Producer Mike Yarvitz sends this from D.C.
You know it's coming. We're going big, major, gigantaloid and huge on Republicans taking the oil industry's money and then standing up for that industry -- even apologizing to it on your behalf -- as it dumps ridiculous millions of gallons of petroleum junk into the Gulf of Mexico.
It's an outrage, and the miracle part is that it's an outrage with facts. Let's get reading, shall we?
The Dallas Morning News runs the numbers on the all-important Texas delegation, including Rep. Joe Barton.
Open Secrets homes in on Rep. Barton, because you'd ought to know.
Talking Points Memo charts the birth of a well-funded talking point, that it's wrong to make BP set aside $20 billion for claims.
Don't forget the members of Congress who reverse the equation, investing in oil companies. Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) bought into BP before the spill, and declared that taxpayers should pick up part of the tab (before undeclaring he'd ever said it).
And Politifact charts President Obama's contributions from BP and the oil industry against those for Sen. John McCain and then Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Plus: Friends of the Earth launches a campaign calling for BP's top 10 beneficiaries -- Reps. Ron Paul and Charlie Rangel on the same list! -- to give the money to the GulfCoastFund.org.
We'll see you at 9 Eastern, live from the lively, lovely town of Washington, D.C.
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I'm still reading, but correct your Barton header. Should be "hones in on" (not homes).
I thought so too, but then I looked it up:
"home in, not hone in, is the correct phrase. In the 19th century, the metaphor referred to what homing pigeons do; by the early 20th century, it referred also to what aircraft and missiles do.
"And by the late 20th century, some writers had begun mistaking the phrase by using the wrong verb, hone (= to sharpen) instead of home."
(Bryan A. Garner, Garner's Modern American Usage. Oxford Univ. Press, 2009)
glad that Friends of the Earth is starting a campaign to disclose oil bought GOP's. Not surprised McCain is on the list. He's been bought more than an old hooker.
Oh Eaglelady, I like that. But really isn't true of all the pro-business deregulation crowd? Still. The thought of old hookers snubbing them for their rapacious promiscuity. NICE! : D
And yet the GOP retains their almost supernatural gift for bilking their base. Somehow they will weasel their way out of this one too.
Looking forward to hearing more! My thoughts at the moment:
"Sweet" to see BP get reamed by Congress, but few people are willing to address the real problem.
A. BP (see also "virtually any big business") exists to make scads and scads of money, in every way possible. Everything takes a back seat to "Make Money!"
B. To maximize profits, they buy American politicians (let's face it - usually Republicans!) with campaign contributions, and regulatory agencies with employment promises.
C. The politicians/regulators then pass weak laws, and don't enforce any laws.
D. As a result, BP rakes in scads and scads of money, till disaster strikes (see also "Wall Street").
E. And finally, the politicians and regulators whom BP paid for, who enabled the disaster, drag BP before the cameras and ream them. Problem solved? Hardly.
The obvious solution is to set extreme limits on campaign financing, and severely restrict regulators from taking jobs in private industry.
Either that, or we can come up with a priesthood of honest people who can't be bribed (feel free to laugh now!).
But here's the thing: Will big business allow its politicians to vote for the above solutions?
Boehner is just like Barton--he's just another puppet for special interests in Washington.
And as much as he tries to deny it Boehner did say that the leak is not a national disaster and that BP AND the taxpayer has to make this right.
He and Eric Cantor are trying to backpedal and put distance between themselves and Barton. Boehner has received $51,000 and Cantor $87,000 from Oil/Gas lobbyists just for their 2009-2010 campaigns, plus what they've gotten to put directly into their pockets.
Shakedown, Slush Fund?
I smell Frank Luntz.
It's not a Slush Fund, Frank. It's a Sludge Fund.
By the way Frank, thanks for the great campaign material for this fall's campaign ads!
Is that pic the oval office?
Regarding the ratings: this is going to sound insulting and over-righteous, but how educated and how old are the people who watch Fox? I was reading the other thread about Rachel's speech and the guy said it was up the 10th grade average as opposed to other speeches which reached for a 7th or 8th grade intelligence. Also, the people who watch Fox, only watch Fox. they only want their groupthink reinforced and are not open to new information that may contradict their already established beliefs.
Let's just say he made 'em an offer they couldn't refuse. I like that in a president.
IS anyone watching the throttling of BP's CEO, and watching the limey bob and weave better than Mohammed Ali?
Dude, hats off to John Dingle in Round 1...Sick as a dog, runny nose, and he took the fight right up to Heyworth. I don't know if anyone here is a fan of the science of Paul Ekman, but go back and watch the body language of Heyworth while Dingle grills him.
Phil Gingrey sounds good, but his body language reflects that of a scolded dog...and, oh yeah, he's part of the G"B"P.
Hats off to Brayley from Iowa for being Johnny-on-the-spot with the OSHA report, with the numbers, and definitions. Way to shake'em up...
But I can't shake the feeling that whenever the Congress seems to have him cornered, Old Tony seems to grin like a Cheshire Cat.
Smug, stuck-up, son of a -
I just received the basic dish network and MSNBC is only available at a higher cost. I am disappointed and sorry to see all the Fox channels. It seems my option is to go to the internet.
Jean
I wonder if all the fox channels, at a lower cost, has anything to do with the lower income folks, like me, who have a distorted view of what is really going on in the world.
heh. that's a great question. of course, yes must be the answer. the interweb works great. if we see how many folks are connecting to real news online, we might get some sleep knowing it's alot more than fox would have us believe. ratings are irrelevant, given the limited format included in the rating process.
As for you doing President Obama's speech on the oil disaster I thought you were great.
Also, I have noticed those in Washington, at times, referring to President Obama as Mr. Obama. Is this disrespectful? I can't recall past presidents being addressed in that manner.
Even though there used to be a time where respect for others was reflected by using titles such as Mr, Mrs and Miss, I always thought that not using "President" to refer to the President was disrespectful, too. I do remember Pres. Bush referred to as "Mr. Bush" on various news networks. Can't remember offhand if Pres. Clinton was diminished to "Mr." As if the added syllables in "President" as opposed to "Mister" will seriously cut into broadcast time. Then again, since one president seems to be a watered down version of the previous one, with the exception of diplomacy being discarded for cowboy theatrics with the previous administration, we should just resort to the generic "Mr. President" and leave it at that.
Diana DeGette! Ladies and gentleman...scolds like a nun! Sweet voice, on the spot with binders, facts, and figures...looked like one of those Law & Order cross examinations...AWESOME! Using BP's words against Heyward, trying twist and turn Tony's words on him...fantastic!
Does anyone find it strangely ironic that Tony keeps talking about his own investigation? Where the hell is the objectivity in that? Why do I care what BP thinks of their own accident, it's like pro football players playing against a peewee league: I know who's going to probably come out favorably before the game is even played.
i see the highlighter-lightsabre well in placed within reach :p aaahhh yesss ..... coke, water and food-wrapper (whatever it used to wrap) ..... desk-treats essentials ;-)
I don't mean to sound conspiratorial here but does anyone else aside from me feel like Eisenhower's great speech should be changed from the congressional military industrial complex to the congressional corporation industrial complex? I am a Republican and I am telling you, telling you that there is no difference between the parties when it comes to how they behave and how they vote regarding corporations. No one will stand up for the individual anymore and when individual rights are at odds with corporate rights, the far right that has dominated and taken over my party says we should side with corporations regardless of consequence (as with Rand Paul and hence the importance of that interview and his answer RE: Rachel). America needs to wake the hell up and realize that we are becoming a plutocracy by every second of every day. I mean seriously when was the last time you heard a debate about whether or not a classical economy could survive? How many of you in reading my rant actually know what a classical economy is? We are being devoured by these giant corporate heads and nobody seems to give a damn because ya know whatever, they make America America (or so my party tells me). Can someone please tell me why the hell BP gets the legal right to prevent me from going to the beaches of FL and AL and LA and helping??? Can someone please tell me why even though I'm in the gorram Navy and our President has stepped up military involvement I'm still not being sent to the Gulf Coast to help??? Can someone please tell me why BP, even though I'll agree with Norman Goldman that 20 billion is a lot more than what would have otherwise been, they get off scot free from paying?? Can anyone tell me why, why the hell in the face of disasters like this the people who created such institutions are still bitching that less regulation is the way to go??? What happened to my party what happened to America??? Someone please let me know cause I'm so disgruntled atm about this issue....
rare video 1987 the secret government 1-9 http://ow.ly/204vo #rare #video #1987 #secret #government #pentagon #dod #contractors #corruption
Exotic Energy requires a shake from a Dead Dinosaur Mindset.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XDFT0Yv_hg
http://www.archive.org/details/DavidSereda-DifferentialsCropCirclesAndAnti-gravity
Bob
http://mycommonsensepolitics.net/
Republicans dont like BP being stuck with the cleanup bill; meaning, that they want the American taxpayer to pay. This is what they have done again and again, sticking it to the working class. Wakeup America.
Rache, you had lunch with the Prez today? Did he see your fake speech? Can't wait to hear all about it.
Me too. But I think I recall that there's a press blackout on these lunches?
Becoming a plutocracy ?This country has been a plutocracy since day one and still is.
@ NavyCrabShack: Dude, dig the reference to Ike's '61 Speech...Good on you for remembering your history, and yes...your point is well taken, though I think the M/I complex Ike talked about is bigger and more booming than ever, only now it's private contractors that have become the 6-ton elephant in theater, not just the partnership between the Military/Industrialist Corps. But I also think that the Corporate Complex has risen up in the background from where Ike warned us to stay away from...I mean, part of what makes Ike's speech so powerful is that this guy spent his entire career watching the military and industry cozy up to one another when it "benefited" the nation during war and peace...and then to call it by name and own it in '61, that's like what I think whistleblower status is now...huge.
I agree with you that BP has exactly no right to keep American's off of our beaches...despite all the funds and such, I really do believe in the long run, after BP has gone the way of the dinosaurs, we're the one's who are going to foot the bill, while BP's competitors laugh all the way to the bank.
But what I think we need, and I think that no one is talking about it is a grassroots swell of volunteers from the states affected by the disaster (AL, MS, LA, FL) to storm the beaches, with protective gear, en masse...Battalions of volunteers not expecting any payment (not that there are a lot of jobs out there as is) and fed by folks like The Red Cross and other non-profit groups...not Republicans, not Democrats, not Independents, but Americans. I'd love to see BP's company heads try and stop 300 or more people from storming our own beaches to clean up what they so obviously will only do the bare minimum of, and only for so long as the cameras are on them.
Oh yeah...and every volunteer ought to be given a disposable camera to take pictures of what it is they are hiding on those beaches. I have a feeling that a civil attorney would LOVE to get their mitts on THOSE pictures.
But to do it, we need a leader...someone who knows no political slant, nor cares for personal gain, nor political office. Someone who genuinely cares for all that is occurring on our home turf...trouble is, that person might not exist...hence the quandary. I think it's absolutely hilarious that after 9/11 swells of volunteers entered NYC to help clean up after the attack, but almost 60 days after this one, we're letting BP handle it AND no governor has called for volunteers from America.
If this isn't a "shovel ready" project, I don't know what is.
You are amazing!
Thank you for everything that you do!!
I started listening to you when you were a DJ on the River in Northampton, MA and I am sooooo happy that you have a voice that all can hear.
You have the guts that most of us lack. Thank you - Thank you - Thank you.
Susan
but do these ratings counts include people who watch shows online? That's where most of the 20 somethings get their news and watch what they want to watch.
Rachel I liked what you had to say about the GOP glass jaw tonight. the real question, though, is whether the Dems will throw the punch or just stand there and admire the glass work.
o, and btw roger 3107... your numbers only show that lies are popular.
There is always a price for patriotism, Aurelius. You are just beginning to understand that. - Zufa Cenva Dune
The article by Politifact misrepresents the contributions from BP to President Obama. He, as they state, took no money form BP's Political Action Fund but did take contributions from individual voters that work for BP. The author then extrapolates that to mean that he took those funds form BP. This is inaccurate. If we used that logic to determine all contributions made by corporations, then we should look to see how much individual voters who work for Fox News or the Wall Street Journal or even the Bush White House employees contributed to determine how much Fox News, WSJ, and Bush gave to Obama's campaign. This is BS and Rachel should know better.