That’s a pretty good analogy, Jim, except this: It was not pre-determined that John McCain should be blamed for the meltdown. This is why his high-profile support for the bailout was so devastating. In trying to associate himself with the solution, McCain ended up associating himself with the problem.
Yesterday, conservatives were cheering because McCain “took the gloves off,” connecting the dots between Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, congressional Democrats and Obama. Which would have been effective, if he had done that in the first place — instead of blaming “reckless conduct, corruption, and unbridled greed . . . on Wall Street.” and then trying to scapegoat SEC Chairman Chris Cox.
Why do voters blame Republicans for the crisis? Because McCain told them to! And then he took ownership of the “solution” that (a) voters saw as rewarding those who caused the problem, and (b) doesn’t seem to have fixed the crisis.
