Also: Obama had represented ACORN in a class action suit against Citibank to compel a loosening of lending requirements -- an action that was at the root of the mortgage crisis. So at two crucial moments, Obama had a key role in causing the problem that he would later blame on his political opponents and claim to be solving. It's true that a lot of greed and cynicism in the banking industry were also to blame. But as a matter of public policy (and political patronage), the mortgage crisis was more a Democratic creation than a Republican one.