A World-Crisis: One More Opportunity to Play the Blame Game
Wow. There’s some heavy stuff going down in Washington. And once again, I am loathe to trust anything I hear because it’s all so steeped and occluded in “messaging,” “spin,” and deluxe finger-pointing. It’s really hard to be an informed citizen these days. You begin to feel as though there really is no TRUTH. Just somebody’s version of it. And as in all things politics, it’s being bent to serve a purpose.
From today’s decidedly left-leaning HuffPost:
Some people have been wondering whether Dick Cheney and George Bush, to preserve their legacy and their secrets, would spring an October surprise to secure the election of John McCain–the clearest and almost the only urgent goal of this administration as it winds down. We have wondered whether the trigger could be in Georgia, or Iran, or Pakistan. Yet the banking crisis, in the manner of its management, now looks like the October surprise one week early and with one week longer to turn it to advantage.”
Gawd. Really? I mean, could that be true? I think not. I think the people in Washington can’t help working every situation to their advantage, but I guarantee that this crisis was not “manufactured.” A ridiculous assumption. There are too many people in Washington, including Pelosi, Barney Frank, and a gazillion others who would be aware of it. It’s cynicism maximized into paranoid delusion. That said, would the Bush Administration and Cheney, et al, work this situation to their advantage? Yup. No doubt. One begins to wonder: if the result is the same as if it were manufactured, then there are far scarier things going on in Washington than I can stomach. I am naive enough to believe that the leaders of our country, ALL of them, care about the people and want to do what’s right. Greater good and all that.
Republicans, on the other hand, argue that the Clinton Administration forced the bad subprime loan practices by insisting that low/no credit borrowers be allowed to borrow anyway (Community Reinvestment Act). According to Investor’s Business Daily (emphasis added):
The untold story in this whole national crisis is that President Clinton put on steroids the Community Reinvestment Act, a well-intended Carter-era law designed to encourage minority homeownership. And in so doing, he helped create the market for the risky subprime loans that he and Democrats now decry as not only greedy but “predatory.” Yes, the market was fueled by greed and overleveraging in the secondary market for subprimes, vis-a-vis mortgaged-backed securities traded on Wall Street. But the seed was planted in the ’90s by Clinton and his social engineers. They were the political catalyst behind this slow-motion financial train wreck.
Uh, yeah. So, all that subprime credit was just irresistibly JUICY and the Democrats practically FORCED all those poor victimized hedge-fund managers and senior-level Wall Street investors to re-package it and sell it worldwide in a disguised form that then crumbled everyone’s assets. I understand. It’s quite clearly the Democrats’ fault. Those bad, bad social engineers and their JUICY, JUICY subprime mortgages! It was NOT POSSIBLE TO RESIST THAT TEMPTATION. Kind of like Eve bringing down the whole scene and the downfall of all humanity. Really. All her fault. Democrats. All their fault. Nothing to do with de-regulation at all. (Which, some Democrats supported, I might add.)
The important take-away for all this is to choose a side. Be sure to rant whenever possible about FAULT and point-
fingers. Be sure to maximize cynical thinking by looking intensely for political maneuvering rather than solutions. McCain’s decision to delay the debate seemed like a good idea. I was a little shocked by the Obama camp objecting to debate delays. I’m sure all he heard for days was, “Don’t do it! That’s what they want!” Then I read his statement that the American people need the debates more than ever. Oh yeah. Dang. It’s so hard to remember what I want!
Dood. All WE THE PEOPLE want is to know that our representatives are responsible, clear-thinking individuals who will do what’s right for the greater good. It’s just world markets we’re talking about. And remember, if you’re going to seek some completely unprecedented solution? Maybe you can make sure there’s some justice involved. Those bankers came from both parties. Jails don’t care who you voted for.
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