A half hour ago a BBC commentator, after talking to several congressmen, said that there was a majority who wanted the bill to pass only they wanted it passed with somebody else's vote.
Seems the Republicans are afraid to pass it knowing full well that they ( G W Bush etc.) are largely responsible for the situation and now there is hell to pay just before an election. Hence the frequent phrase they use "By-partisan vote" to deflect the attention.

Another comment I heard more than once, Republicans want to institute some kind of controlls to reduce the possibility of a repeat.

The sentiment against shorting of shares was probably a tip of the iceberg.
Would they have done so if it were not for the impending election? Fat Chance.
Democracy surfaces only before elections, trampled down afterwards, jmho.