Republicans in congress initially voted down TARP, breaking ranks with Bush.
Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi even called Senate Republicans "irresponsible" for voting down the 2008 bailout.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecry...sponsible.html
It was the democrats that were all for it. Obama was elected in a landslide and the democrats had a supermajority in congress from 2009-2010. They had a blank check to do anything they wanted. They chose to stick with TARP and the massive debt spending. If they wanted to end the bailouts, they had all the power to do it.
I'm not sure how we go from Pelosi called the republicans "irresponsible" for voting no to the bailout, to blaming the republicans for bailing out the banks.
---------- Post added 2012-02-13 at 09:50 PM ----------
As far as the auto industry, it was the democrats pushing for a massive bailout, with republicans holding the line on such spending.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/w...out-automakers
Democrats, White House clash on bailing out automakers
WORLD NOV. 18, 2008 - 06:21AM JST ( 44 )WASHINGTON —
Democrats in Congress Monday launched a new multi-billion dollar drive to save the US auto industry, but the White House warned against their plans to take funds from a huge finance industry bailout.
Less than two weeks after Barack Obama’s presidential election victory, Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill clashed in a new showdown over the reeling US economy, at the start of a “lame duck” session of Congress.
Democrats unveiled a $25 billion plan to shore up the reeling car industry using funds drawn from the finance bailout, in the final congressional session of President George W Bush’s turbulent presidency.
Senate Majority leader Harry Reid hit out at Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson for refusing to adapt the huge bailout to aid the auto industry, on which millions of jobs depend.
“All it would take is one stroke of a pen and that problem would be solved,” Reid said, as he opened the Senate lame duck session.
“We are seeing a potential meltdown in the auto industry, with consequences that could directly impact millions of American workers and cause further devastation to our economy.”