October 13 2008 (LPAC)--Incumbents who voted for Henry Paulson's bailout plan are finding that they have to go before the voters and explain their votes. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who at one time was considered a shoo-in for reelection to a fifth term, is one of those who now finds himself in trouble. McConnell has come under assault from his Democratic opponent, Bruce Lunsford, for praising the plan and issuing a nearly 1,000-word letter explaining his role in shaping the legislation as a necessary move to "preserve the way we do business." Other GOP incumbents, including Gordon Smith (Ore.) and Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), have also come under similar attack.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told the Washington Post, however, that the attacks are not part of an orchestrated campaign by the national party but rather come from the opposition candidates themselves. You see, the sell-out Congressmen had apparently made a deal (in Washington) that they would not attack each other over the bailout. Obviously, they didn't, and couldn't, bring the voters in on it.

The situation in House campaigns would seem to confirm that, as in Georgia, for example, it is incumbent Democrats that are under attack for voting for the plan from GOP candidates seeking to unseat them. In Georgia's 8th District, Rep. Jim Marshall (D) is under attack from his Republican opponent, Rick Goddard, a retired Air Force major general, for voting for the plan. Ironically, Goddard's opposition to the plan is causing problems for House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), who gave emotional floor speeches in support of the plan, and was peppered with questions about it when he went to Georgia to campaign for Goddard.