"Imagine the Howls"- LTTE in today's Pittsburgh P-G, RE:Obama "taking over the spill"

[AlinPA]

"Imagine the howls

Imagine that President Obama had proposed in 2009 to create and fund a federal agency with the expertise and equipment to manage major offshore oil spills, taking the job out of the hands of oil companies. Can you imagine the Republican howls?

"Another federal takeover! More big government! This is a job for the private sector! Obama is a socialist!"

And now, with catastrophe at hand? Republican Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal screams for federal help. Now they howl: Why isn't Obama taking charge of the spill?

Could it be that unthinking anti-government fanaticism is no way to run a major nation?"

(LTTE in Sunday June 6 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from person in Squirrel Hill)

[babylonsister]

1. Yep. Damned if he does...same as it ever was. nt

[Jokinomx]

3. self edit ... sorry n/t

[Alcibiades]

2. The government is too big and does too much

Of course, the government only does the things folks want them to do. The President's authority to act in this case is limited by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority. This administration has, in all public pronouncements and in deed, been careful to assert that its role is mainly one of coordinating the response.

The author is spot-on in noting that a larger federal role would have been greeted with howls from the GOP: additionally, any such action would circumvent the laws enacted by Congress, and could be seen as a power grab by the executive in violation of the Constitution. Of course, these are Republicans, so we cannot expect them to be bound in anyway by any of the claims they have previously made about what they actually believe.

[Jokinomx]

4. YES... I had been thinking the same thing...!!

Some media "expert" of course a right-wing leaning person said "They are trying to blame bush/cheney and that argument is getting old. They have had a year and a half to make necessary changes and they didn't do anything."

I just about screamed.... thinking just what you posted here. Not that Obama was a little preoccupied with Health-care or the economic collapse left behind by the previous administration...not to mention Iraq and Afghanistan.



:grr:

[Cha]

5. Thanks.