Politics 101: Who to Blame and What to Expect

Managing accountability and expectations is critical to political success

Early in our tenure at the White House, President Obama and his staff developed a catchphrase to channel our frustrations:

“It’s not on the level.”

As Peter Baker wrote in the New York Times in 2010 (an article I definitely viewed as “not on the level” at the time):

Instead, what you hear Obama aides talking about is that the system is “not on the level.” …