Acting like things happening under his rule were a problem detached from his responsibility. If only every leader could get away with this.
It is actually similar in the EU. The EU and the Commission has a lot of power, but not enough to pin everything on them. Local politicians love to point towards Brussels, though, everytime they fsck something up.
It seems that the main parties in the U.S. are really big tents. In another system, they would have split up to 6-7 smaller and more coherent parties. (That would nevertheless have to compromise on their ideas when forming coalitions, so not a dramatic difference.)
When I lived in Europe they did not point towards the EU and say, "we are going to handover much of our lawmaking power to these EU bureaucrats", but, that is exactly what has happened.
"We decide on something, leave it lying around and wait and see what happens. If no one kicks up a fuss, because most people don't understand what has been decided, we continue step by step until there is no turning back." (1999)
"If it's a Yes, we will say 'on we go', and if it's a No we will say 'we continue'." (On the 2005 French referendum on the Lisbon Treaty)
""Britain is different. Of course there will be transfers of sovereignty. But would I be intelligent to draw the attention of public opinion to this fact?" (2007)
"When it becomes serious, you have to lie." (2013)
"There can be no democratic choice against the European treaties, one cannot exit the euro without leaving the EU." (2015)
This mentality contributed a lot towards Euroscepticism. It is not as if Brussels is a confederacy of angels.
https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/jean-claude-juncker-quot...
As for Brussels not being angels - it's true it's not enough of an immigrant-hating racist and corrupt failing state for some people.