Spread the Blame

Once in a while a poll gets it right.

The latest NY Times/CBS News poll asks: “Who do you think is mostly to blame for the current state of the nation’s economy?”

A summary of the results? “Humm. Gee. Well, let’s see. I’m not sure.”

The 1,173 adults who were polled had no conclusive response. Bush was blamed. Obama was blamed. Congress was blamed. The banks and Wall Street were blamed. Not quite in equal measure, but it is clear that the anger and dissatisfaction everyone is talking about is directed at multiple sources.

Those in charge now are an easy lightning rod – as will be obvious on Tuesday when people vote. But it would be a gross misreading of why people are so upset to conclude that Obama and the Democrats are the only culprits. The Republicans and the right will claim otherwise – and that’s the good news. They’ll assume they are immune, which assumption will come back to bite them in the ass.

And so the cycle will repeat itself. Will the truth set us free? Could be, but we’ll never know because the politicians don’t have the courage to tell the truth.