I'm not sure I agree with Ezra Klein that the defeat of the bailout bill was "a failure of politics" - at least not if "politics" is understood as the processes which produce government policy rather than any particular outcome. But Rachel Maddow is surely right to say that if we measure leadership by the ability of leaders to persuade a substantial percentage of those on their own side to agree to a plan of action, this was a failure of the GOP leadership. Especially if you take into account claims that an agreement had been reached.

To be sure, this bailout bill is quite unpopular in large parts of the country - indeed, I'm skeptical of it myself (though not of the idea of a bailout). What I haven't seen much of, and would like to see, are more members of Congress who support the bill, along with the Presidential candidates who apparently support the bill, and the President himself (ok, never mind that) out there in public explaining to those who do not support the bill - including, in some cases, their own constituents - just why this bill is so necessary. Perhaps someone could "chat" by the "side" of a "fire" using some kind of electronic communications technology. Perhaps they could not leave it to non-elected experts to discuss (and perhaps they could get some real airtime from the networks instead of short clips). Representation is more than just a mirror.

The bailout might still lose, but the process would look healthier. And then maybe down the line a different plan could be passed. Maybe even a better one. I'm probably hoping for too much.