The opinions expressed below are Jon Keller's, not those of WBZ-TV, CBS News or Paramount, a Skydance Corporation.

Using government websites to convey partisan messages of blame for the government shutdown started in Washington and now it's in Massachusetts.

And at least one lawmaker on Beacon Hill wants to make it stop. 

"When the president does it, it's wrong, and when the governor does it, it's wrong," said State Senator Ryan Fattman. a Republican from Sutton.

Fattman deplores the Trump administration's use of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's website to parrot its claim that "radical left" Democrats in Congress are to blame for the shutdown. The statement drew a rejoinder on the state's Transitional Assistance site, which blames Trump and the Republicans for imminent cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

"It's immature. I think it undercuts credibility, and at the end of the day, there are still people who are hurting," Fattman said. "So I think that should be the focus."

But Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey waved off his call for the state's message to come down. 

"My job as governor is to be straight with people in Massachusetts," she said. "Donald Trump is choosing not to feed people in America, including in Massachusetts. Those are the facts. That is the truth. People need to understand what's really happening right now."

To Abigail Bellows of the government watchdog group Common Cause, using normally neutral publicly funded websites to wage a political battle is a surefire way to undercut what remains of the trust in government that allows democracy to function.

"Most Americans still expect government that rises above the partisan fray," she said. "I spent the last 15 years working on global anti-corruption and accountability issues, so I'm not surprised by the behavior. I'm surprised that we're seeing it here in the U.S."

As Fattman put it: "An eye for an eye makes us all blind, and that's where we're at."

There are longstanding federal and state laws on the books barring this type of thing, but are they a deterrent?

Apparently not. Hatch Act violations usually result in a warning or a slap on the wrist, and Healey seems unconcerned about any pushback.

Part of the problem in the social media age is that there is so much partisan vitriol coming from so many different directions that it's hard to see the value in these laws anymore.

They're like trying to bail out the Titanic with a sippy cup.