By Alan K. Ota and Edward Epstein, CQ Staff

Across the board — left, right and center — members of Congress say their constituents are unhappy, but they may have little choice but to approve a Wall Street bailout plan aimed at preventing an economic meltdown.

“My constituents are angry and frustrated over the economy and are angry that this has become the crisis it has and that taxpayers are being forced to foot the bill,” said Rep. Jim Costa , D-Calif. He conceded that Congress has to act on the $700 billion plan before it leaves, probably late this week. “The best thing we can do is put together a well-crafted package,” he said.

The Republican Study Committee, representing some of the most fiscally conservative members of the House, met Monday to vent and consider alternatives to the proposal offered by Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr.

“This is probably the hardest vote any of us will ever make,” said the group’s leader, Jeb Hensarling , R-Texas.

Groups of liberal Democrats met separately to discuss options for shaping the bill before attending a House majority caucus. Brad Sherman , D-Calif., who organized one of those meetings, said he wanted standards for executive compensation and not just permission for the Treasury secretary to set limits.

Republican Louie Gohmert said the same priority was being expressed by his East Texas constituents. “It’s repugnant you could walk away with millions after losing millions in assets,” he said.

Initial polling over the weekend, done after Paulson told congressional leaders last Thursday night about the need for the bailout, showed that only 19 percent of Americans favored more bailouts. Sixty-eight percent told the pollsters for American Solutions for Winning the Future, a conservative advocacy group, that corporate bankruptcies are preferable to spending more public money.

The leadership of both parties agree on the need for quick action, but it is clear they have some work to do with the rank and file. “At this point I’m going to vote against it, because I don’t like somebody telling me that I have no alternative and push me against the wall without adequate time to read this thing and study it,” said Donald Manzullo , R-Ill., a member of the Financial Services Committee.

“I’m leaning hard against it,” said William Lacy Clay , D-Mo. “All the calls to my office seem to be opposed. People don’t think we should be bailing out Wall Street. They think we should help families that are being foreclosed.”

Bob Filner , D-Calif., said his constituents are asking, “What about me? All these folks in my district who are losing their home, we’ve go to do something for them in this bill.”

Similar sentiments were reflected on both conservative and liberal talk radio. Commentators and callers said that after the federal bailouts of Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and AIG, the prospect of an even bigger bailout for the mortgage industry was unfair and dangerous, despite the economic consequences of not acting.

“This whole thing is crazy,” said Chris Plante of WMAL-AM, a conservative talk station in Washington. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

On the left, syndicated host Bill Press blasted companies that seek bailouts.