So what should Obama have done?

[xsited1]

So what should Obama have done?

Anderson Cooper said this last week:

COOPER: It is sort of fascinating, David (GERGEN), for a president who watched Katrina and saw the- you know, the failures of the Bush administration- and there were failures, also, at the state and local level, we all know, in Katrina. But for a president who saw that and- you know, was very critical of it, to now find himself in a situation in which he's being criticized for the lack of response or lack of coordination, is kind of stunning.

Read more: CNN's Cooper: It's 'Stunning' Obama Let Oil Leak Become 'Katrina in Slow Mo' | NewsBusters.org

Obama said "the American people should know that from the moment this disaster began, the federal government has been in charge of the response effort." What the world sees is a lack of response and a lack of coordination by the Federal government to stop this. Obama’s aloof detachment is a big part of the problem. He needs to be more emotive, have daily progress reports, provide a website with up-to-the-minute updates, etc. This should have started from day 1.

And another rightwinger proves they have no idea, just lies and hate for Obama.

And as I predicted, the only thing this one can think of is "be more emotive" and other useless posturing that does nothing to clean up the oil

Conservatives got nothing. No ideas. No morals. No principles. Just lies and hate

You're just an idiot troll. I am neither a right-winger nor a conservative. You asked a question and I gave a valid answer. I identified you as a troll yesterday. I don't know why I thought you would be any different today.

Next.

 

[Ravi]

He should have gone on television and cried and wrung his hands at the damage unleashed by BP's fuck up.

Other than that, I can't honestly think of anything else...except putting all business in the USA on hold while officials audited the previous administration for mistakes, fuck ups, and greed.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Obama should follow the lesson of some Japanese executive who could no longer live with shaming their company and their nation by their incompetence.

 

[MaggieMae]

Here's a complete, comprehensive timeline of the entire event, up to the minute, with sourced links (since the cons here will insist the information comes from a "biased" website).

BP Gulf Oil Spill Cheat Sheet: A Timeline of Unfortunate Events : TreeHugger

To continue to claim that "nothing was done" isn't just ignorant, it's downright illiterate.

 

[MaggieMae]

Obama should have doe whatever he could to plug the fucking leak.

Instead he did nothing.

He threatened BP, don't forget.

What a loser. And Holder, who refused to prosecute militant blacks who terrorized voters at voting booths is going to prosecute like hell on this one.

Sure, like the JD has the time and resources to prosecute every instance of racism, whether perpetrated by blacks or whites. Time to get over that one, dear.

 

[bodecea]

Obama should follow the lesson of some Japanese executive who could no longer live with shaming their company and their nation by their incompetence.

So, the head of BP should commit seppeku? (Otherwise, I'm not sure what you are driving at)

 

[bodecea]

Here's a complete, comprehensive timeline of the entire event, up to the minute, with sourced links (since the cons here will insist the information comes from a "biased" website).

BP Gulf Oil Spill Cheat Sheet: A Timeline of Unfortunate Events : TreeHugger

To continue to claim that "nothing was done" isn't just ignorant, it's downright illiterate.

No...it's quite intentional.

 

[MaggieMae]

So what should Obama have done?

Anderson Cooper said this last week:

COOPER: It is sort of fascinating, David (GERGEN), for a president who watched Katrina and saw the- you know, the failures of the Bush administration- and there were failures, also, at the state and local level, we all know, in Katrina. But for a president who saw that and- you know, was very critical of it, to now find himself in a situation in which he's being criticized for the lack of response or lack of coordination, is kind of stunning.

Read more: CNN's Cooper: It's 'Stunning' Obama Let Oil Leak Become 'Katrina in Slow Mo' | NewsBusters.org

Obama said "the American people should know that from the moment this disaster began, the federal government has been in charge of the response effort." What the world sees is a lack of response and a lack of coordination by the Federal government to stop this. Obama’s aloof detachment is a big part of the problem. He needs to be more emotive, have daily progress reports, provide a website with up-to-the-minute updates, etc. This should have started from day 1.

And if he had done that? His haters would never go to a government website, for one thing. They consider all of it lies, lies and more lies. So why bother? There are plenty of sites that provide up to the minute details, but it's becoming waaaaaaaaaay too obvious that many people aren't even bothering to check out those either. It's just so much more fulfilling to sit and bitch that "nothing is being done" and hope that stupid accusation sticks to the next moron who reads it, than to actually find out what's been going on.

Also, for Obama to plant himself somewhere on the Gulf would also be criticized as just photo ops. You know it and I know it.

This isn't "Katrina" which went away after the storm left a path of destruction that could be dealt with from that point on. This is an ongoing path of destruction. So how long should Obama put everything else on the calendar on hold while he prances around New Orleans for the benefit of his critics who hate him anyway?

 

[Liability]

It's amazing to watch the dishonest Obamabots pretend that the President DID anything when it is crystal clear that he actually did nothing.

Sending out damn bureaucrats and lawyers is not really "doing" something, just to put word to the glaringly obvious.

 

[xsited1]

So what should Obama have done?

Anderson Cooper said this last week:

COOPER: It is sort of fascinating, David (GERGEN), for a president who watched Katrina and saw the- you know, the failures of the Bush administration- and there were failures, also, at the state and local level, we all know, in Katrina. But for a president who saw that and- you know, was very critical of it, to now find himself in a situation in which he's being criticized for the lack of response or lack of coordination, is kind of stunning.

Read more: CNN's Cooper: It's 'Stunning' Obama Let Oil Leak Become 'Katrina in Slow Mo' | NewsBusters.org

Obama said "the American people should know that from the moment this disaster began, the federal government has been in charge of the response effort." What the world sees is a lack of response and a lack of coordination by the Federal government to stop this. Obama’s aloof detachment is a big part of the problem. He needs to be more emotive, have daily progress reports, provide a website with up-to-the-minute updates, etc. This should have started from day 1.

And if he had done that? His haters would never go to a government website, for one thing. They consider all of it lies, lies and more lies. So why bother? There are plenty of sites that provide up to the minute details, but it's becoming waaaaaaaaaay too obvious that many people aren't even bothering to check out those either. It's just so much more fulfilling to sit and bitch that "nothing is being done" and hope that stupid accusation sticks to the next moron who reads it, than to actually find out what's been going on.

Also, for Obama to plant himself somewhere on the Gulf would also be criticized as just photo ops. You know it and I know it.

This isn't "Katrina" which went away after the storm left a path of destruction that could be dealt with from that point on. This is an ongoing path of destruction. So how long should Obama put everything else on the calendar on hold while he prances around New Orleans for the benefit of his critics who hate him anyway?

Your lack of faith in Anderson Cooper's investigative prowess is disappointing. Even he sees that there is a lack of response and a lack of coordination by the Federal government to stop this. But hey, if I got a lot of campaign money from BP like Obama did, I'd probably sit on my hands for a few weeks as well.

 

[The Rabbi]

What Obama should have done:

1. Put out an immediate search to gather the best independent experts in the world in the various disciplines required to deal with containment, clean up, and restoration.

2. Gone to the gulf immediately. Leadership matters. Whether or not one likes Bush, his presence at Ground Zero after 9/11 was effective. Being There is half the job of leadership.

3. Developed and communicated a Vision of: Job One is stopping the spill and containing the oil to prevent further damage. Job Two is Clean Up. Job Three is Restoration. Job Four is Investigation, and Financial, Legal, and Regulatory remedies and reforms. Let's focus now on saving the environment and the ecology of the Gulf. We have plenty of time to analyze and address what happened after the emergency is over. And then initiated the efforts in those priorities.

4. Listened to Jindal and gotten the permits and resources LA and other states needed to protect their coasts.

5. Left politics and blame throwing out of it. This is an issue that affects all Americans, a great many of whom are going through severe hardship right now. To fix the problem as quickly as possible requires the focus of all available resources. Making an enemy of BP by making them a target of a CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION is distract their resources from the emergency.

6. Cleared the calendar of discretionary leisure activities such as vacations, golf, and parties. It's too much Nero and Marie Attoinette combined - and shows a callousness detachment that if very poor leadership.

What she said. Obama spent the first month blaming everyone for anything he could, including Pres Bush. Now he is threatening criminal action. That is sure to send a message of partnership and trust with BP.
BP has forgotten more about oil engineering than BO will ever know. BO has no, zero, expertise. Congress has even less. What BO could have done is quit the politicising and point scoring and actually tried to help. He should have established a joint committee with industry experts and government agencies to map out what can be done to mitigate the spill and cap the well.
But instead he decided to score points by criticizing BP, criticizing Bush, and demonizing the oil industry. It's the Chicago Way.

 

[manifold]

I'm surprised and disappointed that the free market hasn't plugged the leak yet.

What gives?

 

[The Rabbi]

I'm surprised and disappointed that the free market hasn't plugged the leak yet.

What gives?

If you think the free market can't plug the leak, wait til you see what government can't do.
Aren't there still people in NOLA living in gov't trailers?

 

[MaggieMae]

Some are criticizing Obama for not doing enough in response to the oil leak that BP created. (Of course, some of those same people are criticizing Obama for doing too much).
However, when I've asked many of these people what Obama should have done, they suddenly stop posting. So far, only one whiner has offered a suggestion, and it was.....get this... Obama should have put his boots on, and gone to LA to have his picture taken on a oil-stained beach wearing his boots.

So let's hear it you oil cleanup Einsteins? Are you going to wimp out like you usually do and not post in order to avoid having your ignorance and hateful hypocrisy revealed, or will display some strength of character and meet the challenge?

Have you asked any left-winged liberal democrats if they have any solutions to the oil leak? How many folks here on USMB are deep water explorers or have worked on oil rigs to be able to offer a legit fix? This question is for both the left and the right. Folks are frustrated and angry and they come here to voice those frustrations.

Conservatives got nothing. No ideas. No morals. No principles. Just lies and hate

Again, what do liberals have?
They had plenty of lies and hate for Bush when Katrina happened.
Imagine for a moment that Bush was still President during this crisis. People would be screaming that he was in bed with big OIL for years .... this is all his fault. Impeach him!

It's probably only human that people would blame the lead dog, whomever that might be. And I accept that as valid (although lame) criticism of Obama too. HOWEVER, it's the idiots who continue to be ill-informed making their dumb claims that really pisses me off. Michelle Bachman and her fiery speech the other day made the absurd claim that the Coast Guard was nowhere, among other UNinformed theatrical statements, which her adoring audience just lapped up as gospel truth.

 

[Ravi]

I'm surprised and disappointed that the free market hasn't plugged the leak yet.

What gives?

If you think the free market can't plug the leak, wait til you see what government can't do.
Aren't there still people in NOLA living in gov't trailers?

The free market put them there...selling them insurance policies and not covering the destruction of their property.

Regardless, where IS this mighty free market in all of this? Oh, yeah...probably pushing as much money into the pockets of their CEOs as they can get away with.

 

[MaggieMae]

What Obama should have done:

1. Put out an immediate search to gather the best independent experts in the world in the various disciplines required to deal with containment, clean up, and restoration.
How do you know he didn't? There have been plenty of experts from all over who have weighed in. Just because you don't get all the insider information doesn't mean stuff doesn't happen under your radar.

2. Gone to the gulf immediately. Leadership matters. Whether or not one likes Bush, his presence at Ground Zero after 9/11 was effective. Being There is half the job of leadership.
Immediately like as soon as there was an explosion? And do what? The first reports from the Coast Guard said there was no oil spilling; the second and consecutive reports from BP (who should know, by the way) were that the oil leaks were minimal. Obama did go down a week later when it became apparent the spill was greater than BP first guessed. Bush visited Ground Zero two days after terrorist attacks on our country--a much more far-reaching event--for God's sake.

3. Developed and communicated a Vision of: Job One is stopping the spill and containing the oil to prevent further damage. Job Two is Clean Up. Job Three is Restoration. Job Four is Investigation, and Financial, Legal, and Regulatory remedies and reforms. Let's focus now on saving the environment and the ecology of the Gulf. We have plenty of time to analyze and address what happened after the emergency is over. And then initiated the efforts in those priorities.
Check, check, check and check. Maybe if you spent more time researching the myriad websites that would provide the information you're demanding instead of sitting there yaking about it 24/7, you wouldn't be as critical. The EPA, for example, has been right on top of the environmental concerns from Day One.
EPA Response to BP Spill in the Gulf of Mexico | US EPA

4. Listened to Jindal and gotten the permits and resources LA and other states needed to protect their coasts.
I agree that the Corps of Engineers needs to be jacked up.

5. Left politics and blame throwing out of it. This is an issue that affects all Americans, a great many of whom are going through severe hardship right now. To fix the problem as quickly as possible requires the focus of all available resources. Making an enemy of BP by making them a target of a CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION is distract their resources from the emergency.
Who has put "politics" in it? Good Lord, all you need to do is re-read some of your OWN posts!!!!

6. Cleared the calendar of discretionary leisure activities such as vacations, golf, and parties. It's too much Nero and Marie Attoinette combined - and shows a callousness detachment that if very poor leadership.
Strangely enough, life and events continued even after the attacks of 911.

As I said, in order to appease the public, Obama should have created a more concerned image, but, again, how many of the people who absolutely positively despise him anyway would have even accepted that? These are the ones who wail that they can't stand to even look or listen to him, no matter what he says. And how many of those kinds of folks are residents of Louisiana? But now they would accept Obama's sympathy and/or hugs? Yeah, right...

 

[The Rabbi]

I'm surprised and disappointed that the free market hasn't plugged the leak yet.

What gives?

If you think the free market can't plug the leak, wait til you see what government can't do.
Aren't there still people in NOLA living in gov't trailers?

The free market put them there...selling them insurance policies and not covering the destruction of their property.

Regardless, where IS this mighty free market in all of this? Oh, yeah...probably pushing as much money into the pockets of their CEOs as they can get away with.

Well,no that's of course a lie. the people living in trailers came from gov't housing to begin with. So the free market had nothing to do with it.
But dream on, comrade!

 

[Nonelitist]

I have a prediction about the next political scandal.

Members of Obamas cabinet will be found to have divested themselves of BP stock just before announcing the criminal investigation.

Just watch.

 

[MaggieMae]

Anderson Cooper said this last week:



Obama said "the American people should know that from the moment this disaster began, the federal government has been in charge of the response effort." What the world sees is a lack of response and a lack of coordination by the Federal government to stop this. Obama’s aloof detachment is a big part of the problem. He needs to be more emotive, have daily progress reports, provide a website with up-to-the-minute updates, etc. This should have started from day 1.

And another rightwinger proves they have no idea, just lies and hate for Obama.

And as I predicted, the only thing this one can think of is "be more emotive" and other useless posturing that does nothing to clean up the oil

Conservatives got nothing. No ideas. No morals. No principles. Just lies and hate

You're just an idiot troll. I am neither a right-winger nor a conservative. You asked a question and I gave a valid answer. I identified you as a troll yesterday. I don't know why I thought you would be any different today.

Next.

Everyone who disagrees with you is a "troll."

 

[Ravi]

If you think the free market can't plug the leak, wait til you see what government can't do.
Aren't there still people in NOLA living in gov't trailers?

The free market put them there...selling them insurance policies and not covering the destruction of their property.

Regardless, where IS this mighty free market in all of this? Oh, yeah...probably pushing as much money into the pockets of their CEOs as they can get away with.

Well,no that's of course a lie. the people living in trailers came from gov't housing to begin with. So the free market had nothing to do with it.
But dream on, comrade!

No, they didn't.