I think the media's suddenly reporting that some are criticizing the government is ......

[Stinky The Clown]

.... actually an orchestrated effort to blame Obama and the Democrats for Oilmegeddon.

[Dream Girl]

1. And they've sent a few here to stir things up with that meme

Have you noticed? It is indeed orchestrated. I'm going to note who is passing along this talking point for future notice.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Go2Peace]

16. Democratic and open thought becomes intolerable when everything becomes

about partisanship and winning a "word war". Think in more than 1 dimension. This is a doggone national catastrophy. Government is *made* to deal with things like this. There is nothing unusual about people expecting the government to take ownership. Not even amongst Democrats.

[noise]

13. Absurd

Sorry if some people don't like it but there is such a thing as criticism of Obama from the left--people who expect the Obama administration to be held to a higher standard than "better than the GOP."

[Webster Green]

17. No orchestration is required.

We are already really pissed off.

[Upton]

20. I'm sure you are well meaning...

but you're way off base here. A lot of us have legitimate concerns as to the way Obama is handling this issue.

[emilyg]

32. Note away. Will you knock

on my door at 2 AM?

[Bluebear]

35. OK you take notes, miss 84 posts lol

[dgibby]

38. You're going to be very busy.

Good luck with that.

[randr]

2. The media is responding to the numerous charges from all sides

that Obama is asleep at the wheel. The spew is going to become the defining point for the future of this planet and the first question asked will be "How come no one did anything?"

[Go2Peace]

21. You get it.

[RandomThoughts]

3. Which is ridiculous, and shows what those that do that are about. n/t

[FrenchieCat]

4. Of course.

And they won't try to inform us on the difficulty of really dealing with this.

Those who saw that 60 minutes piece understand that the government has not been in
the underwater Oil drilling business and therefore have never been prepared more so
than the Oil industry in solving a catastrophy such as this.

It would be nice to think that the government is capable of doing any and everything
and solve all problems as they arise, but that wouldn't be the truth.

Guess for some the shock that government doesn't have all of the answers at its fingertips,
disallows them to understand that the government has underfunded for them to even keep up
with technology in where all of the sudden they'd have the answer that the industry doesn't
in this case. So I guess blaming the government instead of understanding the nature of the problem,
and how the government was hamstrung all of these years due to who and what we vote for
would be way too complicated and honest.

[randr]

29. Other nations do have the technology to help

and that requires governmental action!

[Toucano]

5. It is rapidly becoming Obama's problem.

I am sorry, but 30 days on - still no plan?

Still letting the lying bastards at BP run things?

No, no, no.

The administration should have intervened with more than a "strongly worded letter" about two weeks ago.

The longer that oil pours into the ocean, the more blame Obama gets.

[doc03]

14. This isn't a movie Aaarnold is busy in Callyfornia, Tom Cruise is

busy being nutty and Sylvester is too f-----g old. They had the mining accident in WV, people experienced in mine rescue were called in. They had a plane crash in India today experts from NTB and Boeing are going over to investigate. You have an accident drilling a oil well a mile below the surface, who you going to send? Someone from GM? Get a grip man. The blame should be placed squarely on the shoulders of the Drill Baby Drill crowd.

[Go2Peace]

19. This is a freaking ecological disaster. With that line of thinking

maybe we should let the nuclear industry stall and pontificate and try to save energy during a core breach that is killing 10s of thousands? When will we decide it is best to allow Halliburton to own an agency in Washington where they determine war policy and manage the military?

This is a very slipperty slope. Government can and should own national catastrophies. BP should still be involved but the government should firmly be in control.

Are you saying we no longer have government competend enough to handle a national catastrophy?

[Toucano]

24. BP isn't even sharing relevant data with the taskforce that can help

solve the problem.

I'm tellin' ya', they DO NOT WANT TO PLUG THE WELL.

Not until they can capture the oil first.

The reins have to be taken out of their hand and their equipment commandeered.

[Go2Peace]

25. *I agree. BP has a serious conflict. They want to save access to the oil

[doc03]

31. Yes I am absolutely saying government isn't competent enough

handle such an emergency. Show me one oil well the government drilled let alone one a mile under the sea or the last one they sealed. By your reasoning we should have sent in the Navy to rescue the coal miners in WV. The clean-up, yes the government may be able to handle that. That's the difference between a liberal and a centrist I guess. You think if you shovel enough money (that we don't have) to government they can handle anything. I don't think the government does anything very good other than national defence and you consider we have been in almost constant war over my lifetime I am not so sure about that either.

[Go2Peace]

33. Your a libertarian then? Government has problems because the Republicans

and propagandasts have purpously destroyed and sabatoged it.

How old are you? It's too bad you believe that. It is not historically correct.

[Toucano]

23. There are plenty of experts outside of BP.

There are geologists, engineers, and other experienced and relevant disciplines that actually have an interest in PLUGGING the leak.

BP has a vested interest in siphoning as much oil off the leak as they can - which is all they have accomplished in 30 days.

[Go2Peace]

28. No way! Corporate Presidents are the only ones who can make these decisions!

Funny how deeply "embeded" corporate facism has become in our minds. All of the people here that actually *want* coporations in control of their lives and dictating what should be government functions? Amazing, if it were not so frightening.

[girl gone mad]

30. Rand Paul, is that you?

Private industry knows best, get the government out of the way, let the free markets take care of it. :crazy:

[O is 44]

6. The blame should be on the corporation but

the corporate media will not criticize their own they need BP TV ad money so now they scream about the government.

They could all care less, case in point (yes I may be the only one that watches the WH press gaggle on WH.gov) but when this first started Gibbs was questioned by the loser Chip from CBS along with the other useless tools, if using the phrase "putting a boot on the neck of BP" sounded to violent, then these same individuals on Friday were all screaming about why can't the government make BP do certain things. Typical.

[Go2Peace]

7. It is an ecological catastrophy. It BECOMES the administration's responsability at some point

because it becomes about protecting the people, you know, like war?

Most of the public understands that. It's only people who think in partisan terms that don't. Everything is not about a popularity contest or partisan public relations advantage. This is a FUNDAMENTAL responsibility of government.

Unless you are a libertarian?

[cornermouse]

9. I suppose we could all pretend it isn't happening....

Would that make you happy?

[Go2Peace]

10. Are we slipping into corporate facism? What exactly happens when

people accept and even promote a situation where corporations are allowed to call the shots in a National Catastrophy? Doesn't anyone else find the attitudes on here a little disturbing.

We have come to the point where Corporations are now on the same level with Federal Government, making decisions and acting as equals in dealing with a National Catastrophy.

What's next? A Nuclear meltdown where the nuclear industry is allowed to stall and pontificate and try to save energy during a core breach? When will we decide it is best to allow Halliburton to own and agency in Washington where they determine war policy and manage the military?

Fuck!

[cornermouse]

26. Do I find it disturbing ? Yes.

I've noticed that BP is telling the feds "when to jump and how high" and it makes me angry that we have no government strong enough to stand up to them. But try and say that on this website and see how many people attack you for it so I suggested the possibility that it might make the OP happier if we all just fell in line and pretended it wasn't happening.

I should probably add that I'm thoroughly ticked off the AIG executives aren't going to be charged with anything either. It seems the only people government "works" on is us, not them.

[Cattledog]

12. Obama the Bystander

Similar to cases where individuals do not offer help in emergency situations when other people are present.

CD

[O is 44]

18. I guess he'll be suiting up in scuba gear anytime now. n/t

[SalviaBlue]

11. Corporatists are once again socializing the losses.

When they are pulling in obscene profits they're all "no government" interference. But now the there is a disaster they want the government to solve it and be responsible.

[Webster Green]

15. The government should have taken over the cleanup long ago.

BP is spraying extremely toxic dispersant to hide the amount of oil in the gulf.

BP should not be in charge of the cleanup! This is unacceptable!

The administration has totally fucked up on this aspect of the disaster. They should have told BP to focus on fixing the leak, and we'll do the cleanup and send you the bill.

[RainDog]

22. the problem came BEFORE the spill - with the Obama administration acting like republicans

We know that before the disaster, President Obama recklessly pushed to expand offshore drilling. We also know that his Interior Department gave British Petroleum's rig a "categorical exclusion" from environmental scrutiny and, according to The New York Times, "gave permission to BP and dozens of other oil companies to drill in the Gulf without first getting required (environmental) permits."

Worse, we know that after the spill, the same Interior Department kept issuing "categorical exclusions" for new Gulf oil operations, and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar still refuses "to rule out continued use of categorical exclusions," as the Denver Post reported (heckuva job, Kenny!).

Undoubtedly, had this been the behavior of a Republican administration, "The Left's" big environmental organizations would be scheduling D.C. protests and calling for firings, if not criminal charges. Yet, somehow, there are no protests. Somehow, there have been almost no calls for the resignation of Salazar, who oversaw this disaster and who, before that, took $323,000 in campaign contributions from energy interests and backed more offshore drilling as a U.S. senator. Somehow, facing environmental apocalypse, there has been mostly silence from "The Left."

...to quote again from David Sirota, who is unapologetic about being on the left and holding democrats responsible for when they suck up to corporations - just as he holds republicans responsible.

the problem was created because of Obama's right-wing governing philosophy, so he can be held responsible for the obvious problems this continues to create, whether it's done by a republican or a democrat.

[xiamiam]

34. i had a few heated discussions here about a week before the explosion over his nod to offshore

maybe two weeks but darned close..difficult to watch this unfold but...there it is

[dgibby]

39. Bingo! n/t

[jillan]

27. Like it or not - this happened on his watch. Even if there is really, really nothing he can do -

some good old fashioned leadership might be a good thing right now. Personally I think what is lacking is from him - Salazar - Napolitano - someone - to give the nation daily updates. A simple display of leadership that would give all the talking heads something to talk about. X is what they are doing today, the coastguard will do y if x doesn't work...just stuff like that. Leadership - get out ahead of the message.

History is being written here.

[gleaner]

36. I don't know it that is true or not ...

but I think that reducing this whole disaster to the same old crap about how criticizing or not criticizing Obama is more important than killing the gulf is beyond stupid. Who cares if he is criticized or not? Really, what is more important. Letting the Gulf die without any real effort to save it or having Obamas missing feelings hurt? I go for the Gulf. Obama can look after himself and stand up like a grown up and maybe just once face the consequences of his own actions and inactions. The first thing he could do is stop all offshore drilling and stop issuing permits for it which do not meet federal requirements before there is another huge oil spill that he doesn't bother to contend with. Better yet he could stop it altogether. The oil that is being harvested off of our shores and from our wildlife sanctuaries doesn't even come to us most of the time. It is sold to other countries around the world who can pay top dollar for it and do. We are letting thugs destroy our environment so corporations like BP can make a few extra numbers for their bottom line. The whole thing is sickening.

[eilen]

37. hear hear!!!

WTF !!! why the hell isn't he stopping the drilling until a review is made of all drilling stations that safety and environmental precautions are taking place?

Fact is, this happened on his watch and his Interior Dept. was responsible for protecting our shores and they fucked up. And He championed their decisions by calling for MORE Offshore drilling.
What's next? Another 3 Mile Island?

While I admire his ability to speak, I'd sure like him to keep it to one side of his mouth.
What I want to know is where is the candidate I voted for.

[gleaner]

40. The candidate we both voted for is the man who never was. n/t