# Why do people think the US is turning against Obama because of the oil spill. It's absurd. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 9, 2010, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516 "2010-06-09T06:05:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/21 "2010-06-10T17:07:58Z")
It _was_ Bush’s fault that he appointed a guy whose major qualification was an enthusiasm for racehorses to the FEMA post. I’m not sure if Obama has appointed anyone to the MMS, and presumably the Republicans would have blocked his nominee anyway. He did of course appoint Ken Salazar, and I’m probably not qualified to evaluate Salazar’s performance as Secretary of the Interior - and don’t particularly like the guy anyway. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/22 "2010-06-10T21:12:34Z")
Barack Obama doesn’t care about gulf people. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/23 "2010-06-10T22:57:15Z")
> [@SeaCanary](#): > > [ul] > [li]Instead of monitoring the BP criminals, prosecute them.[/li][/ul] Wait, why prosecute them if they are criminals? Why not just throw them in jail? You already know they are criminals. What do you need a trial for? Plus also, putting the BP criminals in jail will make the oil go away and the leak stop. ---
**Author:** ![hougaswd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@hougaswd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hougaswd)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/24 "2010-06-11T00:16:59Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Honestly. One more “Obama’s not fixing the oil spill fast enough. He’s lost credibility!” spew from the media or bloggers and I’m going to lose it. It’s a highly involved technical problem a mile under the water. Do they expect him to get in the Presidential mini-sub and personally go after the leak? > > The people with the expertise and tools to best go after the leak and the effects of the spill are on it. The older I get the more insane the media looks. It’s perfectly rational. Conflict sells news. News organizations don’t exist to serve anyone’s agenda. They exist to sell news. Humans want story arcs, not endless reports of triumph. The arc, as you will recall, requires the hero to experience setbacks. Otherwise the story gets boring. Agree with you 100% that this is a technical problem best addressed by BP, which has the expertise to fix the problem. Although in the future I’d prefer to see them plan ahead better for difficulties. Walt ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/25 "2010-06-11T00:20:17Z")
Send them to Guantanamo! ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/26 "2010-06-11T02:15:01Z")
I haven’t been following this too closely but I have a couple of ideas about the OP. First, what goes around comes around. The liberals and MSM piled on W after Katrina as if he had personally figured out a way to make the hurricane happen because he hates black people. And the biggest mistakes were made on the local level. I’m not going to write about this extensively, but the evidence is out there. There was little the feds could do in the first few days, and after those days they did what they could. And did it reasonably well. But W was treated like crap for it. And Obama has personally insulted and blamed W as much as anyone. Second, Obama has done a lot to make things worse. I believe that he received more donations from BP than any other politician. He had more than 18 months - let’s start from the election, when he could start drawing up plans and enlisting good people - and he did not nothing to create a better regulatory system. He keeps blaming W for this mess, as he blames him for everything. That’s not what leaders are supposed to do. He keeps saying these outrageous lies, as if we all are still idiots. Like this has been his #1 priority. Really? How many days has he played golf since this broke? Then he vilifies BP and pisses off our oldest ally. Did anybody say “Smart diplomacy?” For those who are truly liberal, i.e. open-minded, here’s a video that may help to answer the OP’s question: [http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/100979/](http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/100979/) ---
**Author:** ![SeaCanary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@SeaCanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaCanary)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/27 "2010-06-11T02:18:00Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Wait, why prosecute them if they are criminals? Why not just throw them in jail? You already know they are criminals. What do you need a trial for? To figure out what the sentence will be. What else? 11 people are dead. BP has done absolutely everything in their power to misdirect and/or hide and/or minimize their culpability. They’ve outright lied about the value of any dispersant and you think they’re innocent? Dude, I’ve got this bridge I’ve been trying to sell and I promise, on my sister’s virtue, I’ll give it to you for a song 'cause we’re buds and I like your looks. Let’s talk offline. > [@Princhester](#): > > Plus also, putting the BP criminals in jail will make the oil go away and the leak stop. No, the oil will still be there. And it won’t stop the leak. And I’m just primitive enough to want retribution with a side order of whupass. The good feelings I get from that are certainly transient, but they’re a lot more tangible then the hope of seeing that coastline clean anytime in the next… oh…200 years? Mebbee President Obama can give me that. Why should the GOP have all the fun? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/28 "2010-06-11T02:23:26Z")
> [@Plan\_B](#): > > Second, Obama has done a lot to make things worse. I believe that he received more donations from BP than any other politician. Somebody else made the same absurd claim in a prior thread on the subject, and it turns out it’s not true. Of course, if you can offer a citation, then by all means do so. > [@](#): > > He had more than 18 months - let’s start from the election, when he could start drawing up plans and enlisting good people - and he did not nothing to create a better regulatory system. He keeps blaming W for this mess, as he blames him for everything. That’s not what leaders are supposed to do. He keeps saying these outrageous lies, as if we all are still idiots. Like this has been his #1 priority. Really? How many days has he played golf since this broke? Then he vilifies BP and pisses off our oldest ally. Did anybody say “Smart diplomacy?” In 18 months he’s supposed to have fixed the entire federal regulatory system? ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/29 "2010-06-11T02:53:47Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > In 18 months he’s supposed to have fixed the entire federal regulatory system? I never said that, and as I’ve pointed out before this is a familiar bit of sophistry used by Obama and his followers: take a reasonable point to the illogical extreme and act like the person who spoke is illogical. Mom: You got a 26 on your history test. There’s no way you studied enough. Kid: You expect me to memorize every fact about the earth for the last six thousand years? Obama had plenty of time to make fixes, to appoint good people and help them do their jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/30 "2010-06-11T02:56:19Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Somebody else made the same absurd claim in a prior thread on the subject, and it turns out it’s not true. Of course, if you can offer a citation, then by all means do so. [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/36783.html](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/36783.html) BTW it’s possible that there’s an alternative point of view. So just for the fun of it: where’s your cite showing that it’s an absurd claim? ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/31 "2010-06-11T03:03:35Z")
> [@Plan\_B](#): > > I There was little the feds could do in the first few days, and after those days they did what they could. And did it reasonably well. While the Louisiana State and Orleans Parish (local) govts. certainly dropped the ball (to say the least) in the days following Hurricane Katrina, NO ONE (of any level of credibility) who followed the unfolding events in the days after Aug. 29th 2005 believes that the federal resopnse was conducted anywhere in the ballpark of “reasonably well”… ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/32 "2010-06-11T06:14:29Z")
> [@SeaCanary](#): > > To figure out what the sentence will be. But why do we need a trial for that? You already know exactly what they have and haven’t done, couldn’t you just decide? ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/33 "2010-06-11T12:41:10Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > While the Louisiana State and Orleans Parish (local) govts. certainly dropped the ball (to say the least) in the days following Hurricane Katrina, NO ONE (of any level of credibility) who followed the unfolding events in the days after Aug. 29th 2005 believes that the federal resopnse was conducted anywhere in the ballpark of “reasonably well”… Well then I guess I have no level of credibility 😉 But, as a serious friendly question: What exactly did they do that you felt was wrong? What would you or a Dem have done differently? Again, I’m not looking for an antagonistic positional debate. If there are specifics I’m open to hearing about them. I never said they were perfect. This is a government agency we’re talking about here. ---
**Author:** ![SeaCanary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@SeaCanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaCanary)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/34 "2010-06-11T12:49:42Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > But why do we need a trial for that? You already know exactly what they have and haven’t done, couldn’t you just decide? Because that would spoil the final surprise!! (::breaking the 4th wall:: He’s going to be so \*pleased \*when he hears this.) Ready? :dubious: I also want to charge them for the **actual** cost of the **bogus** trial I propose. (Kind of like the Chinese where the government charges your family for the cost of the bullet that executes you.) I think there’s a yin-yang balance to that and art is in the details, neh? (Why yes indeedy-do; I have, in fact, given this some thought, thank you for asking. Does it show?) But enough about me. What about you? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/35 "2010-06-11T13:28:29Z")
> [@Plan\_B](#): > > [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/36783.html](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/36783.html) > > BTW it’s possible that there’s an alternative point of view. So just for the fun of it: where’s your cite showing that it’s an absurd claim? Obama’s “BP” donations came from individual employees, not from BP’s PACs. I suppose “absurd” is a bit strong, but it’s certainly misleading. > [@](#): > > CRP: Money donated “from BP” to Obama in 2008 election was entirely from BP employees. Contrary to the suggestion that Obama received donations “from BP” during the 2008 presidential campaign, the money came exclusively from BP employees – not the corporation itself. In an email exchange with Media Matters for America, a spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics confirmed that “the $71,051 that Obama received during the 2008 election cycle was entirely from BP employees. … Obama did not accept contributions from political action committees, so none of this money is from BP’s PAC.” > > CRP data shows BP’s PAC contributed $1,000 to Obama’s Senate campaign in 2004. According to the Center for Responsive Politics’ [OpenSecrets.org](http://OpenSecrets.org) database, BP’s political action committee has made one contribution to an Obama campaign – $1,000 in 2004, when Obama was running for U.S. Senate in Illinois. CRP reports that Obama received a total of $6,000 in contributions from BP’s PAC and BP employees prior to 2008. [http://mediamatters.org/research/201005240038](http://mediamatters.org/research/201005240038) ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/36 "2010-06-11T23:50:21Z")
> [@SeaCanary](#): > > Because that would spoil the final surprise!! (::breaking the 4th wall:: He’s going to be so \*pleased \*when he hears this.) > > Ready? :dubious: > > I also want to charge them for the **actual** cost of the **bogus** trial I propose. (Kind of like the Chinese where the government charges your family for the cost of the bullet that executes you.) I think there’s a yin-yang balance to that and art is in the details, neh? (Why yes indeedy-do; I have, in fact, given this some thought, thank you for asking. Does it show?) > > But enough about me. What about you? 😃 You seem to have come over all jokey all of a sudden. Why is that? ---
**Author:** ![smee\_goan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@smee\_goan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smee_goan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/37 "2010-06-12T00:21:26Z")
Talked to a guy today, (Work at airport) who was on that rig weeks brfore it blew-Horizon- knew one of the guys that escaped alive,… He lives in Houston, TX — lotta witnesses not like a “Snapped” Oxygen TV capital crime series… ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/38 "2010-06-12T02:22:14Z")
More evidence of outrageous incompetence by the Obama administration: > **[Allen: Uh, no one told me about Maine boom company](https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2010/06/11/allen-uh-no-one-told-me-about-maine-boom-company-n169775)** > > Competence. ---
**Author:** ![SeaCanary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@SeaCanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaCanary)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/39 "2010-06-12T02:26:45Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > You seem to have come over all jokey all of a sudden. Why is that? Enough about me. What about you? ---
**Author:** ![fatbloke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71e660/32.png) [@fatbloke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fatbloke)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516/40 "2010-06-12T10:41:23Z")
Well from an “outsiders” POV, I’m not surprised that Obama has become spineless. When I watched your elections from afar, I wanted him to be a “good” president, but the whole thing seemed like Mr Blair (or Bliar as some of us called him) and his “coronation” in 97. He seemed full of promise etc as well, instead what we got was a glib, smug, spineless used car salesman… It now seems that Obama is pulling the same tricks - i.e. It’s “their” fault, not mine. So where was the outcry looking for blame during the Exxon Valiz thing ? Or how about Bhopal ? Sure, BP (yes, just BP, not “British Petroleum” any more - they’re a multinational that just happened to start in Britain and have an office here and are only about 40% owned by British shareholders - and employ about 3 times the number of Americans than they do Brits) are paying the bills (aren’t BP just the “leaseholders” after all ?), but that’s just PR shit after shareholder and a bit of political pressure. How about focusing on the real villains ? The actual Rig operators and/or Halliburton ? Nah, didn’t think so. How hypocritical eh! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-think-the-us-is-turning-against-obama-because-of-the-oil-spill-its-absurd/542516.md?page=3)