Yeah...... Relentless Hard Work sometimes Pays Off!

[FrenchieCat]

Or halfway pays off, anyways! :shrug:

According to a CNN poll.......http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/24/cnn-poll-anger-at-bp-as-most-americans-say-spill-will-affect-them/?fbid=a_KJLn6u7SJ


"CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday also indicates that
a slight majority of the public disapproves of how the Obama administration's handling the spill." :bounce:




But the other half of what was being hoped for isn't materializing,
as the numbers are not that far off from where they started! :crazy:

"57% of Americans still support offshore drilling" :wtf:


So looks like we will be able to bring the President's approval rating down,
without making too much of a dent in the policy that got us there!

meanwhile....

Krugman: Corporations hate Obama
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=388x21359

Combine that with the Citizen United ruling, a hateful press, upcoming election,
a bunch of loud loonies on the opposing side, and the ongoing Oil disaster that isn't going away,
and I think some are gonna see this as a Win/Win!



A tip of my hat to those who were so deeply invested in all of this,
and a 1/2 of a congrats! :patriot:

[Cha]

1. cnn..corporatewhorecentral.

Hard work at manipulating polls just the way they like them.

[FrenchieCat]

2. Ain't it grand!

[Webster Green]

3. He's bringing his own approval rating down.

His Air force is spraying toxic dispersant for BP. That could be the biggest issue for me right now. It's a bad strategy, and I disapprove of it, and will continue to be critical of it. Obama has screwed the pooch by letting BP give the orders.

Reality bites, doesn't it?

[FrenchieCat]

5. Reality are stupid people that support offshore drilling still no matter what they read or hear

while blaming this President for 30 years of policies supported
by those same Americans.

as one poster wrote in another thread....
In terms of the oil spill, the Bush administration laid out the groundwork for this mess, more specifically Dick Cheney did. The current administration is not equipped to stop this leak because the "what ifs" were not put in place by those who put the current rules in place. (The Bush administration, not the Obama administration). Neither is BP. There has NEVER been a Business Continuation Plan in place, because none of the crooks who have caused it had the foresight or did they care about the "what ifs".

"What ifs" would have prevented this crisis. So, no, "what ifs" are not a waste of time. In this situation nor in considering what would happen with alternative political leaders.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=433&topic_id=309838


Reality does bite, since most of the time ignoramuses are hungry.

[depakid]

6. Unfortunately, Obama himself signed off on those policies- and regulatory "efforts"

when he made his pitch for more offshore drilling. Better to own up to that mistake- rather than simply place the blame on Bush & Cheney.

Hopefully, that's what he will do when the commission's report comes out.

[FrenchieCat]

7. I think context has everything to do with it.....

and in this case he basically was trying to get his energy bill through....
something that isn't unfamiliar when one is dealing with a politician.

In fact, at that time he was being panned by Offshore drilling fans
for seemingly not going anywhere at all, and that it was all for show...

You may not want to get that, and I would understand why.

It's fine....cause nuance is not for the uninformed or most of the majority...
that's why they can support offshore drilling no matter
what else is going on...

Or can support invading a country that didn't attack us,

etc, etc, etc....

[depakid]

8. The reasons behind the ill advised triangulation will be irrelevant

All this stuff is going to come out in gruesome detail in the coming months- and even years. The September 2009 GAO Reports, the August 2009 Montara spill, the actions and omissions at the agencies- who knew what- all of it.

Far better to own up to it, take responsibility and take the necessary and appropriate actions to both rectify the situation, while holding people accountable for their malfeasance (something Republicans would never do).

Trying to weasel this or pawn it off on others will only make matters worse....

[FrenchieCat]

9. Try to "Pawn" what off on others?

Did you think you elected someone who is a big offshore drilling fan, because I don't think so,
and in reality, you don't either.

Yes some will say he shouldn't have been trying to make a deal in order to get the energy bill through, but that is exactly what he was doing, and even you know it....

So yes, bame him for bad timing, cause I do.....
as for what you are trying to make it sound like; I don't think so.

Did the spill occur because of incompetency in the Obama administration?
No....I think that this spill would have happened regardless, unless
the Obama would have been perfect in every crook and cranny like right away,
and in every way, in terms of totally reinventing the entire department
in no time flat after there had not been anything but unravelling done for a very long time.

[depakid]

10. "Did the spill occur because of incompetency in the Obama administration?"

Yep, sure did. Ongoing regulatory failure as evidenced by the September 2009 GAO report (among other things).

This was not some secret- the goings on at the MMS and conflicts and inconsistencies with other agencies are all well documented- and mark my words, they'll all come out.

Bottom line is that there's no political upside here. No pivots, no reliance on political opponent's stupid statements or mistakes- only damage control.

[Webster Green]

19. I was hoping our new "change" president would purge all the chimp-bots.

Government agencies were left packed with idiots who pledged allegiance to The Big Dick and his trained chimp.

Regulatory agencies are packed with chimp-bots. The "Justice" Department is still packed with chimp-bots. As near as I can figure all government agencies are.

When does the "change" thingie start?

[Cha]

11. President Obama and his Team are into reality

and I can't say the same for the corporatemediawhores on the airwaves and the internet bloggers who never met a cheap shot they wouldn't throw at the President.

Edit to add..

<snip>

"Obama to aide: "Plug the damn hole!"

"Even in one of the few areas where the government has publicly tried to overrule BP -- over its choice of chemical dispersants -- it has not gotten its way. Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency told BP that it had 24 hours to find a less toxic alternative to the chemical it had been using to break up the oil. The company, however, replied that no alternatives are available in large enough quantities to deal with the spill.

On Monday, the EPA responded that BP should keep looking. In the meantime, the agency said, it would conduct its own tests on other chemical dispersants, which was an acknowledgment that it has no answer either."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x312317

[depakid]

14. You forgot the sarcasm tag with that....

[Webster Green]

15. So they should just keep spraying the stuff?

I disagree. That's just stupid.

[Cha]

25. I don't like it either..BP needs to find a more Earth Friendly

Solution.

[niceypoo]

12. Al Capone

Is in charge of cleaning up Crime in Chicago

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

16. Please detail your alternative solution. (nt)

[Webster Green]

17. Stop spraying the toxic dispersant.

They should not be using dispersant. It makes the oil sink. It's easier to clean it up if it's on the surface, provided they bring in the proper equipment, which they haven't done either.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

18. That alone doesn't stop the oil.

So what's your plan for getting rid of the oil? Please detail it.

[Webster Green]

20. I'm not talking about stopping the leak.

I'm talking about the spraying of toxic dispersant. Your reply is confusing. Are you asking me about stopping the oil or cleaning the mess? They are two different issues.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

21. How do you clean up the oil on this scale?

Is that less confusing?

[Webster Green]

22. Use the huge skimmer ships that are designed for it.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/gulf-oil-spill-supertankers-051310#ixzz0nyRlJjLv

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

23. I have trouble linking the logic here though - there's definitely something missing.

BP would have a vested interest in salvaging the oil in this manner, especially if it's really this simple. You're talking about billions of dollars worth of oil - I'd really think that would be the ultimate, preferred method of cleanup.

To believe it's really as simple as the article makes it believe, you would have to believe at least one of the following: A) BP doesn't care about money or B) BP actively wants to harm the environment and used the cloak of an accident to do it. I mean, you can't even claim stupidity on this one - that one even seems out of the ballpark.

Frankly, I'm inclined to believe that it's not as simple as this and there's shoddy journalism involved. When applying logic to a corporation, greed always wins in my mind, and the greed factor alone would tell me that BP would do anything it takes to salvage the oil if it could. But I do sincerely appreciate that you at least cited SOMETHING. It is helpful.

[depakid]

4. The problem you're going to find with this is largely cultural

though it can be ameliorated or exacerbated by the perception of coordination- or lack of coordination among the administrative agencies- and whether or not there's a clear command and control structure in place.

If it looks like the right hand doesn't know what the left hand's doing in the aftermath- or seems to be incompetent or negligent or reckless (which is what's going to come out in a damning way about the administrative and executive decisions leading up to the incident) that won't bode well at all. More NY Times stories like yesterday's will draw inevitable comparisons with Bush.

As it is, people tend toward immediate gratification- they see something really foul like this and want it stopped. And of course, it won't be stopped any time soon- the horrible pictures, the economic consequences- the stories of human and ecosystem tragedies will just keep coming.

People also have a tendency to place the blame with the person at the helm when "bad things" happen. Deservedly or not.

So expect to see a lot of that in the coming months.

[AllentownJake]

13. Well at least it is red states that are going to get oil on their beaches

Right Frenchie?

Unless you count Florida and North Carolina that went blue in 2008.

;-)

[FrenchieCat]

24. Well, it' s Obama's fault, doncha know?

As for Off shore drilling, 57% are still for it.

[AllentownJake]

29. So were you a month or two ago

Want the link. I wasn't crazy for the decision but wasn't fully against it as long as it was done safely. Obviously safely is now an open question.

As for the rest of my countrymen, I've always thought they were fucking nuts.

[Jennicut]

26. This is the stupidity of Americans right here:

"Fifty-three percent say the efforts to contain the spill will be unsuccessful, and six in ten are not confident that the government will be able to prevent another big oil spill in the future.

"A majority say they still support offshore drilling for oil and natural gas. But that figure is down 17 points since the days of "drill, baby, drill" during the 2008 presidential election, and the number who say they strongly favor drilling has dropped by nearly half," says Holland."

That # should be down way more. A majority thinks the govt. cannot prevent another oil spill in the future but a majority still want to do offshore drilling. Down 17 points? Support should be nonexistent.

[Tarheel_Dem]

27. What I find comical is the people screaming the loudest admit they don't

know the answers either. It's been a laugh riot listening to liberals call in and rake the administration over the coals, but they have no answers, except something they read on somebody's blog.

[FrenchieCat]

28. Well it's ok because if nothing else, they know for sure what others don't know!

:crazy:

[AllentownJake]

30. There are no answers

Do I need to go with my STD analogy or my Dad's pancreatic cancer analogy further to explain to everyone how sometimes, you are just fucked.