It's not enough to blame George W. Bush or the Tea Party for what ails the country.
If you voted last year, you are partly to blame for the gridlock in Congress.
That's the assessment of House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD).
"The American people have every right to be angry [and] disappointed by the performance of the Congress," he told reporters in the Capitol. "Of course, the American people have also elected people with hard stances, so that to some degree the American people are realizing the results of their votes."
In Hoyer's view, you, the voter, are to blame for what is going on in Washington - especially if you voted for a Republican. Doubly so if that Republican supports the Tea Party.
"If elections have consequences — which I think they do — some of those consequences are getting what you vote for," the Maryland Democrat added.
"In this case, many people voted for people who thought compromise was not something that they ought to participate in."
In one sense, Hoyer is correct - in 2008, voters elected a man with no executive experience to be the Commander-in-Chief, and the results have been disastrous.
The Hill adds:
In a backlash to the economic downturn, deficit spending and the government, voters last year sent scores of Republicans to Capitol Hill to fight the rising debt.
Many of the freshmen Republicans have taken a hard stand against government spending. As a result, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has been unable to pass some of the biggest budget bills of the year without Democratic support — an odd dynamic that has prolonged debate on the year's must-pass spending proposals, several of which have bumped up against the deadline for a government shutdown.
Instead of getting the message voters clearly sent last November, Hoyer and the rest of the Democrats continue to push radical policies that have already been proven to fail.
But Hoyer's words speaks volumes - by blaming the American people for his own party's failures, he has demonstrated the contempt liberal Democrats have for the electorate.
Voters should remember this in 2012, when Hoyer is up for re-election.
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