We should all cut U.S. Rep. Joe Barton a little slack. - Editorial in Denton TX newspaper

[ashling]

We should all cut U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, a little slack. When he apologized Thursday to BP CEO Tony Hayward for the harsh treatment BP was getting for causing the worst environmental disaster in the history of the United States, Barton was simply following a cardinal rule of politics: Once bought, an honest congressman stays bought.

Barton has been in the vest pocket of oil, gas and other polluting industries since the mind of man runneth not to the contrary. In Congress, he is the champion of any industry that can erect a smokestack, befoul a free-running stream and write a fat check to a political campaign.

***

House Republican leaders backed away from Barton and his “apology” like a mess of crawdads. They reportedly took Smokey Joe to the woodshed even as the hearing was still in progress and threatened him with expulsion from the House subcommittee should he not retract his statement.

***

We feel a measure of sympathy for Joe Barton. His lickspittle pandering to the head honcho of BP on Thursday was no worse than what he had done for much of his congressional career. It was as though he did not know that the object of his fealty had just inflicted grave harm upon this country through greed and neglect. It was as though he were pimping for Typhoid Mary.

In Smokey Joe Barton’s mind, though, he was simply being an honest congressman. He was staying bought.

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/opinion/editorials/stories/DRC_Editorial_0619.b843ada7.html

[G_j]

1. good one nt

[D-Lee]

13. Go to the link and RECOMMEND this column!

Right now, there are only 3 recommends (one is mine).

What a great column.

Make yourself proud -- go to the link and hit "recommend"!

[Spazito]

15. Done and thanks for the suggestion...

It's up to 5 now, I hope others recommend this as well, it is a 'keeper'.

[MadMaddie]

24. Done! 19 Recommend

Great article!

[mix]

2. What struck me was how shamelessly/arrogantly corrupt he appeared.

[ashling]

3. What struck me was how seamlessly he followed the GOP Corporate

and RSC talking points. If BP hadn't been on the other end of his apology, all of the Repubs would be agreeing with him ~ as, indeed, many have been

t

[SpiralHawk]

8. "Money talks, nobody walks. Smirk." - Joe the Barton (R - Brown Noser)

[Frustratedlady]

4. Burned Barton, for sure. Not a bad job on the fellow Repugs, as well.

"House Republican leaders backed away from Barton and his “apology” like a mess of crawdads."

[Art_from_Ark]

5. This is so funny

"In Smokey Joe Barton’s mind, though, he was simply being an honest congressman. He was staying bought."

:rofl:

[B Calm]

6. He just said what all republicans were thinking. He was taken to

the woodshed only because he told the truth and didn't speak in code.

[WinkyDink]

7. Awesome essay. CAN YOU IMAGINE R-W MEDIA HAD OBAMA APOLOGIZED?!?! AND TO BRITAIN?!

[malaise]

9. He is the ranking ReTHUG on the Energy

and Commerce Commitee - would America want this bought man in charge of an oil committee? That is how Dems must sell his sell out.

[PDittie]

10. "lickspittle"

One of my very favorite words.

[KansDem]

22. Me, too!

Haven't used it for quite awhile, though.

I've just (re-)added another word to my vocabulary...

[Richardo]

26. Mine too! That jumped out at me.

Great Op-Ed :patriot:

[Laelth]

11. k&r for some excellent writing. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[GCP]

12. Excellent editorial - and from Texas too!

:applause:

[rustydog]

14. I think Webster's should define whore as: "Whore: See Joe Barton"

Political whore: see Sarah Palin

[Subdivisions]

16. Why are small town newspaper websites always so atrocious? n/t

[Bandit]

17. Apparently you did not like the editorial....

I thought it was very insightful and humorous myself, but then I was dismayed by Barton's apology.

[Subdivisions]

19. And how did you reach that conclusion? Indeed,

I loved the editorial. Considering the source, I was quite surprised that the writer took that particular tact. Your italicizing the "I" in your response infers that you suspect I was not as dismayed as you were. And, you would be right. What Barton said was what I would expect a repuke to say.

Any reading of my comments on this topic to date would not leave you making such a stupid comment. Or would it? Apparently you don't like invesigating someone's actual stance on an issue before coming to unfounded conclusions about them.

[ThomasQED]

35. "Considering the source"?

Do you mean that particular newspaper, or Texas, or something else I'm not thinking of?

I ask because Denton is a fairly liberal college town, so this editorial coming from that paper is not surprising.

Another interpretation of your comment would be that it is Texas-bashing,

I'm sure there are more interpretations but those are the first two that spring to mind.

[Skittles]

36. yes, the better educated, the more truth told

by the way, Denton County is red, red red with repukes

[MadMaddie]

25. We should be thankful that these small town newspaper

websites exist. These web has allowed these citizens to voice their oppions against morons like Joe.

They may not be the quality we would like to see but that's okay, I would rather accept that they exist then they are pleasing to the eye.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

18. As Abe Lincoln put ...

“He reminds one of the man who murdered both his parents, and then pleaded for mercy on the grounds that he was an orphan.” - Abraham Lincoln

[orbitalman]

23. And he need to orphan any children he had. nt

[pleah]

20. Rec'd here and rec'd there.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[proReality]

21. R'd, R'd & K'd

It was a very good piece.

[tblue37]

27. I didn't see any "recommend" button at the

site of the link. Where is it?

[hay rick]

28. Just above the title.

Click the thumb-up icon.

[tblue37]

31. Thanks. It was white against light gray. I didn't even see it! nt

[yowzayowzayowza]

29. K&R #100 for red state sanity. n/t

[madokie]

30. Rec number 24 is mine

[RedCloud]

32. Best not be putting any slack in that noose! We's a fixin' to hang a traitor.

[caseymoz]

33. He is from the 23rd district of Texas . . .

. . . and from what I hear, oil is the main industry there.

So, arguably, he was standing up for the interests of his district.

[ashling]

34. This is sarcasm, right?

[caseymoz]

37. Yes and no.

First, I have to correct something. He's from the 6th district, not the 23rd.

I really do think he apologized to BP calculating that it would be popular in his district, not just popular with his cash supporters. Plus, I think he sincerely had that opinion. It's what's known as being an ideologue. Freedom for corporations, even as they poison the planet to make money.

He's in about the most staunchly Republican conservative, pro-oil industry district, Dallas-Ft. Worth. Really, if the 6th district turns against him because of what he said, I'd like to see the revolution going on in the rest of the country in November.

If he retracted his apology, I think it means that other Republicans prevailed on him to do it for the sake of their election chances, not for the sake of his.

[ashling]

38. I know where he's from.

I grew up there and now live next door in Texas 26 (Burgess, formerly Barton's lapdog). The RSC came up with the line, but Barton was stupid enough to use it. And you are right that he only backed down because the stink bomb he threw was blowing on most of the other Republicans. The corporate mindset is still there.

BTW, I worked for Baton's opponent 28 years ago when I was precinct chair in Montgomery County, Texas. Barton one, but his opponent moved to Ft. Worth and got elected there - where he turned into a big blue dog (Pete Geren).

So, yeah, that kind of thinking is prevalant down here, but things are changing. BTW, that op ed was from my town's newspaper - owned by the Dallas Morning News.