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The Politics Of Blame
The Bulletin ^ | Thursday, April 09, 2009 | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 04/09/2009 5:20:15 AM PDT by curth

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 subprime 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 Mr. 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.

(Excerpt) Read more at thebulletin.us ...


TOPICS: Politics
KEYWORDS: fraud; hypocrite; liar; obama; vdh; victordavishanson
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1 posted on 04/09/2009 5:20:16 AM PDT by curth
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To: curth
all GWB’s fault. Unfortunately what counts is that message is selling. Obama is the new guy that inherited 8 years of GWB’s mistakes. That is the democrat narrative Bush left us with, even if he does not completely deserve it.
2 posted on 04/09/2009 5:29:51 AM PDT by sickoflibs (RNC Party Theme : "We may be socialists, but they are Marxists!")
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To: curth

Barack Obama’s first eight weeks in office have been severly destructive to this country and the economy,
and he’s just getting warmend up.


3 posted on 04/09/2009 5:41:18 AM PDT by IrishMike (Liberalism is an psychological disorder and a dangerous mental illness.)
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To: IrishMike

The GOP, other than Sarah Palin, has no fight in it. McCain never named the names of the Democrats that raped Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. They ran a campaign ad showing some pictures of people that the general public had no idea who they were. It continues to this day. Every time the Fraud blames this on Bush, a prominent Republican should be disputing it.


4 posted on 04/09/2009 6:00:39 AM PDT by curth (Get Out Of The Way, I'll Do It - Sarah Palin)
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To: curth; neverdem; Lando Lincoln; SJackson; dennisw; kellynla; monkeyshine; Alouette; nopardons; ...


    Victor Davis Hanson Ping ! 

       Let me know if you want in or out.

Links:    FR Index of his articles:  http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=victordavishanson
                His website: http://victorhanson.com/
                NRO archive: http://www.nationalreview.com/hanson/hanson-archive.asp
                Pajamasmedia:
   http://victordavishanson.pajamasmedia.com/

5 posted on 04/10/2009 8:55:15 AM PDT by Tolik
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To: sickoflibs
all GWB’s fault. Unfortunately what counts is that message is selling. Obama is the new guy that inherited 8 years of GWB’s mistakes. That is the democrat narrative Bush left us with, even if he does not completely deserve it.

Please. With you everything is his fault, and you don't mind saying it over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

It's really all you do.

Amazing << Hear this. Feel this, and tell me that this isn't music.

Oh, dear...


6 posted on 04/10/2009 9:59:38 AM PDT by rdb3 (The mouth is the exhaust pipe of the heart.)
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To: rdb3
RE :” With you everything is his fault, and you don't mind saying it over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

LOL "Over and over.." Some truth to that but in this case I was pointing out that the public is giving Obama a free pass because they believe this narrative wrt economy that democrats have been selling for years, and that GWB and republicans somewhat played out(ie played along) . You only have to see recent opinion polls that say “Public believes economy will get worse” and “Public blame GWB as #1 at fault for economy” . It is a political reality and all the wishing of yours and others wont make it go away. I wouldnt be as mad if it wasnt selling, hurting capitalism.

7 posted on 04/10/2009 10:08:37 AM PDT by sickoflibs (RNC Party Theme : "We may be socialists, but they are Marxists!")
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To: sickoflibs
It is a political reality and all the wishing of yours and others wont make it go away.

Wishing? What gave you that idea?

Amazing << Hear this. Feel this, and tell me that this isn't music.

Oh, dear...


8 posted on 04/10/2009 11:07:30 AM PDT by rdb3 (The mouth is the exhaust pipe of the heart.)
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To: rdb3; calcowgirl; djsherin; rabscuttle385; Impy; ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas
We WILL have to live with the ‘GWB screwed everything up’ theme everyday for a long time. I dont think GWB actually ‘screwed everything up’. But he screwed up enough things, refused to defend others, took credit for things that later went bad, and represented ‘capitalism’ as the ‘conservative’ president. This disasterous representation of capitalism is a huge problem and will not magically go away by claiming GWB was a big success, as some here do .

You are of the (republicans)'lesser of two evils' camp. But defending the 'lesser of two evils' as 'good' destroys good.

See: Peter Schiff ("Obama will be more of the same, but worse")

9 posted on 04/10/2009 11:38:55 AM PDT by sickoflibs (RNC Party Theme : "We may be socialists, but they are Marxists!")
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To: sickoflibs
You are of the (republicans)'lesser of two evils' camp.

Mmmmmkay... If you say so. Ping some more people, please.

Amazing << Hear this. Feel this, and tell me that this isn't music.

Oh, dear...


10 posted on 04/10/2009 11:55:44 AM PDT by rdb3 (The mouth is the exhaust pipe of the heart.)
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To: curth

Given the demand for guns and ammo these days, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a run on pitchforks, too.


11 posted on 04/10/2009 1:27:28 PM PDT by AZLiberty (I hope Obama changes.)
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To: Tolik; JustAmy

Can you add JustAmy to your VDH ping list? Thanks.


12 posted on 04/10/2009 4:50:47 PM PDT by TenthAmendmentChampion (Be prepared for tough times. FReepmail me to learn about our survival thread!)
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To: rdb3; calcowgirl; djsherin; rabscuttle385; Impy; ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas
RE :”Is there anyone on this site who is surprised by this? To all of you who sat on your hands to ‘punish’ Republican candidates who were less-than-perfect, and thus delivered us all into the hell of a Dim-controlled WH and Congress, here is yet more evidence of the damage you have wreaked on our country. “:77 posted on Thursday, April 09, 2009 1:51:10 PM by rdb3 (The mouth is the exhaust pipe of the heart.)

It was your lesser of two evils rant from the yesterday that explains why I got on your nerves with my Bush related complaint.

13 posted on 04/10/2009 5:02:04 PM PDT by sickoflibs (RNC Party Theme : "We may be socialists, but they are Marxists!")
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To: sickoflibs; rdb3

Would you like to drive off the cliff at 5 mph (R) or 10 (D)? You won’t vote for 5!? Then it’s your fault that we’re going off the cliff!


14 posted on 04/10/2009 5:22:43 PM PDT by djsherin (Government is essentially the negation of liberty.)
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To: sickoflibs; TrueKnightGalahad
It was your lesser of two evils rant from the yesterday that explains why I got on your nerves with my Bush related complaint.

I'm so glad you posted that link, and pinged your gang!

If you go and read that post, you will see that it wasn't my "rant". I was responding to what TrueKnightGalahad wrote.

On top of that, you didn't even quote the entire text!

I know you can do better than that.

Amazing << Hear this. Feel this, and tell me that this isn't music.

Oh, dear...


15 posted on 04/10/2009 5:39:32 PM PDT by rdb3 (The mouth is the exhaust pipe of the heart.)
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To: djsherin; rdb3
It is that type of thinking that got Obama elected and you are at fault for EVERYTHING he does. This is war and if you dont join our side(led by commander McCain) you are our enemy.Pick a side traitor!

AHHH, The good old 'you are either with us or against us' argument. It sounded great in 2002, not so great now.

16 posted on 04/10/2009 5:45:56 PM PDT by sickoflibs (RNC Party Theme : "We may be socialists, but they are Marxists!")
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To: sickoflibs
Either way, those were not my words.

Amazing << Hear this. Feel this, and tell me that this isn't music.

Oh, dear...


17 posted on 04/10/2009 5:48:02 PM PDT by rdb3 (The mouth is the exhaust pipe of the heart.)
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To: rdb3

I know how you feel. I felt misunderstood too here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2225509/posts?page=6#6


18 posted on 04/10/2009 6:38:14 PM PDT by sickoflibs (RNC Party Theme : "We may be socialists, but they are Marxists!")
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To: rdb3; sickoflibs; darkangel82; Gondring

“”Is there anyone on this site who is surprised by this? To all of you who sat on your hands to ‘punish’ Republican candidates who were less-than-perfect, and thus delivered us all into the hell of a Dim-controlled WH and Congress,”

I was not among these, I even voted for Judy Topinka for Governor against Blagojevich.

But when you look at what the Bush-Hastert gang did while in power it’s understandable. “We suck somewhat less!” is not great election day rallying cry.


19 posted on 04/11/2009 4:49:35 PM PDT by Impy (RED=COMMUNIST, NOT REPUBLICAN)
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To: Impy

Topinka, ick. Just to the right of the Maine twins.


20 posted on 04/11/2009 5:54:50 PM PDT by darkangel82 (I don't have a superiority complex, I'm just better than you.)
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