FL's Bill Nelson furious with "palace guard" around Obama. Says oil spill mishandled.

[madfloridian]

I seldom see Bill Nelson angry at anyone but those of us who want him to take more progressive stances. This time though I think he is scared over the way the Gulf oil spill has been handled. He appears to be very upset with the White House staff, more so than with President Obama.

I have to agree with him. The Gulf of Mexico is a disaster waiting to happen, and we don't even know the full extent. It has gone out of the news, and that is not okay at all.

Bill Nelson criticizes White House staff


Caption: Aaron Daye/Staff Photographer U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., speaks at the University of Florida on Friday.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson criticized President Barack Obama's staff in a speech at the University of Florida on Friday, saying they failed him on issues such as the Gulf oil spill, the housing crisis and the space program.

"The White House staff has not done a good job reflecting the president's desires and wishes," Nelson said.

The Florida Democrat's comments followed national news reports claiming he ripped Obama in a closed-door meeting Thursday with his fellow Democratic senators. Nelson said the meeting was supposed to be confidential and the leaks twisted his remarks. He said his critique involved the White House staff's failure to heed advice from him and others on issues such as putting the military in charge of handling the oil spill.

"When your two friends go to be president and vice president, what you quickly learn is that a palace guard forms around them and it becomes almost impenetrable," he said.

He said that Florida will gain electoral votes while other states lose them. He does not think the president could win Florida today. And he does not think he can win re-election without Florida.

He may be right. We know people whose retirement plans are on hold because their land in the Florida panhandle beach areas is most likely unusable for their purposes for decades to come.

In October Representative Kathy Castor of Florida expressed great concern about the administration's plan to lift the deepwater offshore oil drilling ban.

Tampa Democrat Kathy Castor doesn't sound convinced about the administration's plan to lift the deepwater offshore oil drilling ban: "While the Obama Administration has improved safety requirements and oversight of Gulf of Mexico deepwater drilling, I am not satisfied that oil companies have the ability to respond to disasters like BP’s Deepwater Horizon catastrophe or that the Administration has proactively disavowed its March 2010 announcement to consider allowing rigs to operate closer to Florida's west coast beaches.

"Secretary Salazar’s announcement today is no guarantee that an accident will never occur and therefore we must remain vigilant in the face of the Secretary's March 2010 announcement to consider opening additional waters off of Florida's west coast to oil drilling.

Not just Nelson and Castor, but Alex Sink expressed deep concern after the election she lost to Rick Scott.

Alex Sink Knocks “Tone-Deaf” White House After Her Florida Gubernatorial Loss

Florida Gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink, who lost to GOP candidate Rick Scott, had some harsh words for the Obama administration in an interview with Politico days after her loss.

Sink told Politico’s Jonathan Martin that the White House had been “tone-deaf” in the run-up to the election, despite having far more positive things to say about the Obama administration prior to Election Day. “They just need to be better listeners and be better at reaching out to people who are on the ground to hear about the realities of their policies as well as politics,” she said.

Sink described a “disconnect between the White House and the rest of the country” while she focused on two specific issues. “They weren’t interested in hearing my opinion on what was happening on the ground with the oil spill,” said Sink, while regarding health care, which she said was “unpopular” among seniors, “they never acknowledged that they had problems with the acceptance of health care reform.”

We used to eat shrimp and fresh seafood without any worries. We are afraid to do that now. The deed is done, that spill and the use of the dangerous corexit can not be undone.

But there should be acknowledgement from our leaders that the danger is not over no matter what the media propaganda says.

[ProSense]

1. Bill Nelson and Alex Sink?

Oh brother.

:rofl:

[madfloridian]

3. Are you going to rofl if they are right that Obama can't win Florida?

Sink and Nelson are loyal conservative Democrats. Sink lost, and Nelson probably will. I don't think it is funny.

I don't think the oil catastrophe in the beautiful Gulf of Mexico is funny. I grew up on its white beaches, ate fresh seafood at beach restaurants.

Laugh pro sense, laugh away.

[ProSense]

4. "Sink and Nelson are loyal conservative Democrats. " Here:

fix the Florida Democratic Party

[madfloridian]

5. You know what? I have no sense of humor tonight. You fix it.

I tried, hubby tried. We all tried. They just about kicked us out.

There are times when silence is best.

[ProSense]

9. You're the one using Nelson and Sink's lame arguments to

criticize the President.

They had an opportunity to tell him to his face a couple of days ago. Bernie Sanders said it was a spirited caucus.

[madfloridian]

12. "lame arguments"?? Really?

Lack of communication with 3 major FL Dems is "lame"?

[Jakes Progress]

37. K&R Truly futile to discuss logic

truth or reality with this one MF. This one has only one job here, and it is not honest discussion.

[Wind Dancer]

58. Bingo!!! N/T

[madfloridian]

8. And you pretend if you wish that there is no problem...

when 3 major Democrats can not communicate with the WH.

Go right ahead, be my guest.

[The Backlash Cometh]

25. I went to Tallahassee a few weeks ago.

Though I voted and supported her during the election, the common understanding in her own town was that both candidates were crooked. Since she lost, I hope that Scott lands in jail. For some reason, the FBI is being very pro-active in Maryland, putting away black politicians for some serious political offenses, so I know they can do the same in Florida.

[Dappleganger]

26. And they are dead-on about this issue.

Like it or not, the president has failed miserably with regards to FL and the Gulf situation and we will all pay for it in 2012 and beyond.

And YES, I am a lonely democrat here in Florida.

[lark]

54. Hey lonley, you are not alone, it just feels that way

I too often feel like I'm the lone progressive stranger here in No. FL. I often wonder about the sanity level in this state since I'm so ashamed to say that the voters actually seem to have preferred a person for governor who systematically robbed the elderly and the government of trillions of dollars, just because they don't like Obama. Craziness!

:hi:

[chervilant]

41. How

do condescension and sarcasm contribute to this discussion, ProSense?

People do tend to lash out, I realize, when they feel threatened. I'm seeing quite a number of Obama supporters resort to patronizing, vilifying remarks when faced with posts or threads that address Obama's shortcomings.

Our nation can ill afford to continue down this particular primrose path. If we cannot be the change we hope to see in this world, at the very least we can reserve our energy and advocacy for problem-solving rather than patronizing.

[scentopine]

2. What oil spill? -nt

[madfloridian]

6. Actually that is true. It may as well never have happened.

When 3 major Florida Democrats are seeing the handwriting on the wall, there is a problem.

Some find it rofl funny, I do not.

So people can unrec this, rofl at it, but it is reality. It is real.

[scentopine]

10. Yep, I skipped my texas gulf coast vacation this year...

people say - oh, that's nonsense. But it's always on my mind. It is hard enough trying to explain to my kids what has happened. That's not my idea of a vacation - looking out at the gulf, seeing those huge rigs in the distance. Wondering about the shrimp and oysters. I just don't want to pay for that kind of experience.

Its bad enough the yahoos drive on the beach here so you are always yelling at the kids to get out of the way since beach is eroded and narrow.

Enough is enough. We don't go anymore.

[madfloridian]

14. We don't eat shrimp anymore.

The whole thing is just sad. A whole way of life changed.

[Dappleganger]

30. We do...

my son and husband go shrimping locally and we know where it comes from, though.

[chervilant]

42. Real,

and the consequences of burying one's head in the sand these days might just be a mouthful of toxic oil and corexit...

[madfloridian]

7. Keeps those unrecs coming. They don't bother me at all.

Go ahead, show your unreccing butts on the oil spill issue. Then don't complain when Florida is lost in 2012.

[scentopine]

11. oops - delete dupe,

[scentopine]

13. kick

[flyarm]

15. I see exactly what you are seeing Madfloridian, and I was an elected Delegate in the State Of Fla

Dems have peeled off so badly in my county. All those Obama kids..no where in sight for this past election.

Seniors are disgusted.

They may be able to fool young people but no one is going to fool seniors. And the state of Fla has a boat load of seniors.

I agree with Nelson, maybe the first time, in a long time..Obama won't win Fla again. And we will be increasing Electoral votes. Businesses are either out of business or barely hanging on. Property values have crashed. Foreclosures up the kazoo. This state is in bad bad shape, or I should say the people of this state are in bad shape.

[madfloridian]

18. One of our daughters was here recently..

and she went to a local mall...fond memories there of holidays past. She was stunned at how dead it was. Hardly any stores, and mostly clerks standing around.

[flyarm]

21. I have two homes, one in the Northeast and one here in Fla...in the NE you wouldn't know we were in

a serious recession. Things bustling and hardly any store fronts closed. The economy almost seems robust. Housing building still going on, Albiet slower than it was.

Then I come down here to Florida and it seems like a horrible, horrible DEPRESSION!

Even the Grocery stores seem empty here in Florida!
This is Thanksgiving week, it is usually bustling with tourists where I am at this week in particular..its dead and empty and I am directly on the Gulf.
It is like a ghost town.

My kids live in Los Angeles, same thing, but not quite as bad as Florida. There are still tourists shopping in LA. But even in Beverly Hills I have seen store closures. Long time established stores ( I used to live there for many many years so I know the stores and restaurants and I am out there often with the grand kids.)

So for anyone to say anything about what is going on here, that doesn't live here or doesn't know directly what is going on in Fla.. they are just blowing empty smoke Madfloridian.

And you Madfloridian and Bill Nelson and the rest of us Fla dems know what the heck is going on..the rest .. are just B.S. artists.

The Dem party here has crumbled. Karen Thurman out..and she should have been out a long time ago , but she sold her soul ( and drinks) to Rahm and Obama , she sold out the dems here when she let them steal our primary votes, most Dems here have not gotten over it, as others say dems around the country say they should. Again, don't even try to B.S. the seniors..You will lose every time!

All I can say is , If Obama wants to win in 2012, he better find a Big damn state to win with a shit load of electoral votes to replace Florida's electoral votes. Or he is history.

People here on the Gulf are beyond disgusted of how the oil disaster was handled. This administration turned over our government..homeland security, the Coast Guard, The FAA, our beaches, our Air we breathe, our livelyhoods and to BP OIL.. a foreign oil Corp. With little to no regard for the locals and what the locals know. Our scientists were thrown to the wolves for horseshit science that would only exonerate BP OIL.

People in Fla have had enough.
I know many many many dems who stayed home on election day. Out of disgust and anger.
The DEC here had to shut down during the summer..before a MId Term Election, because they didn't have enough Dems coming to meetings. What a disgrace. And Karen Thurman..was worthless ..in fact I would say she invoked more anger among dems and dislike at epic proportions..too bad she just didn't stay home more often with her martini's! But we all knew she was owned by Rahm and the corporate masters!

Again I will say, Obama better look for electoral votes from a few big states, because he is going to lose this Giant state. Does he have a chance to turn it around, I don't know..it would be a long shot at this juncture. Obama and the dems screwed the pooch when they let a Jeb protoge win this state as Senator. And the dems did little to nothing to help Alex Sink win the governor seat.

I actually think the Dems wantted to lose Fla.

They did nothing to stop it. In fact I would go so far as to say , they wrapped Fla with a big bow and gave it to the repukes!

[Dappleganger]

27. "the dems wanted to lose FL"...

that thought has actually crossed my mind several times this year. In all appearances it seems as if they have written off this state and are making little effort to change. What a shame, because we went for president Obama and we are increasing our electoral votes!

Dems are discouraged...the elderly AND young people are discouraged as well. We are now in republican territory and are being hung out to dry.

[Dr.Phool]

33. Recession? Where?

We had a birthday dinner Friday night with some friends at Shepherds, a very popular place in Clearwater Beach.

It was flat-out dead. It's usually hard to get reservations on a Friday night. Lots of empty tables, no wait at all. Nightclub? Empty except for the DJ and bartenders. Tiki bar on the beach? Sparse.

[flyarm]

48. Thats unheard of at Shepards, I know I live around the corner from it..and this is Thanksgiving week

it should be packed to over flowing , but this is now a ghost town, a New restaurant that opened last spring close to Shepards is already out of Business.

We have long gone past recession to severe depression!

[JDPriestly]

46. What should Obama have done with regard to the oil spill?

He should have held BP responsible, cancelled all of their leases and put them up for sale to the highest bidders. Then he should have brought criminal actions against BP personnel involved in the decisionmaking on the spill. You would have seen how quickly BP paid to get the Gulf cleaned up properly. They would have jumped.

Above all, Obama should have put the Coast Guard in charge of BP and not BP in charge of the Coast Guard. BP should have been advised that their role was to clean up their own mess and pay for the clean-up of the beaches, etc.

Why did he not do this? Because the stock market would have reacted negatively to the mere thought of a strong American president intent on protecting the interests of the American people against a small number of stockholders in one company.

We need to trust-bust the conglomerate corporations -- the companies and banks too big too fail.

[flyarm]

49. He should have not ignored it in the beginning and he should have told the truth!

we got the truth from our loca media until the Feds shut up our local media ..and lied their asses off !

We knew within days of the gusher it would not be stoppable until August. Our local media told us that and then the truth was shut down by the Obama administration!

[JDPriestly]

45. Here in California, we see empty storefronts in all the areas that

are not downright wealthy. In my neighborhood it is especially sad. Businesses are still closing down, one by one. And not much if anything is opening.

It's gotten beyond an economic depression into a societal mass emotional depression.

And the Obama administration has done nothing to lift the spirits of the nation -- to revive the hope we all felt during his campaign.

I recently got an e-mail from his campaign asking about how I wanted to be contacted, what I wanted to hear about. I'm hoping that the feedback from that survey will help the Obama administration get back in touch with us voters.

[bigtree]

16. boy, that made my head spin

. . . sort of like Nelson does.

Does he support the President in his voting for almost everything the administration has asked for? Or, does Nelson really believe the President's legislation he voted for pulled the party to the 'left' as he complained after voting for the Health bill?

Which Nelson is it that we're supposed to be listening to now?

[madfloridian]

17. You are listening to the Nelson who is going to lose.

And he knows it. He is not one of my favorites, too many words exchanged through the years.

But he,Sink, and Castor are right. The WH ignored the Gulf disaster as though it never happened.

Right now honesty from the highest part of our government would mean a lot. The WH is ignoring it right now.

[flyarm]

22. +1 million... tar balls in our water!

[Dappleganger]

29. Somebody needs to send the White House a giant package of tar bals...

better yet, get a team of scientists together with democratic congress critters and take a bunch to see the president. This "out of sight, out of mind" business does not go over well with me.

[chervilant]

44. I knew

the proverbial writing was on the wall when Obama went out into the gulf to swim, with his daughter! Can you just imagine the prep it required to insure he wasn't going to be exposed to anything toxic?

And, how did this empty gesture negate the massive damage done by BP to the Gulf and to those of us along the coast?!?

Sad, sad, pitiable bunch of corporate suck-ups, these politicians du jour...

[flyarm]

50. No one knows where he swam with his daughter..no photo's were allowed and no one was allowed to

observe except the white house photographer..who was hired by the Obama admin.

Many here in Fla do not believe he even swam here in Fla! Tey think it was a picture from somewhere else.

He certainly did not swim directly in the Gulf.

[Dr.Phool]

34. Looking at the loons who won the last election down here,

I thought his only chance at re-election was if they ran Katherine Harris again.

I'm not so sure he could beat her this time. There's a premium on crazy now.

[Dappleganger]

28. Google Nelson's comments about this oil spill...

he sounded like a real DEMOCRATIC senator, not his usual self. He is quite passionate about the Gulf.

It is the president who hasn't been effective with his Gulf policies or communication. I live here and see it all the time.

[madfloridian]

32. Yes, he has been very outspoken about the Gulf.

He feels the anger here.

[TeaBagsAreForCups]

19. Like most all other matters of this "progressive" Presidency...

... Obama and his "team" have been an unmitigated and vile disaster vis-a-vis the BP/Washington Gulf Oil Disaster.

Lip service. Just damn lip service. No speedy, much less timely, nor meaningful action.

It's one of the major reasons reasons that we now have a good bet for the next president of the United States, the creep Marco Rubio as our Senator who is exceeded in being a creep only by our new Governor, a man who brings new definition to the term sleeze, Rick Scott.

I thank President Obama every time now that I pass on buying or eating my most favorite joy in life, shrimp. Again, thanks for everything you have done for us.

[flyarm]

23. Yup!! x 1 million!

and many of us kept warning about it only to be attempted to be shut up by a certain element of people here at DU!


Now who was right???????????

We dems did not win jack shit in Nov in Fla!

But they ignore us at their own peril.

This state will increase electoral votes for 2012, and do not for one moment discount Jeb Bush.

Obama has only been his place keeper, as far as repukes here in Fla think.

[flyarm]

24. Or a main staple on the Gulf coast of Grouper. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole!

nor will I allow anyone in my family to eat it.

[Hawkowl]

31. One term Obama

I really, REALLY, don't see which states Obama is going to win to win re-election. Florida--gone! North Carolina--gone! Ohio--gone! Indiana--gone! The list goes on with every continued compromise and tone deaf goofy smile.

[laughingliberal]

47. We're not very big but I don't see him carrying Nevada again.

No help for homeowners losing their homes-#1 in the nation, unemployment-14.4% #1 in the nation, negative equity in homes-#1 in the nation.

It'd take a miracle.

[malaise]

20. Funny how he doesn't attack the corporations

responsible for the mess. Funny how he always supports the corporate agenda until a disaster strikes.

[Dr.Phool]

35. And after.

[blindpig]

56. Well, it ain't funny...

but it sure as hell is instructive.

People gotta realize that there is no succor to be had from the political class, we are on our own, and the only way we have any power is en masse, on the street.

[Dystopian]

36. KandR.

peace~

[Jakes Progress]

38. MadFloridian. You represent more than most

what has happened to the party. No one was a bigger defender and supporter of Obama during the primaries. You and I clashed a couple of times then.

Now you hold to the same principles that you espoused then. You prize principle above personality. You haven't waffled or let yourself be blown by the wind, but see things the way most stalwart Democrats do. Your posts are things the party and the WH should hear and try to understand. They are veiled behind layers of "common" beltway wisdom. They don't seem to know what is happening. Of course, there is always the concept that the WH and the party leaders know exactly what is happening, and they are happy that things are going the way they are. I still hate to think that. The end result of that prospect is too dreadful to contemplate.

So I go with blithe ignorance and ignorant self-assurance as their failings. Would that they followed the writings of loyal supporters like yourself who do see the nasty path the party leaders are taking.

[madfloridian]

40. I feel the party leaders are not hearing us at all.

And I really appreciate your kind words.

[Jakes Progress]

51. I hope they are not hearing instead of not caring.

[awoke_in_2003]

52. I vote "not caring"...

it is the only thing that explains it.

[Catherina]

39. Rec'd with tears for the Gulf. n/t

[mitchtv]

43. K&R

thank god we kept our 6 senators along the Pacific coast.

[Lorien]

53. Kick nt

[earth mom]

55. Too late to rec, but huge Kick for truth about the Gulf Genocide!

:kick:

[Mimosa]

57. Between Corexit and petroleum, GoM seafood is toxic

And even BP hasn't enough money to pay for what has been done to the environment.

http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/2010/11/are-louisiana-fish-kills-related-to-gulf-oil-disaster/

[madfloridian]

59. And THAT is exactly why they are pretending it didn't happen.

It is too massive, too mind-boggling. Easier to lie and pretend all is okay. And that is where the real harm comes in....not even trying to warn about it.