Barack Obama may not believe in America’s exceptionalism, but he apparently believes in Detroit’s. His administration last week cited “exceptional” circumstances as grounds for doling out $320 million to the already bankrupt city. Recall that Detroit declared bankruptcy in July, just months after Obama famously claimed that he “refused” to let the city go bankrupt. (Granted, he was speaking of the auto industry, but the juxtaposition was poetic.) When the sputtering Motor City finally stalled, the White House announced that “leaders on the ground in Michigan and the city’s creditors … must find a solution to Detroit’s serious financial challenge.” Fast-forward to the present and “leaders on the ground” finding solutions has translated into “taxpayer dollars funneling to the city.”

The bailout, which comes via a government already nearly $17 trillion dollars in debt and currently not even fully operational, includes $140 million for transportation improvements, $30 million for public safety, and $150 million to demolish old properties and support redevelopment. Yet, while Obama lets a favorite leftist son dip his hand in federal taxpayer pockets, others are crying foul. For example, Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) last week asked the president why Stockton, California, which declared bankruptcy in 2012, isn’t getting “comparable assistance.” He was met with silence. Bottom line, the president and his cronies are willing to let the government shut down, but heaven forbid the Democrat utopia of Detroit goes under.