about what Henry Paulson's job really is such that they could intelligently critique him?

This is like Sarah Palin trying to sound informed and authoritative on topics she knows nothing about.

For her to say she is going to Run the Senate as Vice President is laughable.

For her to say she is going to be responsible for our Energy Policy ... Energy Independence .... is scary. All that comes out of her mouth is drill, baby, drill. She doesn't know the first thing about alternatives.

Finally, for her to say she sold the plane on Ebay when she didn't, that she is a reformer of government corruption and THEN turn around and BILL the government for HER children travelilng with her when they are not GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES shows how UNETHICAL Sarah Palin is.

I really don't know where Americans keep their heads these days don't they realize that President Bush kept America safe thats more important than the economy....without a safe America you can kiss the economy goodby.......I'm a independent and proud that I voted for Bush and would do it again in a heartbeat .... with peace of mind knowing my children and grandachildren are safe thats what matters to me the most

I used to be a republican voter but not this time. It is so obvious that in order to win the election they have resorted in lies and un-truths about Obama. Their only hope of winning is to try and fool the public. The swift boat thugs don';t stand a chance this time.

I think Bush has been the worst President in my living memory and McCain is following his lead to his own destruction.

If the empty suit that the Liberal Dems have been waiting for steals the election we are going to be in a world of hurt!

No Checks and Balances in place at all!

A Liberal Press that will report whatever Spin the Chicago Thugs in the Administration want to Spin.

A Weak economy and a Weak President will leave us very open to attack from our enemies!

I'm not going to be a part of this Madness!

I voted for McCain/Palin-08

Most Americans don't stop to think about the fact that the economy runs on the trust we place in the promises we exchange. paulson saw that trust dissolving, and rightly recognized the danger of a market collapse. It was vital that some action be taken, and he waited almost too long.

It would have been much better if the government had acted much earlier, and closer to the source of the problem. They ought to have bailed out home owners instead of lenders, but the president is philosophically opposed to helping people, so they stalled until the danger of collapse was imminent, and the cost of the bailout was far greater than it needed to be.

Most Americans don't stop to think about the fact that the economy runs on the trust we place in the promises we exchange. paulson saw that trust dissolving, and rightly recognized the danger of a market collapse. It was vital that some action be taken, and he waited almost too long.

It would have been much earlier if the government had acted much earlier, and closer to the source of the problem. They ought to have bailed out home owners instead of lenders, but the president is philosophically opposed to helping people, so they stalled until the danger of collapse was imminent, and the cost of the bailout was far greater than it needed to be.

When the 3 AM call comes in with a foreign, domestic, or financial crisis, I don't want a republican to answer. You see why. They've been either asleep or serving other interests than mine for more than 7 years. Now how many crises we have?

I wonder how much Paulson makes a year?

(note 1: we are not the only "Americans" - Americans includes residents of the U.S., Canada, Central and South America. It's been an oversight for two centuries on the part of everyone from the current President on up - note 2: that's UP, not down - one cannot get any lower than the Bushwhacker).

But I digress. Is it any wonder that U.S. citizens are frustrated, fed-up and furious about the state of affairs the States find themselves in? CEOs making millions of dollars salary while flushing "Joe the Plumber's" savings down the toilet? Loopholes in the "new $700 billion deal" that allow such salary practices to continue? If the Federal government does indeed have a controlling interest in these slimeball companies they're handing over our tax dollars to, what would have been so hard about decreeing a salary cap of $500,000 –and that only if they perform their jobs to the benefit of the company, its employees, and its customers? Isn't that what the rest of us have to do?

We should never had a bailout! If you spend 10 billion dollars a month in Iraq...We should have regulated banking system... We need to build up our jobs so that we could jump start our economy. That is what we need to do, hopefully the next president will not allow this happen again.

Please vote for some one who can Change!

Obama/Biden08/12

I give him a B-. That's a pretty decent grade.

Paulson is just another part of the Bush disaster

NO more bailouts to that Bush-appointee, price fixing lackey.