# Is there a name for this? (Redefining an existing problem as something you're not responsible for) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 28, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-redefining-an-existing-problem-as-something-youre-not-responsible-for/732875 "2015-09-28T21:50:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-redefining-an-existing-problem-as-something-youre-not-responsible-for/732875/1 "2015-09-28T21:50:51Z")
I wish I could phrase this more simply. A lot of times, a public official will get elected on the platform of fixing a specific problem (“I will balance the budget!”) and then redefine the problem as something he’s not responsible for (“Guess what? The legislative branch handles the purse strings, so my hands are tied. Oh, well…”). If I knew the term for this practice, I could look up some better examples, but… Is there a name for this odd practice? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-redefining-an-existing-problem-as-something-youre-not-responsible-for/732875/2 "2015-09-28T21:51:26Z")
Not specific to your phenomenon, but my first response was buck-passing. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-redefining-an-existing-problem-as-something-youre-not-responsible-for/732875/3 "2015-09-28T22:09:49Z")
is your question about the political / electoral tactic specifically, or the general idea of distancing oneself from difficult-to-solve problems? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-redefining-an-existing-problem-as-something-youre-not-responsible-for/732875/4 "2015-09-28T22:23:24Z")
Best I can come up with is “Politics”. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-redefining-an-existing-problem-as-something-youre-not-responsible-for/732875/5 "2015-09-28T22:47:06Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > is your question about the political / electoral tactic specifically, or the general idea of distancing oneself from difficult-to-solve problems? Well, it’s distancing yourself from a problem that you were specifically tasked (hired, elected, pledged, had previously agreed) to solve. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-redefining-an-existing-problem-as-something-youre-not-responsible-for/732875/6 "2015-09-29T01:11:30Z")
It’s a compound phenomenon that, as you describe it, is made up of two other phenomena: The “bait and switch” rapidly followed by “pass the buck”. Or, in a single term, “the old one two”. Or, in a single compound word, “bullshit”. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-redefining-an-existing-problem-as-something-youre-not-responsible-for/732875/7 "2015-09-29T19:00:14Z")
It is pretty much just “politics” as far as I can tell. Unless you want to call it “public ignorance” since we’re stupid enough to vote for people based on campaign promises that aren’t even in their power to fix.