President Obama addressed the nation last night to discuss the oil spill and the government’s role in the ongoing issue. Unfortunately, most progressives believe that he failed at taking a stand and showing real leadership on the spill. Mike Papantonio appears on MSNBC’s The Ed Show to tell us what Obama should be doing about the crisis.
Don’t you just hate it when it feels as if corporations profiteering and the teabaggers defending them are among the few “real Americans”?
Furthermore, the BP chairman sounds very insulting and condescending when he calls the citizens of the Gulf “little people.” That’s like saying that the 95-99% of us are regarded as “little people” – and unpatriotic. All too often the 95-99% of us who know the truth is unpatriotic.
I’ll be back soon to comment on this ROFR post. Gotta have dinner now…
…As I’ve been saying, it seems like corporations usually get off easy. It’s like in the movie “Goodfellas” where the mobsters were sent to “jail” which was a house that served gourmet Italian food including garlic sliced so thin that it would melt in the pan. So, I wonder if $20 billion is really going to teach BP a lesson, or that they are just throwing money at the situation to reduce the citizens of the Gulf from suing them. Seems like for the past 10-30 years under deregulation, only a handful, roughly, of corporate thugs have actually gone to jail such as Madoff, the Enron execs, those at Lincoln Savings and Loan, et al.
Also, I just saw on ABC World News Tonight that when Tony *Soprano* Hayward was under oath testifying to the congressional committee, a citizen barged in urging for him to be arrested. Not sure if she was arrested, but certainly escorted from the hearing room, probably for being disruptive, even though her anger was overall justified.
As for another example, if a teenager vandalizes either public or private property, then he/she is sentenced to either a few weeks in jail, fined, or forced to do community service (if caught) – yet, if corporations like BP destroy the Gulf, and possibly further into the Atlantic, they get off more easy, or punishment doesn’t come down so hard on them for their MALmanagement.
We sure do need a leader to take charge like either Moses or FDR did. As seen in Michael Moore’s movie “Capitalism”, there was footage of a factory that was taken over by the workers in a mutiny against the corrupt management, where FDR called in the national guard to take out both the corrupt, union-busting managers and the corrupt police.
Now, maybe sooner or later, someone or a group of progressive citizens will be brave enough to attempt to place a citizen’s arrest on Tony *Soprano* Hayward. But, I wonder how soon it will take Mike to take BP to court. This is a must-win case for Mike and the citizens of the Gulf. We don’t want any shallow apologies saying “I’m deeply sorry” and paying off fines and throwing $$$ at the situation. It’s all a matter of getting a judge who is more impartial and doesn’t hinge toward corporate interests.
I didn’t care for Obama’s speech the other night, but I do see where Mike has a point in that it seems to have gotten results. Like Mike said, to get a corporation to voluntarily commit 20 billion dollars, would be unprecedented in a legal setting. Obama obviously was able to wield some leverage in his private meeting with BP to get them to cough up the money. That’s no small feat.
NR,
I agree. That BP chairman was very condescending and insulting. But it’s another example of how the corporate elite are so detached from REAL people.
BTW, someone needs to force BP to allow workers cleaning up the Gulf to use gas masks while cleaning up the sludge on the shores and NOT hard hats. If these BP execs sound condescending and cannot come up with solid answers for the congressional committee, then such people have absolutely NO credibility, and they are digging themselves down deeper and deeper when they get workers to use just hard hats while working to further cut corners and Tony *Soprano* Hayward saying “I want my life back”.
I also want to add, I’m still leary of BP and the money. But obviously they have some true fear of eventually seeing prison time and that was I’m sure part of the leverage Obama used. It would be nice ifr they could get the money and STILL put a few of them in jail. Namely Hayward and Suttles. Time will tell.
NR,
I saw that clip on Michael Moore.com of that lady barging into the courtroom wanting Hayward arrested….I totally agree.
Well….
Mike makes a very strong case for the idea that Obama IS a strong leader, and not only that, can get unprecedented amounts of money from a company, right from the get-go. I acknowledge Mike’s expertise in this, of course, and am heartened to know that Obama did this.
Of course, the disaster, from my understanding, is ALSO unprecedented, so perhaps 20 billion, a staggering amount of money, is relatively small, considering all the destruction that has already occurred and will continue to wreck havoc.
Then, to, Ed Schultz said that it will take three years for all this money to be paid out, and a lot can happen in three years, it seems to me.
Yes, I criticized Obama’s speech, but: oh well. It’s hard to know, w/this president, just what is really going on.
The proof is in the pudding. Let’s see how this money is dispersed. Let’s see that is IS dispersed. ALL of it. Let’s see what happens. I will try to keep an open mind, re: Obama. But a promise of money is not the same as actually getting all the claims met.
Maybe Pres. Obama will surprise us all, maybe he will turn out to be a very effective leader, or maybe it will be a mixed bag. Very good in some ways, very negative in others (if Glenn Greenwald is to be believed, and I do tend to trust what he writes).
As for hitting a home run w/his speech – well, I’m just tired of all the rhetoric, that’s all. We hear so many speeches, but what actually gets accomplished? Frankly, if Obama gave cr@ppy speeches, but hit “home runs” (or even “double headers” whatever They are) w/his actions, to help America, then I don’t really CARE what he says.
I just care that he carries through on his promises INCLUDING this promise of 20 billion from BP. Because, So Far, he seems to have Broken a lot of what he said about other issues, as Jon Stewart showed, the other night, in his playing of clips comparing what Obama said, Before he became president.
Anyway, I’m gratified that Mike does not link all those critical of Obama in the Glenn Beck camp. I’m sure many Progressives, upon hearing those words, would be saying to themselves: Thanks, Mike, for Not seeing me as a frothing-at-the-mouth Crazy person, just because I get angry at Pres. Obama.
On the other hand, Mike breaking down the criticism of Obama into two camps – one just sheer nuts, btw – is true and fair. I agree w/it. There is much that is worrisome to me about Pres. Obama. If I am wrong about this – and the writers I read are wrong – I would be delighted. If Jon Stewart is wrong about this, I would be delighted.