That's the one thing I hated about "It's A Wonderful Life" - Potter never got his comeuppance - the mean old b*****d should have gone bankrupt. He stole that money!
But that was nothing compared to what awaited Ol' Man Potter on the other side (no Clarence around to save him) after he croaked in a pool of his own bile. Sometimes letting the imagination of the audience fill in the blanks for themselves works just fine.
If they did a modern version of the film they would probably end it with a long shot of Potter being wheeled into a jail cell or at the Gates of Hell, but writers and directors in the 40's had a more literate, less spoon fed, and far more religiously faithful (e.g. ending with the little bell ringing and - wink! - Clarence got his wings) audience to play to.
But getting back to the article, it warms my heart to see Democrats out maneuvered and feeling like they've had a boot put up their a**. And that, I take it, is what you wanted to see happen to Potter.