Fall Guy - Politics

Politics

Recently (1990s), 'fall guy' became a phrase popular among the commentariat. But it seems that, while originally the fall guy had to deal with the authorities (the police), currently the fall guy must deal with public shame and disgrace (a notable exception here is Scooter Libby).

A few examples of fall guys:

• George Tenet; Iraq WMD false intelligence; resigned.
• Scooter Libby; Valerie Plame affair; indicted and convicted, the sentence was later commuted.
• Michael D. Brown; Katrina (relief of); unindicted, resigned.
• Col. Janis Karpinski; Abu Ghraib scandal; demoted.
• Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman; Walter Reed scandal; status unknown.

For the political appointees, it seems that resignation and public shaming is enough punishment. Most political appointees can readily find jobs as lobbyists or elsewhere in the public sector, so no financial consequence really follows. Yet, perhaps the political fall guy must suffer some 'political death' (this topic is left for others to expand or contest). For the military officers, a punishment of demotion or reassignment is real enough.

With criminal groups, the fall guy would often be the lowest 'ranking' member, who would take the fall (face arrest and criminal charges) so that the rest could go free. Whether or not the lowest member could rely on the rest for support once out of prison is debatable; in the political arena, the fall guy seems to function much the same:

1. The fall guy is as low-ranking a politico as possible.
2. Political rank should be high enough to ensure outraged partisans that 'justice' has been done, that a sufficient price had been paid.
3. Furthermore, the politico that falls must have been in a position of authority related to the scandal (Mike Brown was head of FEMA during the Katrina relief efforts (or lack thereof)).
4. Most importantly, the key purpose of a fall guy (i.e. to protect the group from further inquiry), remains.

In politics, scandals can sometimes be resolved with simple statements of responsibility and atonement. When they cannot, "heads must roll" - in other words, parties must pay a price; often this comes with the resignation of a fall guy. If an advertising jingle were to sum it up, perhaps it would be "say it with resignations".

The fall guy also functions on the level of political consciousness. When a scandal erupts, it is not only the accused that suffer, but the whole of government. The scandal saturates media attention and grinds the machinery of government to a halt. So when the fall guy suffers his fate, its purpose is not only to protect his political bosses, but also to help the country 'move forward' with its business. Whether the advent of the 24 hour news cycle has increased the use of fall guys or not is an open question.

With political consciousness, the fall guy and his demise also maintain the framework that consequences exist and that justice shall be meted out. But if a single fall guy can absorb the punishment of many other guilty parties, the justice is mostly symbolic. So perhaps a little justice is better than no justice at all.

This book, Scapegoats: Transferring Blame, by Tom Douglas, attempts to deal with the actual process of scapegoating and public life, the ritualisation of scapegoating, and related topics in an academic sense.

Another book deals primarily with Iran-contra, but also with the public exorcising of the fall guy.