The Politics of Blame

[cwo_ghwebb]

It should have been easy for Democrats to connect depleted 401(k) accounts and lost home equity with the buccaneers of Wall Street who supposedly prompted the panic.

The public, after all, has been whipped up in furor at the masters of the universe who bankrupted portfolios as they walked away with multimillion-dollar bonuses. We now hate those on Wall Street as much as we used to like them for bringing spectacular growth to our retirement accounts.

In a recent private meeting with some of the world's largest bankers, President Obama reportedly railed at them: "My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks!"

But not so fast, Mr. President.

The Obama administration, remember, signed the Democratic-sponsored bill to authorize new bailouts for Wall Street firms and mega-bonuses for their executives. And during the Clinton administration, Treasury Secretaries Robert Rubin and Larry Summers - who both later made millions on Wall Street - succeeded in freeing investment banks from federal regulations that eventually led to their reckless gambling with trillions in sub-prime mortgage debt.

The quasi-government-run Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage agencies - staffed with ex-Clinton administration cronies - were at Ground Zero of the financial meltdown. Liberals in Congress like Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Barney Frank were among the largest recipients of Wall Street money. In the 2008 presidential campaign, most of the big investor money went to Democratic candidate Obama.

Billionaire investors like Warren Buffet and George Soros proved to be among Obama's staunchest supporters. Health and Human Services Cabinet-nominee Tom Daschle had to bow out because he skipped paying income taxes on free corporate limousine service. Democrats are clearly no longer the party of dirt farmers in bib overalls and sweaty dockworkers.

/snip

Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress may be planning unheard of multitrillion-dollar budgets, but they are in fact only expanding on earlier Republican fiscal recklessness.

You know we live in strange times when it's hard to figure out whether to blame big money or big government.

In the past, Democratic populists could rail against the Wall Street excess that had helped to wreck Americans' retirement portfolios. These populist Democrats, though, are gone, replaced by liberal grandees who are more interested in the money of Wall Street than its ethics.

Today's Democratic-led government, meanwhile, has gone on a spending spree, taking on massive debt for all sorts of new "stimulus" - and Republican conservatives, given their recent profligate past, can hardly serve as credible watchdogs.

So, take your pick whom to blame: not-so liberal Democrats, now trashing the Wall Street that enriched them, or not-so conservative Republicans, suddenly railing against Washington's out-of-control budgets that they themselves had never balanced.

In a democracy that chooses its own leaders, maybe the real problem is ourselves - for wanting big government without big taxes, big stock returns without big risk and easy money without hard work.

RealClearPolitics - Articles - The Politics of Blame

Damn good article.

[Bann (Premo)]

Did anyone see Jeb Bush on Hannity last night? He basically told the O administration to stop it with the blame game.

[SamSpade]

Originally Posted by Bann

Did anyone see Jeb Bush on Hannity last night? He basically told the O administration to stop it with the blame game.

Haven't I said - ad nauseam - that THIS is what they do? They don't solve problems. They point blame. That way, when their solutions crash and burn, they're not responsible. We heard it under Clinton for easily the first two years. "Twleve previous years of Republican administration". Jeez, it's been 16 years and I still can hear it in my head.

And I've said it repeatedly - Obama intends to foist blame on Bush for all the bad that happens, and the Dems in Congress will blame previous years of Republican Congress for what has happened, at LEAST until the mid-term elections. If the public elects all Democrats from here till kingdom come, there'll be ONE Republican who will receive all of the blame.

For some reason that eludes me. "I take full responsibility" has nothing to do with "it's my fault". "Taking responsibility" is just short-hand for "yeah, yeah, just shut the hell up about it, ok?".

One more thing. When the recession finally ends - as they all do, eventually - they will claim credit for it, like the rooster taking credit for the sun rising.

[twinoaks207 (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Bann

Did anyone see Jeb Bush on Hannity last night? He basically told the O administration to stop it with the blame game.

You do realize that your siggy fits right in with this thread, right?



(sorry, hon, couldn't resist! )

[twinoaks207 (Premo)]

Originally Posted by SamSpade

Haven't I said - ad nauseam - that THIS is what they do? They don't solve problems. They point blame. That way, when their solutions crash and burn, they're not responsible. We heard it under Clinton for easily the first two years. "Twleve previous years of Republican administration". Jeez, it's been 16 years and I still can hear it in my head.

And I've said it repeatedly - Obama intends to foist blame on Bush for all the bad that happens, and the Dems in Congress will blame previous years of Republican Congress for what has happened, at LEAST until the mid-term elections. If the public elects all Democrats from here till kingdom come, there'll be ONE Republican who will receive all of the blame.

For some reason that eludes me. "I take full responsibility" has nothing to do with "it's my fault". "Taking responsibility" is just short-hand for "yeah, yeah, just shut the hell up about it, ok?".

One more thing. When the recession finally ends - as they all do, eventually - they will claim credit for it, like the rooster taking credit for the sun rising.

Good post!

The sad thing is, this never changes, it just switches sides depending on who's in charge at the time --- sigh.....

[SamSpade]

Originally Posted by twinoaks207

Good post!

The sad thing is, this never changes, it just switches sides depending on who's in charge at the time --- sigh.....

I don't find as much from Republicans. They aren't always doing the same thing.

For example, ever since Clinton took office, I've found that Democratic leadership is far more insulting and stick-in-the-eye than Republicans have been. Try to find "it's the economy, stupid" from the mouths of Presidents and Presidential candidates since then.

You WILL find that kind of stuff from conservative pundits, from time to time. But you won't find it in the mouths of its leaders.

You will find George Bush attributing the recession at the beginning of his first term to the Democrats, or at least, to having preceded him. Most economists would agree, it began the summer prior to his election. He "inherited" it. What you don't find, is eight years of blaming Democrats from him. Maybe from Rush, or Hannity. But not the ones in the White House.

At the end of the Clinton era, we had staff prying W's from computers, and leaving signs proclaiming Jail to the Thief. Obama did not get the same in kind - even Bush's detractors admitted it was a congenial, gracious departure.

You don't see him in Texas declaring to the world what he thinks of Obama. He's not Bill Clinton or Al Gore or Terry McAuliffe or Tom Daschle or John Kerry, continually berating the White House.

I don't recall Reagan bashing Carter in the same way.

If I'm wrong I'll hear it. I just don't recall hearing Bob Dole in the Senate hammering away at the Democrats.

[Bann (Premo)]

Originally Posted by SamSpade

Haven't I said - ad nauseam - that THIS is what they do? They don't solve problems. They point blame. That way, when their solutions crash and burn, they're not responsible. We heard it under Clinton for easily the first two years. "Twleve previous years of Republican administration". Jeez, it's been 16 years and I still can hear it in my head.

And I've said it repeatedly - Obama intends to foist blame on Bush for all the bad that happens, and the Dems in Congress will blame previous years of Republican Congress for what has happened, at LEAST until the mid-term elections. If the public elects all Democrats from here till kingdom come, there'll be ONE Republican who will receive all of the blame.

For some reason that eludes me. "I take full responsibility" has nothing to do with "it's my fault". "Taking responsibility" is just short-hand for "yeah, yeah, just shut the hell up about it, ok?".

One more thing. When the recession finally ends - as they all do, eventually - they will claim credit for it, like the rooster taking credit for the sun rising.

I've said right along with you. Ad nauseam.

[Bann (Premo)]

Originally Posted by twinoaks207

You do realize that your siggy fits right in with this thread, right?

Of course! Mine was meant to be more of a slam to the ignorant slogans & bumper stickers I saw against Bush for 8 years. But yeah, it fits right in!

AND it actually does fit with all the shenanigans going on right now!

[Bann (Premo)]

Originally Posted by twinoaks207

Good post!

The sad thing is, this never changes, it just switches sides depending on who's in charge at the time --- sigh.....

It really hasn't happened in the past few Republican administrations. Bush 43 didn't partake in the blame game & neither did Bush 41. And Reagan surely didn't.

Now, maybe some of that went on in Congress. But the guys at the WH behaved more like adults and didn't carry on like that.

[Bann (Premo)]

Originally Posted by SamSpade

I don't find as much from Republicans. They aren't always doing the same thing.

For example, ever since Clinton took office, I've found that Democratic leadership is far more insulting and stick-in-the-eye than Republicans have been. Try to find "it's the economy, stupid" from the mouths of Presidents and Presidential candidates since then.

You WILL find that kind of stuff from conservative pundits, from time to time. But you won't find it in the mouths of its leaders.

You will find George Bush attributing the recession at the beginning of his first term to the Democrats, or at least, to having preceded him. Most economists would agree, it began the summer prior to his election. He "inherited" it. What you don't find, is eight years of blaming Democrats from him. Maybe from Rush, or Hannity. But not the ones in the White House.

At the end of the Clinton era, we had staff prying W's from computers, and leaving signs proclaiming Jail to the Thief. Obama did not get the same in kind - even Bush's detractors admitted it was a congenial, gracious departure.

You don't see him in Texas declaring to the world what he thinks of Obama. He's not Bill Clinton or Al Gore or Terry McAuliffe or Tom Daschle or John Kerry, continually berating the White House.

I don't recall Reagan bashing Carter in the same way.

If I'm wrong I'll hear it. I just don't recall hearing Bob Dole in the Senate hammering away at the Democrats.

I think you're right on the money about the ones you mentioned here.