GOP Rep. Barton Apologizes to BP

[ConHog]

What kind of personally responsibility is that? As long as you're a corporation, you're not responsible for the totality of your mistakes? How can you possibly justify that?

You know that 75 million is inadequate, and your position is callous and foolish. Would you feel the same way if your livelihood and your families livelihood was ruined because of this?

did you watch the hearings today? did you learn anything other than "this is thursday." I learned something. Want to compare notes?

Would you rather the US taxpayers pay for the damages and clean-up, or should the responsible party pay for the damages and losses that they created? It's really pretty simple.

No what's simple is this.

IF Obama can ignore the law and go after a corporation for more than what they are legally obligated to pay, then there is NO reason why he couldn't do the same to you.

As the CEO of BP I am not kidding , I would have written him a check for $75M and walked away from the mess if he had been doing this bullshit to me. What happened to ' we will reearn the goodwill of the world?" That doesn't count unless he wants it to? BP had already said they would pay whatever it took, so why demand? Why not rely on goodwill and maybe fucking ask them to create an escrow account instead of acting like you had some authority that you infarct don't have?

 

[Yurt]

did you watch the hearings today? did you learn anything other than "this is thursday." I learned something. Want to compare notes?

Would you rather the US taxpayers pay for the damages and clean-up, or should the responsible party pay for the damages and losses that they created? It's really pretty simple.

No what's simple is this.

IF Obama can ignore the law and go after a corporation for more than what they are legally obligated to pay, then there is NO reason why he couldn't do the same to you.

As the CEO of BP I am not kidding , I would have written him a check for $75M and walked away from the mess if he had been doing this bullshit to me. What happened to ' we will reearn the goodwill of the world?" That doesn't count unless he wants it to? BP had already said they would pay whatever it took, so why demand? Why not rely on goodwill and maybe fucking ask them to create an escrow account instead of acting like you had some authority that you infarct don't have?

what law did obama ignore?

the way i see it....he ignored no law...BP willingly agreed to the fund, they have been saying all along they would pay....unless you can show obama threatened them in some manner that breaks the law, no law was broken...and i highly doubt it was solely obama, obama's admin was merely the end result of weeks of talks, as the executive branch, that is the way it has to be done, but obama tries to take all the creidt

 

[Guerrilla]

did you watch the hearings today? did you learn anything other than "this is thursday." I learned something. Want to compare notes?

Would you rather the US taxpayers pay for the damages and clean-up, or should the responsible party pay for the damages and losses that they created? It's really pretty simple.

No what's simple is this.

IF Obama can ignore the law and go after a corporation for more than what they are legally obligated to pay, then there is NO reason why he couldn't do the same to you.

As the CEO of BP I am not kidding , I would have written him a check for $75M and walked away from the mess if he had been doing this bullshit to me. What happened to ' we will reearn the goodwill of the world?" That doesn't count unless he wants it to? BP had already said they would pay whatever it took, so why demand? Why not rely on goodwill and maybe fucking ask them to create an escrow account instead of acting like you had some authority that you infarct don't have?

With all due respect, I think that's a bit naive.

If I did something that caused this much damage, I'd expect to be in jail, not just owe money.

 

[ConHog]

Would you rather the US taxpayers pay for the damages and clean-up, or should the responsible party pay for the damages and losses that they created? It's really pretty simple.

No what's simple is this.

IF Obama can ignore the law and go after a corporation for more than what they are legally obligated to pay, then there is NO reason why he couldn't do the same to you.

As the CEO of BP I am not kidding , I would have written him a check for $75M and walked away from the mess if he had been doing this bullshit to me. What happened to ' we will reearn the goodwill of the world?" That doesn't count unless he wants it to? BP had already said they would pay whatever it took, so why demand? Why not rely on goodwill and maybe fucking ask them to create an escrow account instead of acting like you had some authority that you infarct don't have?

what law did obama ignore?

the way i see it....he ignored no law...BP willingly agreed to the fund, they have been saying all along they would pay....unless you can show obama threatened them in some manner that breaks the law, no law was broken...and i highly doubt it was solely obama, obama's admin was merely the end result of weeks of talks, as the executive branch, that is the way it has to be done, but obama tries to take all the creidt

LOL - So you don't consider all the bad ass talk Obie has been throwing around to be breaking the law?

Then you must have ZERO problem with BOOSH just pulling a reason out of his ass to invade Iraq right?

I mean who cares about a few questionable uses of power from the President?

Oh, except that this lying POS ran on a campaign of change.

 

[Yurt]

No what's simple is this.

IF Obama can ignore the law and go after a corporation for more than what they are legally obligated to pay, then there is NO reason why he couldn't do the same to you.

As the CEO of BP I am not kidding , I would have written him a check for $75M and walked away from the mess if he had been doing this bullshit to me. What happened to ' we will reearn the goodwill of the world?" That doesn't count unless he wants it to? BP had already said they would pay whatever it took, so why demand? Why not rely on goodwill and maybe fucking ask them to create an escrow account instead of acting like you had some authority that you infarct don't have?

what law did obama ignore?

the way i see it....he ignored no law...BP willingly agreed to the fund, they have been saying all along they would pay....unless you can show obama threatened them in some manner that breaks the law, no law was broken...and i highly doubt it was solely obama, obama's admin was merely the end result of weeks of talks, as the executive branch, that is the way it has to be done, but obama tries to take all the creidt

LOL - So you don't consider all the bad ass talk Obie has been throwing around to be breaking the law?

Then you must have ZERO problem with BOOSH just pulling a reason out of his ass to invade Iraq right?

I mean who cares about a few questionable uses of power from the President?

Oh, except that this lying POS ran on a campaign of change.

so you have no law.....

 

[ConHog]

Would you rather the US taxpayers pay for the damages and clean-up, or should the responsible party pay for the damages and losses that they created? It's really pretty simple.

No what's simple is this.

IF Obama can ignore the law and go after a corporation for more than what they are legally obligated to pay, then there is NO reason why he couldn't do the same to you.

As the CEO of BP I am not kidding , I would have written him a check for $75M and walked away from the mess if he had been doing this bullshit to me. What happened to ' we will reearn the goodwill of the world?" That doesn't count unless he wants it to? BP had already said they would pay whatever it took, so why demand? Why not rely on goodwill and maybe fucking ask them to create an escrow account instead of acting like you had some authority that you infarct don't have?

With all due respect, I think that's a bit naive.

If I did something that caused this much damage, I'd expect to be in jail, not just owe money.

You misunderstand, I think BP is fully responsible, I think they should pay however much it costs to clean it up and take care of those who were damaged by this. I also know that they already committed to doing so.

I do not think it is the job of the US President to bully anyone into doing anything, and I guarantee you that is exactly what I would have told him.

 

[Old Rocks]

Sure fellow, and nobody bullied Exxon, and the people that were hurt by that spill got pennies on the dollar, many years after the spill. The President used his bully pulpit for the benefit of the people on the Gulf. Good for him.

Tough shit for you people that don't care who gets hurt, as long as he is seen as a failure.

 

[ConHog]

Sure fellow, and nobody bullied Exxon, and the people that were hurt by that spill got pennies on the dollar, many years after the spill. The President used his bully pulpit for the benefit of the people on the Gulf. Good for him.

Tough shit for you people that don't care who gets hurt, as long as he is seen as a failure.

So you agreed with this guy?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsQK2Wl8-N0]YouTube - Ed Schultz wants Obama to be dictator[/ame]

 

[Guerrilla]

No what's simple is this.

IF Obama can ignore the law and go after a corporation for more than what they are legally obligated to pay, then there is NO reason why he couldn't do the same to you.

As the CEO of BP I am not kidding , I would have written him a check for $75M and walked away from the mess if he had been doing this bullshit to me. What happened to ' we will reearn the goodwill of the world?" That doesn't count unless he wants it to? BP had already said they would pay whatever it took, so why demand? Why not rely on goodwill and maybe fucking ask them to create an escrow account instead of acting like you had some authority that you infarct don't have?

With all due respect, I think that's a bit naive.

If I did something that caused this much damage, I'd expect to be in jail, not just owe money.

You misunderstand, I think BP is fully responsible, I think they should pay however much it costs to clean it up and take care of those who were damaged by this. I also know that they already committed to doing so.

I do not think it is the job of the US President to bully anyone into doing anything, and I guarantee you that is exactly what I would have told him.

Well if BP was already committed to doing so (paying however much it costs to clean up and take care of those who were damaged by this), how much did Obama really have to bully them?

The purpose of this escrow account was to protect us from BP finding legal loopholes or possibly declaring bankruptcy before paying their share.

 

[ConHog]

With all due respect, I think that's a bit naive.

If I did something that caused this much damage, I'd expect to be in jail, not just owe money.

You misunderstand, I think BP is fully responsible, I think they should pay however much it costs to clean it up and take care of those who were damaged by this. I also know that they already committed to doing so.

I do not think it is the job of the US President to bully anyone into doing anything, and I guarantee you that is exactly what I would have told him.

Well if BP was already committed to doing so (paying however much it costs to clean up and take care of those who were damaged by this), how much did Obama really have to bully them?

The purpose of this escrow account was to protect us from BP finding legal loopholes or possibly declaring bankruptcy before paying their share.

Did he not get on national TV, from the oval no less , and tell us that he was going to DEMAND the escrow account? Why word it like that? Why not say " we are going to work with BP to get an escrow account set up?" I'll tell you why. He was projecting more power and authority than he has. How much did we have to demand? I'm sure none at all, I'm sure he didn't have to threaten BP to get the money, so why act like that's exactly what he had to do? Pure politics from this fucking scum, as usual.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Holy crap how great is this! AGAIN!!! Barton spews out pure idiocy this morning, the USMB rightwing braintrust rushes to his support and defense,

and before you know it (just like Boehner the other day, as I pointed out at the time)

Barton comes to his senses (or what passes for sense in a 21st century conservative) RETRACTS his statements,

and the rightwing clowns are once again hung out to dry, twisting in the wind.



you are a stoo-fucking-pid bunch!!!

 

[NYcarbineer]

He's right. It was a shakedown. Once again obie wan has circumvented the law. US law states BP's liability is no greater than 75 million dollars.

Unlike you I've actually read the law:

(c) Limits on Liability-

(1) GENERAL RULE- The total of the liability of a responsible party under subsection (a) and any removal costs incurred by, or on behalf of, the responsible party with respect to each incident shall not exceed--

(A) $500 per gross ton or $5,000,000, whichever is greater (but not to exceed $60,000,000), for any tanker;

(B) $300 per gross ton or $500,000, whichever is greater, for any other vessel; or

(C) $75,000,000 for any facility.

(2) Exceptions-

(A) PROXIMATE CAUSE- Paragraph (1) does not apply if the incident was proximately caused by--

(i) willful misconduct or gross negligence within the privity or knowledge of the responsible party; or

(ii) a violation, within the privity or knowledge of the responsible party, of applicable Federal safety, construction, or operating regulations.

See how easy that was?

 

[WillowTree]

What kind of personally responsibility is that? As long as you're a corporation, you're not responsible for the totality of your mistakes? How can you possibly justify that?

You know that 75 million is inadequate, and your position is callous and foolish. Would you feel the same way if your livelihood and your families livelihood was ruined because of this?

did you watch the hearings today? did you learn anything other than "this is thursday." I learned something. Want to compare notes?

Would you rather the US taxpayers pay for the damages and clean-up, or should the responsible party pay for the damages and losses that they created? It's really pretty simple.

I never much cared for answering a question with another question. You have totally ignored my question so I'll extend you the same courtesy.

 

[WillowTree]

He's right. It was a shakedown. Once again obie wan has circumvented the law. US law states BP's liability is no greater than 75 million dollars.

Unlike you I've actually read the law:

(c) Limits on Liability-

(1) GENERAL RULE- The total of the liability of a responsible party under subsection (a) and any removal costs incurred by, or on behalf of, the responsible party with respect to each incident shall not exceed--

(A) $500 per gross ton or $5,000,000, whichever is greater (but not to exceed $60,000,000), for any tanker;

(B) $300 per gross ton or $500,000, whichever is greater, for any other vessel; or

(C) $75,000,000 for any facility.

(2) Exceptions-

(A) PROXIMATE CAUSE- Paragraph (1) does not apply if the incident was proximately caused by--

(i) willful misconduct or gross negligence within the privity or knowledge of the responsible party; or

(ii) a violation, within the privity or knowledge of the responsible party, of applicable Federal safety, construction, or operating regulations.

See how easy that was?

what was?

 

[sangha]

You misunderstand, I think BP is fully responsible, I think they should pay however much it costs to clean it up and take care of those who were damaged by this. I also know that they already committed to doing so.

I do not think it is the job of the US President to bully anyone into doing anything, and I guarantee you that is exactly what I would have told him.

Well if BP was already committed to doing so (paying however much it costs to clean up and take care of those who were damaged by this), how much did Obama really have to bully them?

The purpose of this escrow account was to protect us from BP finding legal loopholes or possibly declaring bankruptcy before paying their share.

Did he not get on national TV, from the oval no less , and tell us that he was going to DEMAND the escrow account? Why word it like that? Why not say " we are going to work with BP to get an escrow account set up?" I'll tell you why. He was projecting more power and authority than he has. How much did we have to demand? I'm sure none at all, I'm sure he didn't have to threaten BP to get the money, so why act like that's exactly what he had to do? Pure politics from this fucking scum, as usual.

I love the way conservatives can't decide if Obama DID force BP to setup the escrow account (ie "did Obama really have to bully them"), or if he DID NOT force BP to setup the escrow account (ie "projecting more power and authority than he has").

One moment, Obama bullied BP into doing something they didn't want to do. The next, BP was happy to agree because they were going to pay all along anyway (Now watch the bs artist argue that Obama bullied BP into doing something BP wanted to do)

 

[Political Junky]

The Rachel Maddow Show - Made by oil money, Rep. Barton apologizes to BP

Barton's top campaign contributor since 1989, Anadarko Petroleum, just happens to be one of the four parties held responsible for the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Anadarko is refusing to testify on Capitol Hill about how it's helping the shrimpers and other folks put out of work by the spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Overall, Barton has taken in more than $1.4 million in contributions from the oil and gas industry since 1989. UPDATE: That total includes $27,350 from people and PACS associated with BP.

 

[rdean]

The bottom line is no other president ever would have gotten this amount of money from BP. Congress wouldn't have gotten it. The courts wouldn't have gotten it.

20 billion with no cap?

On Wednesday, the Obama administration revealed that Feinberg would take charge of a $20 billion escrow fund to compensate people and businesses harmed by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Years ago the Washington lawyer was tapped to chair the government's compensation fund for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Then he doled out money to victims of the Virginia Tech shootings.

And just last year he was again enlisted by the government to crack down on executive pay at companies that received huge federal bailouts in the wake of the financial crisis.

BP Gulf Oil Spill: Ken Feinberg Appointed Head of Escrow Fund - ABC News

 

[rdean]

Well if BP was already committed to doing so (paying however much it costs to clean up and take care of those who were damaged by this), how much did Obama really have to bully them?

The purpose of this escrow account was to protect us from BP finding legal loopholes or possibly declaring bankruptcy before paying their share.

Did he not get on national TV, from the oval no less , and tell us that he was going to DEMAND the escrow account? Why word it like that? Why not say " we are going to work with BP to get an escrow account set up?" I'll tell you why. He was projecting more power and authority than he has. How much did we have to demand? I'm sure none at all, I'm sure he didn't have to threaten BP to get the money, so why act like that's exactly what he had to do? Pure politics from this fucking scum, as usual.

I love the way conservatives can't decide if Obama DID force BP to setup the escrow account (ie "did Obama really have to bully them"), or if he DID NOT force BP to setup the escrow account (ie "projecting more power and authority than he has").

One moment, Obama bullied BP into doing something they didn't want to do. The next, BP was happy to agree because they were going to pay all along anyway (Now watch the bs artist argue that Obama bullied BP into doing something BP wanted to do)

First Obama was too weak. Now he's a "bully". Wonder what he'll be next? I mean, "what's left"?

 

[sangha]

Did he not get on national TV, from the oval no less , and tell us that he was going to DEMAND the escrow account? Why word it like that? Why not say " we are going to work with BP to get an escrow account set up?" I'll tell you why. He was projecting more power and authority than he has. How much did we have to demand? I'm sure none at all, I'm sure he didn't have to threaten BP to get the money, so why act like that's exactly what he had to do? Pure politics from this fucking scum, as usual.

I love the way conservatives can't decide if Obama DID force BP to setup the escrow account (ie "did Obama really have to bully them"), or if he DID NOT force BP to setup the escrow account (ie "projecting more power and authority than he has").

One moment, Obama bullied BP into doing something they didn't want to do. The next, BP was happy to agree because they were going to pay all along anyway (Now watch the bs artist argue that Obama bullied BP into doing something BP wanted to do)

First Obama was too weak. Now he's a "bully". Wonder what he'll be next? I mean, "what's left"?

Coming soon - Obama's a weak bully because he caved into the demands of those people whose lives have been destroyed by BP

He's pandering!!!

To the american people!!

 

[Political Junky]

Did he not get on national TV, from the oval no less , and tell us that he was going to DEMAND the escrow account? Why word it like that? Why not say " we are going to work with BP to get an escrow account set up?" I'll tell you why. He was projecting more power and authority than he has. How much did we have to demand? I'm sure none at all, I'm sure he didn't have to threaten BP to get the money, so why act like that's exactly what he had to do? Pure politics from this fucking scum, as usual.

I love the way conservatives can't decide if Obama DID force BP to setup the escrow account (ie "did Obama really have to bully them"), or if he DID NOT force BP to setup the escrow account (ie "projecting more power and authority than he has").

One moment, Obama bullied BP into doing something they didn't want to do. The next, BP was happy to agree because they were going to pay all along anyway (Now watch the bs artist argue that Obama bullied BP into doing something BP wanted to do)

First Obama was too weak. Now he's a "bully". Wonder what he'll be next? I mean, "what's left"?

One wonders. Cons were never consistent.