The Shutdown Blame Game

A number of people seem to be under the impression that this shutdown and all its bad effects are blameable solely on the Republicans. These people need to remove their collective heads from their collective butts.

As Jonah Goldberg (and others) notes, much of the blame for the actual pain from the shutdown can be placed squarely on the shoulders of Obama. Obama is a vindictive and petty man who is looking to inflict the maximum amount of suffering in this little tantrum of his:

Shutting down the government in an effort to use a budget fight to get rid of Obamacare is not the strategy I would have recommended for the GOP. And while Republicans can be blamed for starting the shutdown, it’s increasingly apparent that President Obama and the Democrats deserve the lion’s share of blame for not only prolonging it but also making it as painful as possible. 

Obama has always had a bit of a vindictive streak when it comes to politics. I think it stems from his Manichaean view of America. There are the reasonable people — who agree with him. And there are the bitter clingers who disagree for irrational or extremist ideological reasons. 

In the 17 previous government shutdowns since 1977, presidents have worked to avoid them or lessen their impact. Obama has made no such effort out of an ideological yearning to punish his enemies, regardless of the collateral damage.

With a little bit of luck, this will all come back to bite the Democrats in general and Obama in particular in the ass. It would, in any case, if people actually paid attention to facts and not media narratives.