The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Ah, The Blame Game

Posted on | February 9, 2010 | 4 Comments

by Smitty

Pundit & Pundette points to to The Hill:

The emerging consensus among critics in both chambers is that Emanuel’s lack of Senate experience slowed President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority.

Rahm is a less than sympathetic character in the whole ordeal. To paraphrase Winston Churchill,

“You can always count on Americans to arrive at the correct analysis – after they’ve tried everything else.”

Note that by Americans, I mean the citizens at large. I explicitly hold forth 0 hope whatsoever for the goofballs in office or the pack of Fester Addams characters staffing all of those cushy, quasi-tenured civil service positions. Over decades they have created, and now enjoy, a jolly good crisis. None of their prescriptions start with the admission that the system, itself, is the problem.
So the people were asleep at the voting machine switch for a long time. And now the Information Age alarm clock has triggered another Great Awakening:

They were right. The Tea Party movement is bottom up, not top down. Lots of Tea Party people think well of Sarah Palin, but I doubt that many, even among the attendees at this weekend’s convention, would do much of anything just on her say-so. People I’ve talked to, both there and at other events, aren’t looking for a charismatic leader.

I submit that the requirement for the single name getting the blame/credit will diminish over time. Adults don’t require micro-management. They require transparency, simplicity, and reproducibility for policies. The Federal payroll, one would think at first blush, should taper off over time. The fact that it’s increasing is bizarre and counter-intuitive if you take ‘civil servant’ at face value.
Those who are stuck in a legacy mode of personality-driven leadership are going to continue to make big deals over Potty Mouth Rahm or Inky Palm Sarah.
A different, dare we say, unprecedented approach would be to exercise Article V of the Constitution. Let us disabuse ourselves of the notion of the Beltway reforming itself. Congress is a financial molester, and if you hope for anything save recidivism, you’ll become an expert hoper. They. Won’t. Fix. Jack. Willingly, at least. I say that to dampen in advance the expectation that an unprecedented November avalanche at the polls will deliver the necessary colonic irrigation to DC:
No, I think it’s worse than that, and that nothing less than a bottom-up tsunami of State legislatures sharpening Article V Amendment knives is going to halt the slide into Europification of this country. The passion of the people is great, but it needs to be transformed into cold analysis and structural rearrangement to amount to much. If we don’t mend our ways, merely changing out the names will leave all the blockage in place, awaiting the next blame game.

Update: linked at The Classic Liberal

Category: Health Care, Politics

Comments

4 Responses to “Ah, The Blame Game”

  1. keyboard jockey
    February 9th, 2010 @ 5:17 pm

    President Obama, to host a televised bipartisan health care meeting February 25th.

    Rep Thaddeus McCotter On Cavuto 9 February 2010. Sitting in for Neil Cavuto, Charles Payne, asks Rep McCotter.

    “Is the GOP up for this, are you going to take the bait.”

    Thaddeus McCotter responds “I certainly don’t think we should take the bait.

    GOP not goin there.

    http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2010/02/rep-thaddeus-mccotter-r-michigan-not.html

  2. keyboard jockey
    February 9th, 2010 @ 12:17 pm

    President Obama, to host a televised bipartisan health care meeting February 25th.

    Rep Thaddeus McCotter On Cavuto 9 February 2010. Sitting in for Neil Cavuto, Charles Payne, asks Rep McCotter.

    “Is the GOP up for this, are you going to take the bait.”

    Thaddeus McCotter responds “I certainly don’t think we should take the bait.

    GOP not goin there.

    http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2010/02/rep-thaddeus-mccotter-r-michigan-not.html

  3. It’s the Constitution, Stupid.
    February 9th, 2010 @ 12:56 pm

    […] Ah, The Blame Game I submit that the requirement for the single name getting the blame/credit will diminish over time. Adults don’t require micro-management. They require transparency, simplicity, and reproducibility for policies. The Federal payroll, one would think at first blush, should taper off over time. The fact that it’s increasing is bizarre and counter-intuitive if you take ‘civil servant’ at face value. […]

  4. uberVU - social comments
    March 4th, 2010 @ 6:25 pm

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