The Blog @ Spolitics

Democrats Not So Keen On Responsibility

The Democrats have refused to take any responsibility for the current financial mess despite the fact that their finger prints are all over it. If the election results were any indication, they’ve managed to pull it off so far despite the fact they’ve been running Congress for the past two years. Now that they have complete control over the federal government, they’re having to find new, creative ways to continue passing the buck to President Bush.

The latest: even though they’ve been shouting from the rooftops that we need to bail out the automakers, they apparently don’t want to actually pass a bailout bill that’s seen as theirs and not Bush’s.

The plan? Make it the Bush administration’s responsibility to give Detroit cash — namely by claiming after the event that the $700 billion rescue package for financial institutions was in fact a rescue package for auto makers. This was attempted with several hilarious “colloquys” — pre-scripted dialogues between members that were quietly inserted into the Congressional Record after the vote, all aimed at rewriting the “intent” of the law. Say, this one, from Oct. 1:

Michigan Sen. Carl Levin: “As Treasury implements this new program, it is clear to me from reading the definition of financial institution that auto financing companies would be among the many financial institutions that would be eligible sellers to the government. Do you agree?”

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd: “Yes, for purposes of this act, I agree that financial institution may encompass auto financing companies.”

Evidently, the Democrats still mistake commenting on events after they pass for leadership.