While voters have concerns about the bailout bill that failed yesterday in Congress, nearly 9 in 10 expressed concern that failure to pass a package could lead to a more serious economic crisis, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted Sept. 29. The margin of error is 5 points.

Voters split 47 percent against the bill and 45 percent for it and the numbers also divided fairly evenly on those who felt the legislation did too much to help financial institutions and those who said it did too little. Nearly half said the plan did not do enough to help the broader economy and 61 percent said it didn't do enough to help the general public.

Forty-four percent of voters said Republicans bore responsibility for the bill's failure, 21 percent blamed the Democrats and 17 percent said both sides were responsible.

The poll asked an open-ended question about whom voters blamed the most for the current situation and a quarter pointed the finger at Bush, 8 percent named Congress and the federal government in general, and both Republicans and Democrats were each cited by 5 percent.

Despite all the gloom, four in 10 said they were optimistic about the state of the economy over the next year and six in 10 are optimistic about their family's financial situation.

Barack Obama is leading John McCain 47 percent to 41 percent with 4 percent choosing neither and 6 percent undecided, in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted July 18-21. The margin of error is 3.1 percent. Obama's lead is the same as it was in this poll last month.

Obama held his lead even though voters, by a 55 percent to 35 percent margin, said he was the riskier choice for President.