# Here's my "Talking Point" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 9, 2005, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812 "2005-09-09T13:57:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/1 "2005-09-09T13:57:38Z")
Here’s a “talking point” for you. The next time a reporter presses the administration on how they royally screwed up the situation and McClellan (or whoever) replies that they aren’t going to play the “blame game” or “start pointing fingers”, the reporter needs to reply: “Good. Because I don’t want you to play the blame game and tell me how everything is really the fault of the State of Louisiana. I don’t want to see you pointing the finger at the City of New Orleans as the culprit here. I want you to accept responsibility for the problems we’ve seen and tell us how you’re going to correct them and make sure a situation like this doesn’t arise again.” ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/2 "2005-09-09T14:38:11Z")
Or just distill it down: “Does the White House ever play the blame game, Scott?” ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/3 "2005-09-09T15:15:49Z")
Well, the way I see it is the administration is mis-using the term “blame game” and I want someone to call them on it. The “blame game” is that wonderful political game where everyone is pointing the finger at everyone else – the ultimate result of “C.Y.A.” when everyone’s ass is covered and no one is to blame. If the administration is going to be so proud about not playing the “blame game” then they need to do the opposite and accept responsibility for things that went wrong within their sphere of influence. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/4 "2005-09-09T15:44:07Z")
Obviously you didn’t see the footage of the White House press briefing yesterday. David Gregory asked if the President had confidence in FEMA, and WH press secretary Matt McCarty accused Gregory of playing the blame game. Which led to about a five minute exchange of the following: I’m not playing the blame game, I’m asking a simple yes or no question. Which I’ve already answered. You’ve answered nothing. I’ve answered that I am not here to play the blame game. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/5 "2005-09-09T18:30:36Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Or just distill it down: > > “Does the White House ever play the blame game, Scott?” WTF? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/6 "2005-09-09T19:42:17Z")
Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary. He’s the guy who goes out every day to a pool of White House reporters for a press conference. It’s sometimes shown live on the news networks, especially when a big event has happened. Sometimes footage will be shown on commentary/analysis programs like Meet the Press or Special Report as a lead into a discussion. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/7 "2005-09-09T19:42:43Z")
The White House would love to play the blame game all day, if they could figure out how not to be “it”. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/8 "2005-09-09T19:46:35Z")
:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Shutterbug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3e96dc/32.png) [@Shutterbug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shutterbug)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/9 "2005-09-09T23:20:01Z")
I agree with **rjung** : > [@](#): > > The White House would love to play the blame game all day, if they could figure out how not to be “it”. The reporter could also respond, “So, you’re admitting that someone screwed up? I’m glad you had the nerve to admit the administration screwed up. It’s too bad you don’t want to spill the beans. Would you like to play hot or cold instead?”. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/10 "2005-09-10T00:41:08Z")
Moving talking point from IMHO to MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/11 "2005-09-10T13:01:32Z")
My response? “It’s not a _game_, Scott”. ---
**Author:** ![light\_strand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a6a055/32.png) [@light\_strand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/light_strand)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/12 "2005-09-10T15:37:51Z")
I think it would be fun if the WH press corps played “The Talking Points Drinking Game”. Every time “blame game”, or some other inane talking points phrase was uttered by McClellan, someone should yell “DRINK!” and the entire press corps should do a shot. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/13 "2005-09-10T16:39:58Z")
> [@light strand](#): > > I think it would be fun if the WH press corps played “The Talking Points Drinking Game”. Every time “blame game”, or some other inane talking points phrase was uttered by McClellan, someone should yell “DRINK!” and the entire press corps should do a shot. How do you know they don’t all convene at the bar or at someone’s office, pull out the bottles, and watch the raw footage while doing just that? Robin ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/14 "2005-09-11T02:46:52Z")
Or this response: “So the White House doesn’t direct any blame towards Governor Blanco or Mayor Nagin?” ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/15 "2005-09-11T03:29:57Z")
What was it Jon Stewart was saying? Those that don’t like to play the blame game, are _usually the ones to blame_? …something like that. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-my-talking-point/320812/16 "2005-09-11T06:52:45Z")
My talking point- Blame 'em all, from the bottom to the top- esp since I heard about _this_ earlier today. [http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/08/katrina.redcross/](http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/08/katrina.redcross/) [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE\_ID=46224](http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46224) [http://www.redcross.org/faq/0,1096,0\_682\_4524,00.html](http://www.redcross.org/faq/0,1096,0_682_4524,00.html) Fie on the Louisiana State Gov’t! Fie on them, I say! (That wasn’t the first F-word I considered, but this is not the Pit.)