Posted on 06/16/2010 5:30:35 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
To the left, the oil spill is not an index of presidential competence or an issue in the political sphere. It is a daily gushing of poison into the Earths waters as a direct result of the presidents failure to stop it. They blame BP. But they already hate oil companies. And they blame Obama, too. And they are coming to dislike him.
When Obama attempts to recoup this damage to his political base by pushing new legislation on the environment or by resurrecting his cap and trade legislation or by bringing criminal charges against BP or by setting up a liability fund for the spills victims, it does not solve his political problem. With each day, 60,000 gallons gush into the Gulf, Obamas equivalent of the body count in Iraq that caused the left to loathe George W. Bush. Rhetoric or programs or visits to the Gulf or posturing wont assuage the negatives. Only plugging the hole in the bottom of the ocean can do it.
The right and center of American politics turned off Obama over health care. And now the left is leaving him over the oil spill.
Why cant Obama plug the hole?
Because he has no administrative experience. I often saw Bill Clinton, as governor and as president, call in experts and ask the tough questions when he faced a new disaster. In Arkansas, it was tornadoes or floods or fires. In Washington, it was Oklahoma City. But, each time, he thoroughly familiarized himself with all the technical issues. He took a bath in the science and substance of the hazard and became as knowledgeable as those who had spent a lifetime studying it. So he knew what questions to ask.
Any CEO or COO or manager has similar experience. But a community organizer, law professor, state senator, US Senator, and president doesnt have the requisite experience. He doesnt know not to trust his own bureaucracy. He hasnt been burned enough to realize that he needs to intervene to waive restrictions, set aside regulations, and open up the process to new solutions. Hes like JFK during the Bay of Pigs. He doesnt know how to avoid being betrayed by his own bureaucracy and the industry its supposed to regulate.
Why did he not waive the Jones Act (he still hasnt) to allow foreign vessels to ply our waters to clean up the spill? Not because he was against it. He couldnt have been against so obvious a course as waiving it. It was likely because nobody told him about it and he never knew to ask.
Why did he let the bureaucracy use only US contractors to dredge the Gulf and build the berms that Louisiana wanted? Why did he spurn the offer of Dutch assistance (half the country has been dredged from the sea and is below sea level)? Not because he wanted the jobs to go to Americans. That would have been an insane consideration in the face of this crisis. it is probably because he never realized that our capacity for dredging needed augmentation. Because he never asked.
To the right and the center, these failings show that Obama is in over his head. But to the left, which bleeds for each drop of water in the Gulf and cries over every turtle or shrimp or sea bird, it is an unpardonable sin.
It is the nature of things that presidential mistakes metastasize into presidential character flaws. Bushs inaction over Katrina comes across as insensitivity. Now Obamas incompetence and inexperience is causing liberals to see him as arrogant, aloof, removed, conceited, suspicious of outside advice, and even lazy. Long after the oil has stopped spilling, these supposed character defects will haunt the president, just as Carters reputation of timidity and inability lasted long after the Iran hostages came home. These defects will last until 2012 and beyond.
60,000 BARRELS Dickie boy...
The left fringe can hate Obama all it wants, but they’ll still vote for him over any sane candidate. So all in all, so what if they are dissatisfied?
Because the only holes Obama knew how to plug were those on his Columbia and Harvard roommates
Enthusiasm is part of the equation.
You need enthusiasm from the hard core to build grass root volunteers, to donate money, to canvass, to make phone calls, to drive people to the polls.
If all you can get is tepid support, you end up like John McCain in 2008.
Seriously doubt that. Looks like they are getting ready to resurrect a beast we thought was dead.
Think I see the toes wiggling.
Well John MccSANE will not happen again as we will not let the MSM endorse our canditate this time. I know people...comfortable people who never bother to vote who say in 2012 they are voting Republican ticket all the way!
So is this how the dinosaurs really became extinct?
When I worked for a major pharmaceutical company and had a chance to book a cruise at an unheard of low price, my boss wouldn't let me take the time off because he "needed me there" on those particular days. I guarantee my job had nowhere remotely near the responsibiity of Mr. Obama and wonder how in the world he could justify taking vacation days off during an American "crisis" that still is far from being resolved. If I had taken almost two months to meet with someone involved in a serious vendor problem, I'd have been disciplined or fired.
It would appear the top job in the nation has no "job description" or policy addressing profound lack of experience, qualifications and ability to do the job at hand. If he were employed by corporate America, he'd be unemployed.
The problem in 2008 wasn’t that the media picked our candidate, it was that all our candidates sucked. McCain, Romney, Huckabee, enough said.
I had my hopes on Thompson and he turned out to be a dud too.
Not only that, I wasn’t paying you $500K a year out of my pocket, not to mention travel and security costs.
No, couldn’t be all those White House Parties either, dancin and singin with Paul Mcartney serenading each other with their emphatic love for one another, while the Gulf Bleeds....
Besides the Dems have lost all credibity for all their liberal causes, Where are the war protestors as Obama ramped up the wars and will not get the troops home any faster then G.W. Bush would have. Where are the enviro wackoos like Green Peace? They should be enmassed outside of the White House every day dousing oil on themselves out of empathy to the Gulf wildlife. Where is the Hollywood crowd? What no Obama incompetency films by Michael Moore, no cursing by Sean Penn, what Rosie strangley silent? Speaking of rosie where is the gay crowd? Obama failed to get DADT repealed he failed on gay marriage and they give him a pass.
As far as I am concerned all the Liberals are unprincipled fools.... The next time they try and stage a protest when a Republican is in office they should be promptly reminded of their failures to hold Obama accountable.
But then again it is the media’s fault and they won’t ever hold him accountable.
oH nO...THEY picked McCain and especially because of his birth certificate. He was the only one they could run against the Kenyan. A wash.
Don’t kid yourself, Romney/Huckabee would have lost too.
And the best conservative choice was just an actor.
This is when Obama becomes dangerous... when he starts to lose the support of his base. His narcissistic self has never in his life been told “no” by anyone. All through his life, he operated in a world without opposition. Chicago is a one-party town, and support from the masses is just taken for granted.
Why can’t Obama plug the hole? The answer has to include a discussion of the nature of the hole. It’s a technical issue, based on www.theoildrum.com that I mentioned earlier. This hole is a real toughie because oil is not just coming out of the pipe. It’s also coming out from cracks around the pipe. Plugging the pipe just causes more of the oil to come out from the cracks around the pipe.
It’s in the hands of engineers and undersea construction people and managers who give them all the help they can.
I think Sarah Palin would have known how to handle this. I believe as VP should would have been an excellent advisor and made McCain look real good. Maybe even presidential.
I’m not so sure. Millions of conservatives did not like McSane and stayed home and did not vote, especially in states like Ohio...anyone we chose, although dismal, could have done better than the one foot in the grave he is probably going to die anyway propoganda from the left.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.