President Obama promised to bring change to Washington. He pledged to end the atmosphere of partisanship and rancor that has choked the relationship between the White House and Congress. And he has, but I don’t think this is what he had in mind.
The blame game continues as it always has. But with no Republican opposition to speak of, the Democrats are forced to play the game with each other as their only targets. Congress approved the AIG bailout with the ridiculous bonuses in tact, but it isn’t their fault. The bill was too big, so they didn’t read it. The White House OKed the whole deal, but it wasn’t the president’s fault. Christopher Dodd snuck in a clause to protect the bonuses.
Chris Dodd approved of the bonuses, but it wasn’t his fault. He was only following orders. Ah, the last defense of the sociopath. I can’t help but think of Nazi soldiers whenever I hear that excuse. (And no, I am not calling Christopher Dodd a Nazi: I’m just saying he offered the same lame excuse as a Nazi . There is a difference: one is an unfair character attack; the other is simple and verifiable fact.)
The blame game continues, but there are a few new wrinkles. Attacking your own party is no longer the last resort, but it isn’t the only option, either. First, try to blame the last administration. They were in power for eight years and became hugely unpopular. They can be blamed for anything that is not directly tied to actions taken since January.
If blaming President Bush is not feasible, try blaming big business – nobody likes them anyway. Be sure to add the word ‘big’ before the name of any industry to ensure maximum distrust from the voters.
You can try to blame the Republicans, but they are powerless, curled up in a fetal position in the corner. Nobody’s going to believe they did anything good or bad right now.
Next on the list is blaming someone in your own party. It isn’t pretty, but it beats taking personal accountability for your actions.
