Wednesday, June 16, 2010
President Obama's disappointing Oval Office Address on BP Oil Gusher. Update!
Look I know I will probably get attacked for not being more supportive of our President, but this speech simply did not accomplish what I felt it desperately needed to accomplish.
It did not make me feel more confident that the President really has a handle on this crisis.
It did not make me feel more hopeful about our chances of plugging up the well and cleaning up the enormous amount of oil leaking into the Gulf.
And it did not make me feel more secure that something like this could not happen in the future.
It just didn't.
And if you think I am being too tough on President Obama then you are really going to be upset with the AP and their fact checking of the speech.
Look I certainly do NOT think that the Republicans could do a better job in any way shape or form. I am just saying that the American people are watching this disaster worsen day by day on their television sets and all over the internet, and they need to know that there is an end in sight. I simply do not believe that in this speech President Obama helped to rebuild the confidence that this oil spill has been washing away.
Okay, go ahead, tear me a new one. (Oh, and by the way right wing nutjobs, this does not mean it is open season on President Obama at the Immoral Minority. Vicious comments, unproductive attacks, and "I told you so's" will just get rejected.)
Update: Well here is a bit of good news. BP places 20 billion in escrow to compensate the people who have had their livelihood's negatively impacted by the spill..
Update 2: I have read the comments that many of you have left. I am unsurprised that a number of you took me up on my invitation to "tear me a new one". Perhaps some of you watched last night as Keith Olbermann also expressed some dissatisfaction with the President's speech. He, like me, has received a lot of frustrated and disappointed responses from his fans and has taken to Twiiter to respond:
This is easily the smartest political leader I have ever seen, as good a political public speaker as I've heard, + last October I was privileged along with 11 other newspeople to spend 2 hours with him as he showed extemporaneous mastery of every one of two dozen topics fired at him by us in random order. I left the room wondering if we had ever before actually elected a president who was one of the 1,000 smartest people in the country (or maybe 100, or 10) as we had now. I believe in him and in his presidency and he has frequently achieved success (in health care reform, particularly) by doing that for which I criticized him. I hope that is again the case now because the Gulf Speech was not up to his standards nor did it express his mastery of policy. And if you will stop watching because I said this, I'll be very sorry, but you will have been watching for the wrong reason. I am not, have not been, and will not be, any politician's, nor any president's, spokesman.
I beleive in many ways what Olbermann has said reflects my point of view as well. I am VERY glad that Barack Obama is my president. However I am not somebody who is much for worshipping idols. If I were to make excuses for the President or applaud everything he said or did out of a sense of duty I would not be true to who I am. When he soars I rejoice, when he flounders I worry, and when he falls short I may criticize, but I am always at his side. I am loyal to the end, but part of that loyalty is demonstrating the courage to be honest and ask for more if I think he can provide, and less if I think he has given too much of himself to those who do not appreciate his generosity.
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Gryphen, I don't think there is anything the President could have said to help us feel more comfortable with this mess. The fact that just yesterday before the speach, estimates of how much oil is is and has been gushing into the gulf would cause anyone to feel quite hopeless about the whole situation. I think it is unfair of us to expect the President to have all the answers and to fix it given the magnitude of the problem. We seem to expect some kind of "Hail Mary" crap shoot with a tidy ending like we see in the movies and it's just not going to work out that way. The President isn't sitting on his hands, you know that as well as I do. Your honesty about how you feel is fine. It's people like Sarah Palin who critisize the President without offering any real solutions that gets in the way of solving the problem.
ReplyDeleteLet's say NASA sends a mission to Mars. The rocket blast that slows the astronauts pod down to landing speed opens a hold in Mars' surface. All of the air starts whistling out of Mars; it's going to look like a deflated balloon.
ReplyDeleteHow should the President of the United States fix Mars? Discuss.
Almost from day one liberals have thrown this president to the wolves. Bush had six years of steadfast republican support while he made a complete mess of this country. This man has had less than two years of trying to clean up one catastrophe after another and we soften him up for a few rounds and then toss him over to the enemy so they can beat him up some more. It is because of liberals and the hate fest at places like the huffingtonpost (which I don't read anymore) that the republicans will have victories they don't deserve in november. What about a united front until we elect more liberals into congress?? But that would be too disciplined and republican-like of us, wouldn't it? We'll see how the right backs up the next (republican) president as they drag this country backwards into oblivion after we've helped them destroy Obama.
ReplyDeleteI think what is upsetting most people is that there has not been a quick fix to this catastrophe. We as a Nation have come to expect instant gratification and when that does not happen, we look to blame. What I took from this speech is that there will not be a quick fix. I think he should have stressed that people, private and public sectors, from around the world are working 24/7 to get that leak to stop.
ReplyDeleteI really don't care what people think about the president. Most of my friends and family figured out on January 21, 2009, that white Americans, particularly the ones who voted for him, would soon be disappointed. Conservatives and liberals are very similar when it comes to racial attitudes.
ReplyDeleteBP's chicanery has always been with us, but the spill revealed the level of their deceit and criminality. So why is that President Obama's fault?
At this point, I don't feel President Obama owes this ungrateful, racist nation one more thing. Most messes that have landed on his desk preceded his administration. And the making of this disaster started with Ronald Reagan. But THIS president has become the scapegoat.
Americans have a lot of nerve. We love our cars that start with a push button and play DVDs to coddle the kids. Our driveways have more cars than our garages can contain. We behave as though our cars operate on air and water. We want our oil but don't see the connection between our addiction and the spill. Oh, that's right, it's the president's fault.
Complaining because the President isn't blowing sunshine up your ass???
ReplyDeleteAmen to that @ 6:43!
ReplyDeleteSad but true . . .
Only the oil companies know how to stop the gusher, if anyone does. The Army Corps of Engineers does not know how, and they are the best the Gov has.
ReplyDeleteIt was an outline of what we are doing and are going to do. And he started the tough conversation about getting off oil. The economy and debt has a bit hamstrung on specifics.
I know he is on top of this, he is just not someone who grandstands with Mission Accomplished banners.
Grypen, I too was not feeling very comfortable about the speech. While I don't know what more President Obama can do, I did hope that he would have given some more specifics. Even though I am a Republican, I voted for and absolutely support our President. I would have liked to see him put more emphasis on the fact that the clean energy bill is stalled in the Senate, and that more Americans need to hold their elected congress people more accountable for not supporting it and moving forward. That being said, I certainly don't blame him for the mess or the more or less inept handling of it. I believe that the blame lies with BP for all of that.
ReplyDeleteSue in Kansas
Make me one more voice in this chorus, because I don't see how President Obama is (1) responsible for the mess that Cheney's deregulation set-up, and (2) able to do more.
ReplyDeleteI heard Chris Matthews demand that the President send out a national call for our young people to rush to the Gulf and help with the cleanup. Sounds nice at first blush, but President Obama is surely aware of the health risks associated with this spill. Do we really want our youth, our future exposed to toxins?
Before we start tearing down what is trying to be done, let's go back and hold those responsible for the policies that let this happen. Odd that Cheney is suddenly so quiet, don't you think? Even his daughter Liz has gone silent for the moment (blessings be!)
I agree with 6:43, let's stop and think. Let's consider the context of this spill, consider the consequences of tearing down the President, and what would likely fill the void if people lose confidence in him. I, for one, do not want the alternative.
Yes, he could have been more forceful, but we know it's not his style. I watched the candidate Obama clips yesterday as did we all. He really wasn't any more dynamic then, it's just that we were more desperate.
We just want this nightmare over with, but do we want a worse one to begin? Are we loyal to our ideals, or do we just toss them under the bus like Palin does when we don't get what we want as fast as we want it? I'm willing to stay the course a while longer before I give up. Still, I am writing emails to urge that more be done, faster - easy for me to do because I don't know what it takes to end this.
anon 6:43: I don't read Huffpo either anymore and the owners are personal friends of ours!!
ReplyDeleteI will not go negative. The GOP is maybe too good at not going negative on their own, but we don't support our people AT ALL.
Consider just a few of the many factors not mentioned in the POTUS speech last night: a couple of hurricanes, large population segments sickened by dispersants, oxygen-free dead zones in the gulf, oil in the Atlantic drift, disintegration of the well casing and formation. I think this was the warm-up speech so President Obama can back to us with "the real story".
ReplyDeleteI had to take a walk after reading this post. When I came back, I found that most of the comments already had expressed my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI, too, appreciate the fact that the president was pragmatic. He spoke to us as if we were adults. Too many in the media hyped this speech, then were quick to rip it as not enough.
Goodness, the first media voice of reason this morning was MIKA, for heaven's sake. She forcefully called out Morning Joe and "the boys" and she actually got Joe to switch to her side.
Whitehouse.gov has had a daily report since the first day on what they have been doing. It is in their press releases. As so many rational people have pointed out, this isn't a disaster that hit, then we can all swarm in with donations and volunteers to rebuild. This is too big and a disaster in slow motion.
I loved Julie's comment (second comment on thread.)
I think too many people expect the president to live up to the great jibjab clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVFdAJRVm94
Nothing I said in this post should suggest that I want the President to lie. Nothing could be further from the truth. My point was I don't believe his speech told the American people that he had a handle on this crisis.
ReplyDeleteFor weeks now people have been saying that President Obama is playing catchup and that allowing BP to run the show demonstrates that he is not firmly in charge. I had hoped with this speech he would grab that control back, and my point was I did not feel that was the case.
I know he is not Superman and I know that this is not his fault. But I also know that if he does not get his mojo back that this will be used to destroy his chances of reelection in 2012. That may sound a little hyperbolic, but I lived through Jimmy Carter's Iran hostage situation and watched a popular president become defined by a situation that was not his fault and completely out of his control to remedy.
I am very worried that I am watching that exact same scenario playing out again.
There is no Good News. There is nothing to report or say that will make us all FEEL better. This is a Tragedy that no one can make better in a speech.
ReplyDeleteSo we kill the messenger.
Goodness Gryphen - what did you expect? Miracles? Nobody knows the answer to this disaster. The magnitude of it is astronomical! Get a grip dude!
ReplyDeleteGryph: BP had to be in charge in the beginning, didn't they? Should some Army guys have muscled in and said, let US stop this spill, how do you do that again? we know the oil industry does NOT know what to do and has no good plans but only they have a clue how to deal with this. If we took over, might it be harder to get them to pay? If they are doing it, they are paying.
ReplyDeleteI live on the Gulf Coast and as much as I'd like this to not be happening, it is. I don't think the President can fix this. And I think he knows he can't fix this. Anyone who wants him to say he's 'got' this doesn't understand the enormity of this situation. Oil is gushing into the Gulf Of Mexico at probably 100,000 barrels a day. BP apparently bypassed what little anti spill technology they had to cut corners and get the well up and pumping. And pumping it is. The problem is this: they don't have the specific technology needed to stop it from pumping.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you want the President to do? Lie to you and tell you this is all going to be alright? In my opinion, the reason he didn't do that is because he knows it is not going to be. It just isn't. Even if they stopped that well today, and they won't stop it for months at best, it is not going to be ok.
I don't think Obama has the kind of character that lets him lie with impunity. As for fact checking, did AP ever fact check W? Ever? Oh the lies that man told! But I digress...
The President was here in my little burge yesterday to give us reassurance about the clean up. And I WAS reassured. Reassured that he will make every effort to see that this gets cleaned it up. That's about all he can do. Even if he took BP over, it wouldn't stop this oil from coming and coming.
From everything I can gather, BP skipped the very important step of figuring out how to stop a leak like this if they ever got one.
I don't think BP has the technology to stop this flow of oil into the Gulf, and I think the President knows this. I don't know about you, but I'm glad I have a President that doesn't enjoy lying to me.
On the other hand... Perhaps BP doesn't won't this leak stopped. Have you ever thought of that? Perhaps it is in their best interest and their intention is to put enough oil into the Gulf of Mexico that it is forever a sludge pit. If they stop the oil and the Gulf waters recover, there will surely be a huge outcry against drilling in the GOM. If they spill so much oil in the Gulf that it is forever know as the Bog of Eternal Stench, then who would care if they drill there or not? There would be nothing left to mess up.
Gryphen I doubt any of your regular readers mind when you are honest about Obama - none of us want to be blinded by some false sense of greatness that some might attribute to him - I think he is an awesome President, but hey he's not perfect.
ReplyDeleteI think the expectations for this speech were set way to high - on top of that there really isn't much he could have said that would have made most folks feel much better - this is an awful situation.
I think most of us wanted to hear a BIG push for energy reform and alternative energy projects, etc etc etc with gobs of inspiration and feel good mixed in....
however, after watching the interviews of the folks directly affected by this spill and how much they WANT OIL to continue being drilled (I get that they need the jobs but.... geeeeesh) - any way what little he did touch on energy reform the folks direclty being drowned in oil were complaining that Obama was using the oil spill to push for energy reform - and he definitely wants to sensitive to their situation right now.
I think he had to walk a fine line - but I trust him to be doing all that is humanly possible - he can't swim under water and close off the pipe with his bare hands.
This situation is huge - and I'm realistic enough to realize no speech in the world is going to fix it or make us feel better about it.
Better communication and a continuous update of progress, along with a continued effort for more regulation and alternative energy is what is needed...the stupid elections in Nov. though have the President and those up for re-election playing it too safe right now though to go all out and give the BIG speeches and take the BIG actions that are needed.
I think it's a risk worth taking but no one is asking me for campaign advice.
With the Exxon spill, we had an Exxon official telling us here in Cordova, we will make you whole. Now with this spill we have the POTUS telling us everything is going to be OK and made right, basically trying to sooth fears about this disaster. So the President is now doing the spinning for BP. It's a bunch of crap!
ReplyDeleteThe people of the gulf coast will suffer for years if not decades from this disaster. We in Alaska know this from experience. What is going on is a big PR campaign, not a big clean-up effort. And to have the President pedaling oil company crap is unbelievable.
If the President wants to do the right thing, The Federal govenment should immediately take over the decision making in the capping, containing and clean-up of this spill. Use industry experts, and spare no expense, and bill it all to BP. If it bankrupts BP, so be it. They have bankrupted many people's lives with this mess. Letting BP lead the clean-up effort is letting the fox run the clean-up in the henhouse after he raided it.
The President could also re-install all the environmental protections that the Bush administration gutted.
And lastly, The top officials from BP should be arrested and face charges for this spill. That would get the attention of other oil company executives and make them think about doing things safely instead of the cheapest way possible. As it is, they will have no repercussions for their reckless actions. I guarentee that If you spilled one barrel of oil at a BP gas station, you'd be arrested. Why do these people get off the hook for their callous recklessness?
Aussie Blue Sky said it short and sweet.I guess you expect the President to lie to us,and be convincing.If thats what you want,vote Republican.There is no short easy fix for the problem.Hell,there is no fix at all for the problem.Drilling a relief well may,probably ,fix it,but no one knows for sure.Really,we should get the hell out of the deep water drilling .There have to be impacts ,even without the oil polluting our waters.What happens when the oil is gone,does the void fill up with sea water?Do we continue to pump oil out of the earth and use our sea water to replace it?Or does it leave pockets of nothing,under the weight of the ocean?Have you seen the sink holes in Texas?Are there consequences from pumping the oil out and leaving the earth a void? I have in mind a project we used to do for Easter,you blow up a balloon,cover it completely in in string dipped in white glue,allow it to dry.Then remove the air from the balloon.You are left with a beautiful,lacy looking shell,strong enough to use as an Easter basket,and hold candy.But the slightest pressure from an uncaring hand will cause it to collapse.Can something like this happen in the future?
ReplyDeleteGryph- Get his mojo back from whom? He hasn't changed, but the PalinishFoxishGOPspin-ish group has worked awfully hard to redefine him.
ReplyDeleteHad he done the "mission accomplished" bit, I would have lost faith in his ability to tell the truth.
This is a complex issue, involving so many factors. Solutions and plans won't fit on bumper stickers.
We all feel a bit helpless, but there are things we can do. We can keep contacting our reps. (All my people got the AK BP story posted on Mudflats.) We can talk to our friends and neighbors and let them know who to contact. We can write letters in support of getting volunteers safe protective gear.
We can let media types know when they are out of line. We can make sure we read the information that is out there and correct the wrong info that is either said or e-mailed to us.
I'd love to go shovel tarballs and feel good that I helped, but that isn't going to happen. I'd like to participate in a fundraiser, but for whom? for what? This isn't like the other disasters.
President Obama was absolutely right when he said this will take all of us. We can start by looking around our houses for ways to reduce energy needs. Park the car when possible. Plant our yards with region appropriate plants.
Time for adults- all of us.
if I wanted a leader with emotional instability who lies and throws giant tantrums I'd have voted for McCain/Palin
ReplyDeleteThe question is: Are we the fickle ones? For goodness sake, lets work in our communities to make us less energy dependent. Take less trips in our automobiles, use less plastic, recycle, quit being shopaholics, support green energy business, educate others. The President needs us to take action. Gee whiz! That is the way we can support the inevitable societal shift. I am so glad President Obama is at the helm. If he only gets one term, lets make it the BEST we can, by supporting him!!!!! Do not criticize unless you have a solution.
ReplyDeleteWe can't forget that for the last 50? years or so these oil rigs were there, and we complacently ignored it (except a minority of environmentalists) and not a peep from the populace worrying about possible risks, what ifs? What if the Gulf ocean floor had cracks, if the increase in earthquakes might have weakened that area.......
ReplyDeleteI recall watching lots of home buyer shows where many families were buying up properties along the Mississippi, Alabama, Florida coasts, towns, casinos dotted all along, like there's no tomorrow. They weren't in the least bit worried, and had total trust that the oil barons had those rigs perfectly leak-free.
We're all the same. We don't worry or think preventatively unless an accident happens. Then we are in shock, have to deal with a flood, oil, leak, tornado, hurricane, and it takes weeks for a community to start thinking clearly and long-term. That's where others come in. They help these families while they're still in shock; Others get busy coordinating, using leadership skills they learned, they multi-task (like the military).
Everyone, whether through complacency or just lazyiness has some part in this. It never occured to people that an oil company could rape the resources and not care about it's effect on the people, environment. It's only until something happens that people start to point the blame on someone else. Not fair to blame a President who is trying to get a plan together which takes an amount of time that is going to need the patience of Jobe.
Gryphen, maybe you like Sarah's answers and handle on the oil spill better. Because as far as she is concerned, she does have a handle on it. Namaste.
ReplyDeleteWe all want him to DO something, Arrest Hayward, take over the company..yada yada...but there are things call Contracts and Laws and courts for arrest warrants. The President is not King, he cannot just TAKE BP or arrest someone.
ReplyDeleteThis is very complicated and when you live in a society based on the Rule of Law and Contracts are the social glue, then Contracts have to be respected or bring in courts.
This is an awful tragedy but we live in a rule of law society and that does make it more difficult to move fast.
@mommom- thank you for bringing this to our attention. i forgot, i use to think about what the consequences were to the earth, with our drilling the oil from beneath the surface with or without oil spills. what are we doing to the actual mechanics of the planet??? something unpredictable like changing its axis, its rotation, its gravity, whatever: fill in the blank? maybe we will spin out of orbit entirely? this spill is forcing us to wake-up.
ReplyDeleteI agree with lots that has be said already. I think the WH needs to do a better job of setting up expectations. I was expecting some kind of announcement that a top level command and control system was going to be setup to coordinate the cleanup efforts.
ReplyDeleteBP is doing everything it can to cap the gusher. The area that seems to be out of control is the coordination of cleanup efforts. Letting BP run this part is just not working. I think we need to bring military or ex-military in to fully coordinate the efforts. In a sense this is war and all hands are needed on deck. BP just doesn't have the ability to manage but our military does.
I hope that getting the 20 Billion in escrow is a start to bringing forth this mission.
If we the government do take over expect the usual howls about socialism. But at this point, who cares.
Up till yesterday, I was agreeing with the commenters here who say, "Really, what can a president DO?"
ReplyDeleteHowever, the AP fact-checking article changed my mind because it demonstrates that the president could have given permits for barriers to be built to protect the land. The government refused. THAT refusal is what the president could have done to fix things. Not giving those permits is egregious.
Eric "I Text While the President Speaks" Cantor was just on msnbc. He is positively giddy with the fact that those on the left are also saying the president isn't showing leadership.
ReplyDeleteHated seeing that smirk. Hated it. If HE had a plan, I would love to hear it. He was spewing lies. Unchecked.
Go figure- spend a week raising expectations that this was going to be an historic speech of epic proportions, then blast it when he couldn't prove he was a god.
Jeeze.
Altho I would have loved to hear "it's over" last night, I do appreciate the President speaking honestly, that this is not going to be fixed overnight - it will take years for clean-up and recovery.
ReplyDeleteThe President looked & sounded tired - he had so much energy for the future of the country on Nov. 4th 2008. Moving us away from "hit first & ask questions later" - ending the wars & bringing our troops home - closing GITMO - getting the Bush/Cheney reign behind us with Health Care Reform, ending DADT, Alternative energy, etc. Now, almost 2 yrs after election, only a couple changes have been made and more consequences of Bush/Cheney decisions are taking priority. Its like the Bush admin. left us a forest fire on 2 fronts - with other areas burning. Obama gets one fire partially out and another explodes somewhere else.
Last night - what saddened me was ....
I didn't "feel the hope" and I fear because there isn't reasonable progress during the Obama administration - the country will turn to GOP in the next presidential election.
I have been thinking like ac (above) what if BP doesn't want this well capped because they will lose that well.
ReplyDeleteWhat if BP was told that any oil they pumped up to the tankers they could not sale at a profit, wonder if that would speed them up.
Right now I don't believe anybody knows how to shut that well down. Shame on us for not making sure that these companies must have the knowledge and technology to protect from these environmental disasters.
I agree with all the above I was not upset over his address. I like his composure, I would not want to see him raising hell just for our benefit. I want him to use his brain and his steadfast temperament to talk to us and whomever he needs to deal with.
I believe in him that he will do the best to his ability to help with this disaster. I guess I am somewhat amused that people want him to grandstand because they feel entitled to see him do that.
I don't want him to tell me everything they are doing because that means they are wasting resources that could be used elsewhere. Brief us when there is a development pro or con and get to work.
I see the AP talking out of their ass once again, since our President did indeed get the 20 billion fund and Attorney Kenneth Feinberg will be overseeing the fund. Hmm think they got that part wrong too.
He was damned either way if he had harped on alternative energy they would have been raising hell about him using the spill to push his agenda, and when he didn't now you are harping on it. Right now we need to worry how to stop that damn oil spill and how to clean it, nothing else right now should be on the agenda, but this catastrophe.
We ask for honesty and got it. Obama can’t wave a magic want and make this go away. As much as you wanted to hear promises they wouldn’t have been true so why wish for it. He is only human and can’t fix what they fucked up.
ReplyDeleteThe real issue here is something very few seem to be acknowledging, especially BP and I doubt most of the public even heard about it. It was speculated that BP knew they damaged the well further when they did top fill and that is why they stopped so abruptly when they had just said it would take a few days to know if it worked, then a couple hours later they stopped cold turkey.
If what the experts said is true they damaged the well down deep and there may be a subfloor leak as well. Any attempt to stop it now would increase the pressure and cause an under ground explosion of oil we would never recover from. They suspect it is already leaking underground but want to avoid a full blow out. This also explains why the current cap allows more flow than was already happening.
BP fucked up, not Obama. The MMS, Bush and Cheney are all responsible for this just as Transocean and Halliburton are.
I'm usually proud to be a liberal but in the last few days I'm ashamed; because of the President, HELL NO! Because of all the liberal president bashing going on. It's unbelievable. I do expect the media to hold politician's feet to the fire, but it's clear that we liberals are certainly fair weather friends, aren't we? We're all on board when things are going right but do we stand behind our elected officials when times are tough? Hell no! Well, this liberal is. And if we lose the next election, the liberals will be just as responsible as the right wingers. Maybe more so.
ReplyDeleteI have lots of friends that are not politicos. They are not following every single blathering talking point. This speech was for them, simply said.
ReplyDeleteAlso check out the letter Sully received:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/06/the-deepwater-horizon-speech-reax-ctd.html
Obusha's bottom line was to pray for the courage to get through tough times.
ReplyDeleteSorry, God didn't make this mess, and it is not his to clean up. First lynch those in charge at BP. Then make sure every dime the company has is available to the people who suffer from the spill.
Effects of the AIR pollution are reported to be enroute up the Mississippi and eastward as far NE as New England.
Count me with the ones who are disappointed in your attitude. I felt the President's speech was short, direct, and I heard what I needed to hear: he's been paying attention from the beginning, he's taking advice from reputable sources, he directly blamed Republican deregulation WHICH IS TRUE, he said business can't be trusted to handle safety issues appropriately, he said he was going to ensure that BP is going to pay for cleanup and helping people who have lost income, he said we need to get away from dependence on oil.
ReplyDeleteI felt reassured that an adult is in charge. An INTELLIGENT adult. I understood that decades of mismanagement (can we all remember that Republicans controlled Congress from 1994 ro 2006, and since 2006 they've obstructed everything they can?) can't be undone in two years. I understood that this, or another kind of oil spill, could happen again. I understood that everything possible is being done, and that BP has been in the lead because, being an oil production/drilling company, they ought to have the technology and that the government certainly does not.
I also understood that there's no way that Obama can, in two years, game all the possible disasters that might happen, and develop a response. BP is who should have a response and it should have worked.
As I said, the President said all I needed to hear for now. I didn't expect to hear details of a plan. I'm sure I will, but this wasn't the time nor the venue.
My only disappointment is that he pandered, once again, to the lowest common denominator by going into Jesus mode at the end of the speech, "and God bless the United States...". However, I suppose he realizes that the superstitious are going to raise a ruckus if he doesn't, and aside from giving them an inflated sense of importance it doesn't do any harm.
Ivyfree
Please name one, any, US politician who you think would do a better job at being President of the United States right now than Barack Obama.Can you imagine any other person able to handle all the crises this country faces right now? It is absolutely ridiculous to think that Barack Obama knows how to plug the leak and clean up the mess. The oil companies don't know. The experts don't know. My God, he's a man - an intelligent, capable, thoughtful, poised, educated man. He's not the fucking Son of Man come to save us. The only other person in the US today who comes close is Hillary Clinton and I would be certain if she had better ideas about any issue facing us today, she has Barack's ear. Give the man a fricking break.
ReplyDeleteHere is a new post from Steven Weber regarding the speech delivered by Pres. Obama last night. Maybe this will help Gryphen to look at it through another perspective. One thing is certain, had it been McCain and Paylin in charge, they would not attempt to explain the responsibility of BP nor the instant gratification Americans expect with every turn of events. They would have told us to 'suck it up' and only prayer to their god would solve the problem! We dodged a bullet when Obama won!
ReplyDeleteHere is Steven Weber's post:
You're born in difficult circumstances.
You're raised to respect the world and value education.
You rise through determination and hard work.
You achieve things uncommon to a person of your background.
You excel at virtually everything you do and turn your energies towards the betterment of your fellows.
You lay your eyes on a prize considered unreachable.
You attain that prize.
You walk through the door of a once thought-to-be unobtainable office.
And there you are met by men who tell you that the reality of what you hoped for is far different from what you thought.
And what you will really be doing, now that you've been allowed to get there.
And the hope stirred in the people who helped you achieve your and their dreams begins to be mixed with frustration and bile.
And the men who control the office and all the power emanating from it grin smugly at the naivete of the people.
And you have no choice but to become the very thing you sought to change.
And the dream of Democracy only functions on the lowest of levels while the realities of global corporate dominion continue to crush individual imagination and hopes for a better, saner future.
And minds warped by greed, emboldened by a sleeping citizenry, will not stop, for they have no moral compass, no compassion to serve as guardian against corruption of the soul.
And now, those forces of greed are having their way in the glaring daylight and no one---not an able, deserving president, not a freedom-loving nation, descended from immigrants, descended from slaves, descended from the land---can stop them.
The time has come, it seems, for free people to fight the forces of greed which threaten to swamp liberty and destroy the land, to fight them and to never stop. The way has never been more clear.
That the man chosen, with all his superior abilities and attributes, is as vulnerable as those who believe in him, should not be the focus of rage. It should be squarely upon the forces stopping him from achieving all he---and we---can.
You see them. And so do we.
I totally agree with the poster who said WE are the fickle ones. We've changed since the election. Didn't he say it would be complicated and hard to fix 8 years of failure? We've decided that we don't want to partner and organize and share responsibility. We want a savior for president (or one who pretends to be). We got Bush for two terms because we are a immature, low-information, sound-bite driven culture that demands instant gratification like spoiled children. We want to hear everything's rosy even when it's cow dung.
ReplyDeleteIf Obama goes down because of this it's because this country truly has not learned anything from the presidency of GWB. I love the Mission Accomplished example because that's what some of us wanted to hear last night. Chris Matthews is one of the worst cable news offenders. That guy wants all emotion all the time. The only time Obama disappointed me during this BP mess was when he said "he wanted to know whose ass to kick". That was a BS statement made in response to all of the babies in the media and public who aren't satisfied with the cold, hard truth.
Aren't we tired yet of PR presidents????? If we aren't, then get ready to elect President Palin, the queen of feel-good but do-evil BS. I for one will be moving to Vancouver if that happens and will pray for the rest of you from there. Obama is not perfect, no one is, but he could be the best president this country's seen in the last 50 years. He's giving the American public what we said we wanted, earnest, straightforward, well-reasoned, intellectual, pragmatic governance.
This isn't Obama's test, it's ours.
If Obama's speech had achieved any of the first three objectives you listed, the President would have been lying to you.
ReplyDeleteThe day that rig exploded, any intelligent person could have told you it would be twenty-five years minimum before the Gulf re-establishec some degree of normalcy.
See you in 2035.
Gryphen:
ReplyDeleteThanks for your blog! Sorry, but I agree with most everyone here -- I don't think there could be anything more he could do to appease people that he's *in charge* other than getting really emotional about it (which, to me, is cheap and pointless pandering). Unfortunately, that seems to be what makes people *feel better* these days. I think the man is doing an absolutely awesome job with the spill AND overall and will support him to my dying day. I STILL get all warm and fuzzy hearing him talk, not just because of his style/rhetoric, but because he can put a complete and intelligent sentence together.
Personally, I think this spill is the *big one,* another push to a slow but inevitable decline of our nation ... but I still prefer to a have a ship captain who shows the poise and grace this guy displays, without lies and cheap parlor tricks, as the proverbial ship goes down. Sorry, it's just a sickening sense I have, and my gut is often right ...
It's heartening to see the majority of posters here are backing the President and have not fallen into the 'blame Obama' trap.
ReplyDeleteI heard a Danish engineer last night commenting
ReplyDeleteon the oil 'spill.' He said, he knows what crude oil
looks like, its texture, color etc., & whats spewing up from the Gulf floor is not crude oil.
He said the substance is a combination of sulphur, iron & he named several other minerals. I can only recall the high lights of his remarks, but one thing caught my attention: When the geological and seismic surveys were done prior to drilling in the Gulf site, a volcano was found to be nearby the proposed drilling area. They decided to procede anyway. Had a pocket of gas not triggered the disasterous fire, the removal/displacement of the oil (which was keeping the earthen wall in place between the well & the volcano) would've caused the wall to cave-in & crumble. That sulphor is involved makes sense,
because of its yellow color - people have reported that the 'stuff' is red, brown, grayish, yellow
& combinations of all, even white. The point of
the engineer's remarks were that, it is not a
disaster, but a world calamity, effecting every
person, plant & animal. It's impossible to 'cap'
a volcano so it'll spew until it stops. I tend to
think the man knows what he's talking about.
The 'Prez' is doing everything he can. His impossible situation puts me in mind of that saying that goes...'when you can keep your head, when all around you eveyone else is losing theirs and blaming you for it...'
If I were in his place I'd likely sit down & cry,
Sarah would've quit & gone home, the President is
facing it while taking the flack from all sides.
Sharon TN
What really disgusted me about the liberals' criticism of PO's speech was how instantaneous it was! No latency or lag time for thoughtful reflection on his points. This style of criticism is the modus operandus of the conservative right-wingers! Blast and slam without thinking. Knee-jerk sh*t!
ReplyDeleteIt was an excellent speech which was well-crafted for the general audience of US citizens (right, left, and center). Get a freaking grip! He's the president of the whole country, not just a pet for the left. His greatness is that he realizes this awesome responsibility.
Keith Olbermann lost my family as viewers last night because we are sick to the gills with knee-jerk analysis in the media. Rachel Maddow is about the only cable host who apparently still studies, thinks, and analyzes before she opens her mouth!
Does that mean that folks can never criticize PO? Hell, no. But at least think about it before waxing emotionally on your "impressions!" Liberals have the decided advanatge currently when it comes to disciplined intellect and thoughtful analysis. USE IT! (or you're no different than the rigid right-wing "shoot from the hip" crap)
I think you and Olbermann are expecting perfection according to your own ideals. You will always be disappointed then if Obama does not give you the exact words you want. How about listening to what he said and then look at the absolutely amazing escrow account he got from BP and tell me he didn't do a good enough job. Nobody, Republican or Democrat could do as well as he did. The right has absolute support on their side, the Democrats have a bunch of whining supporters who seem to miss the empty swagger of Bush. You don't support the President, when he needs you to have his back, you give the right more talking points.
ReplyDeleteYay, anon@6:43. I'm listening. Good point for us liberals. Very wise, imho.
ReplyDeleteYes to Lynne above. Liberals are turning into fairweather friends! ugh. The Republicans stood by stupid Bush. Thats what happens when you have some solidarity. For crying out loud, quit the negative talk, and stand up for President Obama. I suppose you all know that you are doing exactly what Palin wants. To be in FEAR. She wins. Great guys and gals. sheesh!
ReplyDeleteHere's the deal: You lib...sorry, "Progressives" elected a guy who was very good at running for President but not so good at actually, you know, being President.
ReplyDeleteAP: BP meeting that stretched more than four hours, with Obama darting in and out of the room
ReplyDeleteI disagree. This writer "reads" President Obama the same way I do:http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-06-15/obama-oval-office-speech-on-oil-spill-shows-personal-commitment/
ReplyDeleteWhatever, you don't get elected Pres of the US unless you are a "company man". Obama's soul has been bought and sold so many times I'm sure he can't keep track.
ReplyDeleteMonetary favors from really rich people and companies get you elected to the highest office in the land. Once you are seated you are a puppet to your handlers and nothing you say or do is of your own free will.
He seems like a nice enough person and I applaud his intelligence but he's a tool of big business and the richest 1% in this country are his constituents.
For Pete's sake, Gryphen, get a grip. Face facts. You--all of us really--have the luxury of sitting in front of a computer screen and firing off salvos about what "Obama needs to do," how he's "let us down," how he's "too aloof," how he "doesn't get it," blah, blah, blah.
ReplyDeleteWords are far too easy to come by. It's so convenient to spout impressive-sounding arguments on the teevee (Rachel Maddow, listen up!), or settle into a comfy chair in the privacy of a room somewhere and type anything we damn well please into a handy-dandy little machine--all the while convinced of our own intellectual acumen and profundity. That's our privilege, that's our right.
But I want you to think realistically about what the alternative could be right now, and not some "progressive" pie-in-the-sky dream about how things were supposed to be. (By the way, I've been a genuine progressive since before you were born.)
What's the alternative? John McCain and Sarah Palin could have won the election in 2008. That's a simple but sobering fact. Personally, I'm relieved, and proud, that Barack Obama is president. He's doing the best he can do in the face of overwhelming circumstances. He's an honorable, reflective man. It's time to give him a break.
There's too much righteous indignation being hurled at President Obama by people who are naive, self-indulgent, and finally unable to behave as reasonable adults, to recognize we're all in this together. They risk becoming narcissists like Sarah Palin, by assuming some kind of false equivalency with the President of the United States.
Such behavior is detrimental to the legitimate role of informed citizens.
I read some interesting - disturbing - forums today by oil and gas people that says this will may NEVER be plugged. The theory is that the well casing has been breached, and the oil/gas/sand etc mixture is flowing outside as well as inside the pipes. It's a very abrasive mixture and is therefore eroding and making the hole wider. The wider it gets, the greater the chance that the entire BOP will collapse into the hole. The hole will be unpluggable. The entire reservoir will spill into the Gulf. This is scary, scary stuff.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama got a $20 Billion fund from BP in less than sixty days. What did Alaska get from Exxon? $500 million after twenty years.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think President Obama is doing FINE.
Sharon in TN...very interesting comment.
ReplyDeleteOhiovoter