Vote to Repeal Glass-Steagall Puts Some Dems in Awkward Spot

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin took the stage Thursday at the Democratic National Convention, she bragged about her 1999 vote against the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act.

"More than a decade ago, the big Wall Street banks came to Congress and asked us to repeal an important law called Glass-Steagall, allowing them to gamble like hedge funds, said Baldwin, who is now running for the U.S. Senate. "Too many in Washington said 'Yes.'"

What Baldwin didn't mention was that many of those who said 'Yes' were her fellow Democrats, 11 of whom also spoke at the party's convention in Charlotte.

That list is a Who's Who of top Democrats in D.C.: Vice President Joe Biden; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi; House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer; onetime presidential candidate John Kerry; Sens. Charles Schumer and Richard Durbin; and Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Nydia Velazquez, Mel Watt, and Diana DeGette.

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