‘Individuals Who Took Out Loans They Could Not Afford Are Mostly to Blame for the Financial Crisis’ « The Washington Independent

Sam Stein nabs a memo written by Frank Luntz — whose influence among Republican strategists is as strong as ever, given his presence at the House GOP retreat — telling conservatives how they can talk about financial reform while killing the reforms on the table right now. The gist, according to Luntz, is that supermajorities of voters doubt that Washington can effectively regulate business, and blame the crisis on a combination of human stupidity and Washington stumbling — not on Wall Street.

Here, for example, is Luntz’s proof that voters are going to be skeptical of Washington reform.

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Here’s the proof that the “spending and stimulus” have further damaged trust in Washington:

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And here’s the data that suggests that only a third of people blame Wall Street for the economic mess.

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You could hardly find a better endorsement of Tea Party rhetoric. The Tea Parties began, remember, when CNBC’s Rick Santelli ranted against the idea that the government should save the homes of “losers” who shouldn’t have bought them anyway.