Day 42: What has he done?

[Sinatra]

Sinatra, you don't have to post every day on here. If people want to read it, they can click on your link. Thanks.

If I wish to review Obama's activities during the crisis, as is the intent of the thread I have originated, I shall do so.

Thank you!

 

[PixieStix]

Campaigned for Barbara Boxer, went on vacation and stood in the rain with an umbrella.

 

[Sinatra]

We then have Obama's first radio address to the nation following the Gulf Oil Leak disaster - and he did not mention the disaster once.

What he did mention was to have women and minorities organize and prepare for political action.

Bravo Mr. President - the Gulf region thanks you for your quick response to a growing disaster!

 

[Sinatra]

So I ask again - 42 days into this crisis, and what has Obama done to protect the shores of America?

Even such liberal talking heads such as Chris Mathews have blasted Obama for his near-indifference on this continueing disaster...

 

[Middleman]

Day 42 of the oil leak - what has the Obama White House done to help protect the shoreline and the Americans who call those lands home?

For the factually disadvantaged

•By the Numbers to Date:

•The administration has authorized 17,500 National Guard troops from Gulf Coast states to participate in the response to the BP oil spill.
•More than 20,000 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines.
•More than 1,700 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts—in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.
•Approximately 1.96 million feet of containment boom and 2 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 620,000 feet of containment boom and 1.8 million feet of sorbent boom are available.
•Approximately 13.8 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.
•Approximately 980,000 gallons of total dispersant have been deployed—755,000 on the surface and 225,000 subsea. More than 420,000 gallons are available.
•More than 120 controlled burns have been conducted, efficiently removing a total of more than 2.8 gallons of oil from the open water in an effort to protect shoreline and wildlife.
•17 staging areas are in place and ready to protect sensitive shorelines, including: Dauphin Island, Ala., Orange Beach, Ala., Theodore, Ala., Panama City, Fla., Pensacola, Fla., Port St. Joe, Fla., St. Marks, Fla., Amelia, La., Cocodrie, La., Grand Isle, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., St. Mary, La.; Venice, La., Biloxi, Miss., Pascagoula, Miss., and Pass Christian, Miss.

ANd I just love how all these "govt is not the solution; govt is the problem" rightwingers are whining because the nanny state isnt giving them a binky.

This type of disaster is a perfect example of when the Federal government should be deeply involved and overseeing operations. Protecting the environment is definitely a Federal mandate, in my opinion. The government is the only entity capable of monitoring multi-billion dollar corporations and making them accountable.

You can't blame all this on Obama, that's for sure. But one reason many people vote Democratic is that they tend to be stronger environmentalists. Yet this disaster occurred on Obama's watch, well into his second year in office. Yet there was continuing poor oversight, and no apparent plan in place by BP or the government, in how to cap an offshore well in this particular scenario.

 

[random3434]

So I ask again - 42 days into this crisis, and what has Obama done to protect the shores of America?

Even such liberal talking heads such as Chris Mathews have blasted Obama for his near-indifference on this continueing disaster...

Since you must have missed this post, because you are asking the same question again (now how many times is that in this thread?) I'll repost what our friend put out there for you:

For the factually disadvantaged


Quote:
•By the Numbers to Date:

•The administration has authorized 17,500 National Guard troops from Gulf Coast states to participate in the response to the BP oil spill.
•More than 20,000 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines.
•More than 1,700 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts—in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.
•Approximately 1.96 million feet of containment boom and 2 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 620,000 feet of containment boom and 1.8 million feet of sorbent boom are available.
•Approximately 13.8 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.
•Approximately 980,000 gallons of total dispersant have been deployed—755,000 on the surface and 225,000 subsea. More than 420,000 gallons are available.
•More than 120 controlled burns have been conducted, efficiently removing a total of more than 2.8 gallons of oil from the open water in an effort to protect shoreline and wildlife.
•17 staging areas are in place and ready to protect sensitive shorelines, including: Dauphin Island, Ala., Orange Beach, Ala., Theodore, Ala., Panama City, Fla., Pensacola, Fla., Port St. Joe, Fla., St. Marks, Fla., Amelia, La., Cocodrie, La., Grand Isle, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., St. Mary, La.; Venice, La., Biloxi, Miss., Pascagoula, Miss., and Pass Christian, Miss.

 

[Sinatra]

Day 42 of the oil leak - what has the Obama White House done to help protect the shoreline and the Americans who call those lands home?

For the factually disadvantaged

•By the Numbers to Date:

•The administration has authorized 17,500 National Guard troops from Gulf Coast states to participate in the response to the BP oil spill.
•More than 20,000 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines.
•More than 1,700 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts—in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.
•Approximately 1.96 million feet of containment boom and 2 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 620,000 feet of containment boom and 1.8 million feet of sorbent boom are available.
•Approximately 13.8 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.
•Approximately 980,000 gallons of total dispersant have been deployed—755,000 on the surface and 225,000 subsea. More than 420,000 gallons are available.
•More than 120 controlled burns have been conducted, efficiently removing a total of more than 2.8 gallons of oil from the open water in an effort to protect shoreline and wildlife.
•17 staging areas are in place and ready to protect sensitive shorelines, including: Dauphin Island, Ala., Orange Beach, Ala., Theodore, Ala., Panama City, Fla., Pensacola, Fla., Port St. Joe, Fla., St. Marks, Fla., Amelia, La., Cocodrie, La., Grand Isle, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., St. Mary, La.; Venice, La., Biloxi, Miss., Pascagoula, Miss., and Pass Christian, Miss.

ANd I just love how all these "govt is not the solution; govt is the problem" rightwingers are whining because the nanny state isnt giving them a binky.

This type of disaster is a perfect example of when the Federal government should be deeply involved and overseeing operations. Protecting the environment is definitely a Federal mandate, in my opinion. The government is the only entity capable of monitoring multi-billion dollar corporations and making them accountable.

You can't blame all this on Obama, that's for sure. But one reason many people vote Democratic is that they tend to be stronger environmentalists. Yet this disaster occurred on Obama's watch, well into his second year in office. Yet there was continuing poor oversight, and no apparent plan in place by BP or the government, in how to cap an offshore well in this particular scenario.

____



Great job.

Obama is not to blame directly for the oil rig explosion - though his administration, as you point out, was going on two years in of overseeing and enforcing the regulations pertaining to such rigs.

Where Obama has fallen so terribly short was his very slow response time, followed by a near incomprehensible message that lacked any real substantive message of leadership during a crisis. It is the Federal Government's duty to protect the United States - Obama has failed to do so regarding the oil spill.

 

[random3434]

 

[sangha]

Day 42 of the oil leak - what has the Obama White House done to help protect the shoreline and the Americans who call those lands home?

For the factually disadvantaged

•By the Numbers to Date:

•The administration has authorized 17,500 National Guard troops from Gulf Coast states to participate in the response to the BP oil spill.
•More than 20,000 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines.
•More than 1,700 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts—in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.
•Approximately 1.96 million feet of containment boom and 2 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 620,000 feet of containment boom and 1.8 million feet of sorbent boom are available.
•Approximately 13.8 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.
•Approximately 980,000 gallons of total dispersant have been deployed—755,000 on the surface and 225,000 subsea. More than 420,000 gallons are available.
•More than 120 controlled burns have been conducted, efficiently removing a total of more than 2.8 gallons of oil from the open water in an effort to protect shoreline and wildlife.
•17 staging areas are in place and ready to protect sensitive shorelines, including: Dauphin Island, Ala., Orange Beach, Ala., Theodore, Ala., Panama City, Fla., Pensacola, Fla., Port St. Joe, Fla., St. Marks, Fla., Amelia, La., Cocodrie, La., Grand Isle, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., St. Mary, La.; Venice, La., Biloxi, Miss., Pascagoula, Miss., and Pass Christian, Miss.

ANd I just love how all these "govt is not the solution; govt is the problem" rightwingers are whining because the nanny state isnt giving them a binky.

This type of disaster is a perfect example of when the Federal government should be deeply involved and overseeing operations. Protecting the environment is definitely a Federal mandate, in my opinion. The government is the only entity capable of monitoring multi-billion dollar corporations and making them accountable.

And another hypocrit from the right betrays their conservative principles (for lack of a better word). Suddenly, the wingnuts support federal environmental regulations.

Meanwhile, the same wingnuts are posting about how Palin was right to blame the feds environmental regulations.

You can't blame all this on Obama, that's for sure. But one reason many people vote Democratic is that they tend to be stronger environmentalists. Yet this disaster occurred on Obama's watch, well into his second year in office. Yet there was continuing poor oversight, and no apparent plan in place by BP or the government, in how to cap an offshore well in this particular scenario.

I just can't get over the fact that Obama didn't dive into the gulf and stop the leak single handedly.

And yet, 9/11 happened on bush's watch. I'm sure you hold bush just as accountable.

 

[JScott]

For the factually disadvantaged



ANd I just love how all these "govt is not the solution; govt is the problem" rightwingers are whining because the nanny state isnt giving them a binky.

This type of disaster is a perfect example of when the Federal government should be deeply involved and overseeing operations. Protecting the environment is definitely a Federal mandate, in my opinion. The government is the only entity capable of monitoring multi-billion dollar corporations and making them accountable.

You can't blame all this on Obama, that's for sure. But one reason many people vote Democratic is that they tend to be stronger environmentalists. Yet this disaster occurred on Obama's watch, well into his second year in office. Yet there was continuing poor oversight, and no apparent plan in place by BP or the government, in how to cap an offshore well in this particular scenario.

____



Great job.

Obama is not to blame directly for the oil rig explosion - though his administration, as you point out, was going on two years in of overseeing and enforcing the regulations pertaining to such rigs.

Where Obama has fallen so terribly short was his very slow response time, followed by a near incomprehensible message that lacked any real substantive message of leadership during a crisis. It is the Federal Government's duty to protect the United States - Obama has failed to do so regarding the oil spill.

You just hate Obama, thats all.

 

[Sinatra]

And a week and a half into the crisis and the Coast Guard was now warning that the oil spill could be among the worst in American history - and what was Obama talking about?

...the Arizona immigration law and his soon-to-be Supreme Court pick. Nary a mention of the oil spill folks.

 

[Middleman]

What I'd like to know is, why did BP not have a proven device ready to move to the scene of a breached off shore well? Why aren't they required to prepare for this potential calamity?

In a hospital, for example, there is a crash cart in every unit. A crash cart has a defibrillator, it has resuscitative medications, it has an intubation kit, it has a bag mask, it has IV fluids, it has everything needed to conduct a code on a patient in respiratory or cardiac arrest.

The crash cart is checked every day, the defibrillator is unplugged and discharged every day to make sure its in working order.

Now, why aren't oil companies required to have a disaster plan in case a well is breached like this? Why weren't they required to submit a detailed plan to the Federal government ahead of time? Why was BP throwing together something after the fact, something they weren't even sure would work? It's ludicrous!

 

[Sinatra]

What I'd like to know is, why did BP not have a proven device ready to move to the scene of a breached off shore well? Why aren't they required to prepare for this potential calamity?

In a hospital, for example, there is a crash cart in every unit. A crash cart has a defibrillator, it has resuscitative medications, it has an intubation kit, it has a bag mask, it has IV fluids, it has everything needed to conduct a code on a patient in respiratory or cardiac arrest.

The crash cart is checked every day, the defibrillator is unplugged and discharged every day to make sure its in working order.

Now, why aren't oil companies required to have a disaster plan in case a well is breached like this? Why weren't they required to submit a detail plan to the Federal government ahead of time? Why was BP throwing together something after the fact, something they weren't even sure would work? It's ludicrous!

I believe there was an oil burn plan in place - but it was delayed, and then it became too late.

 

[Sinatra]

And even the New York Times raised alarms regarding Obama's ineptitude...

___

A White House as politically attuned as this one should have been conscious of two obvious historical lessons. One was the Exxon Valdez, where a late and lame response by both industry and the federal government all but destroyed one of the country’s richest fishing grounds and ended up costing billions of dollars. The other was President George W. Bush’s hapless response to Hurricane Katrina.

Now we have another disaster in more or less the same neck of the woods, and it takes the administration more than a week to really get moving.



Read more: Now Even The New York Times Hints That The Oil Spill Is Obama's Katrina

 

[Middleman]

For the factually disadvantaged



ANd I just love how all these "govt is not the solution; govt is the problem" rightwingers are whining because the nanny state isnt giving them a binky.

This type of disaster is a perfect example of when the Federal government should be deeply involved and overseeing operations. Protecting the environment is definitely a Federal mandate, in my opinion. The government is the only entity capable of monitoring multi-billion dollar corporations and making them accountable.

And another hypocrit from the right betrays their conservative principles (for lack of a better word). Suddenly, the wingnuts support federal environmental regulations.

Meanwhile, the same wingnuts are posting about how Palin was right to blame the feds environmental regulations.

You can't blame all this on Obama, that's for sure. But one reason many people vote Democratic is that they tend to be stronger environmentalists. Yet this disaster occurred on Obama's watch, well into his second year in office. Yet there was continuing poor oversight, and no apparent plan in place by BP or the government, in how to cap an offshore well in this particular scenario.

I just can't get over the fact that Obama didn't dive into the gulf and stop the leak single handedly.

And yet, 9/11 happened on bush's watch. I'm sure you hold bush just as accountable.

I'm no Bush apologist, I didn't vote for him and thought he was a crappy president, so you can save your insults for someone else my friend...

 

[Vast LWC]

http://www.usmessageboard.com/curre...-hard-to-make-the-oil-spill-obamas-fault.html

Unemployment fell to 9.5%, Manufacturing is WAY up, Exports are WAY up.

No wonder you people are trying so hard to blame Obama for this.

 

[random3434]

What I'd like to know is, why did BP not have a proven device ready to move to the scene of a breached off shore well? Why aren't they required to prepare for this potential calamity?

In a hospital, for example, there is a crash cart in every unit. A crash cart has a defibrillator, it has resuscitative medications, it has an intubation kit, it has a bag mask, it has IV fluids, it has everything needed to conduct a code on a patient in respiratory or cardiac arrest.

The crash cart is checked every day, the defibrillator is unplugged and discharged every day to make sure its in working order.

Now, why aren't oil companies required to have a disaster plan in case a well is breached like this? Why weren't they required to submit a detailed plan to the Federal government ahead of time? Why was BP throwing together something after the fact, something they weren't even sure would work? It's ludicrous!

Those are GREAT QUESTIONS! I wonder if we will get any answers?

 

[random3434]

This type of disaster is a perfect example of when the Federal government should be deeply involved and overseeing operations. Protecting the environment is definitely a Federal mandate, in my opinion. The government is the only entity capable of monitoring multi-billion dollar corporations and making them accountable.

And another hypocrit from the right betrays their conservative principles (for lack of a better word). Suddenly, the wingnuts support federal environmental regulations.

Meanwhile, the same wingnuts are posting about how Palin was right to blame the feds environmental regulations.

You can't blame all this on Obama, that's for sure. But one reason many people vote Democratic is that they tend to be stronger environmentalists. Yet this disaster occurred on Obama's watch, well into his second year in office. Yet there was continuing poor oversight, and no apparent plan in place by BP or the government, in how to cap an offshore well in this particular scenario.

I just can't get over the fact that Obama didn't dive into the gulf and stop the leak single handedly.

And yet, 9/11 happened on bush's watch. I'm sure you hold bush just as accountable.

.

I'm no Bush apologist, I didn't vote for him and thought he was a crappy president, so you can save your insults for someone else my friend...

I can vouch for Middleman. He is not a paid shill like Sinatra, he is asking honest and valid questions.

 

[Middleman]

And, if we are going to compare Bush and his response to 9/11, and Obama and his response to the Gulf disaster, in my opinion, Bush totally overreacted by invading Iraq, and Obama has not responded strongly enough to this ecological disaster.

As far as prevention, I'm not sure what Bush could have done to prevent 9/11, but I do feel that Obama should have made good on his promises to protect the environment. One thing I expect from the Democrats is tighter environmental regulation and oversight, and I would have expected a Democratic president to have corrected the pro-business, pro-big oil policies that were present under Bush.

 

[sangha]

And another hypocrit from the right betrays their conservative principles (for lack of a better word). Suddenly, the wingnuts support federal environmental regulations.

Meanwhile, the same wingnuts are posting about how Palin was right to blame the feds environmental regulations.



I just can't get over the fact that Obama didn't dive into the gulf and stop the leak single handedly.

And yet, 9/11 happened on bush's watch. I'm sure you hold bush just as accountable.

.

I'm no Bush apologist, I didn't vote for him and thought he was a crappy president, so you can save your insults for someone else my friend...

I can vouch for Middleman. He is not a paid shill like Sinatra, he is asking honest and valid questions.[/QUOTE]

In that case, I apologize for unfairly judging you.

Since you are asking a sincere question, I will give you a sincere answer:

President Obama is the Chief Executive of a federal govt that employs hundreds of thousand of people, and hundreds of various agencies and depts. He is responsible for the execution of laws that fill legal libraries. No one man can be in all places at once.

The agency in charge of monitoring and regulating the oil companies is the Mineral and Mining Services (aka MMS). During the bush administtration, bush and cheney packed it with corrupt loyalists who took bribes from the oil companies. You can Google it.

When Obama took office, his administration began efforts to get those bushies out of the MMS. However, it takes time to get rid of civil service employees, so many still remain, in charge of monitoring companies like BP.

And, if we are going to compare Bush and his response to 9/11, and Obama and his response to the Gulf disaster, in my opinion, Bush totally overreacted by invading Iraq, and Obama has not responded strongly enough to this ecological disaster.

As far as prevention, I'm not sure what Bush could have done to prevent 9/11, but I do feel that Obama should have made good on his promises to protect the environment. One thing I expect from the Democrats is tighter environmental regulation and oversight, and I would have expected a Democratic president to have corrected the pro-business, pro-big oil policies that were present under Bush.

I'm not sure what you think Obama should have done that he didn't. I will admit that Obama's aloof manner does make him ripe for attack for not being emotional about it, but it seems your concern is more substantive than the presidents ability to emote.

You do mention environmental regulation and oversight, but I don't see how Obama could have done anything that would have prevented the leak, or anything that would have lessened the impact of this disaster. Obama can only enforce the laws that Congress has passed. Under bush, the republicans passed an energy bill (remember cheneys secret energy meetings?) which deregulated a lot of the oil companies operations, and packed the regulatory agency (ie MMS) with industry cronies. Obama doesn't have a magic wand he can wave and change things overnight, especially with republicans voting against everything, including bills they wrote themselves.