Editor: The roots of the do-over in contemporary politics

Published Jun 29, 2012 at 10:00 am (Updated Jun 29, 2012)

In his latest column, Business Report Executive Editor JR Ball recalls the time Skip Bertman told him—during the height of Bertman's LSU dugout glory days—that America's national pastime is not baseball. "Rather, he said offhandedly one muggy, yet otherwise nondescript, afternoon, our nation's pastime is the 'transferal of blame,' " Ball writes. " 'People don't take responsibility for what happens,' he said. 'It's always the other guy's fault.' " Nearly two decades later, Ball says he still sees the "Bertman Postulate" verified as fact on a daily basis. "At the first sign of trouble or failure, the response is almost universal: Blame everyone except the person in the mirror," Ball says. But a new twist to the national pastime has emerged in recent years, he says, and that's the idea of the do-over. "This is especially true in the political world, where elections now only have consequences until someone files a lawsuit and/or gets enough signatures on a recall petition," Ball says, pointing to the recent failed recall push against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and ongoing recall efforts and lawsuits filed against Gov. Bobby Jindal. A collision of forces are causing this phenomenon, Ball says, and you can find out what they are by reading the full column here. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.