Speaking from Grand Isle, Louisiana, the President discusses the hardships local residents and small business owners are facing as a result of the BP oil spill. He pledges to make sure those responsible do not shortchange them.
Learn more about the ongoing Administration-wide response.
This also comes from the post:
In his weekly address, President Barack Obama underscored his commitment to helping the people of the Gulf Coast recover and rebuild from the BP oil spill that has threatened their livelihoods. On Friday, the President heard from local residents and small business owners about the hardships that they are facing as a result of this catastrophe. The Administration has mobilized the largest response to an environmental disaster of this kind in the history of our country to clean up the BP oil spill. Additionally, the federal government is working to ensure that BP and other companies are held accountable for damages and that aggressive new standards are put into place to avoid a disaster in the future.
The only problem I have with this.... it is still being called a spill..... It's not a spill, it is a gusher.
I hope this will shut up the talking heads saying the President is too detached. They forget this president speaks from his heart and his mind and not his gut... He doesn't wear them on his sleeve.
I remember during the campaign this same thing was being said over and over... He can't win because he doesn't connect with the people. Well, he did win and I believe he does connect with people.
The administration is on the ground and has been since the rig blew... Now the National Guard has been deployed... which is what some have said they wanted. The pictures from the scene are devastating.
MSNBC has a page which shows lots of information and pictures if you want to look at them. I know most have seen them, but just to show again and again what this is doing, we need to look at them again. Please check them out...
This is a wake up call... We need clean energy. I urge each of you to contact your senators to get this done. If this doesn't do it.. I don't believe anything will.
5 comments:
I just left DailyKos where someone who lives in LA says that the people who work for the oil companies are very angry at President Obama because he suspended drilling in the area. They have chosen to forget his pledge to help them until they get back on their feet. This just goes to show that, for some people, the dangers inherent in drilling for oil are outweighed by money. They have never allowed themselves to think about the jobs they could have if they supported clean energy efforts. Our dependence on oil is unsustainable, and we either change over time or continue to be hostages to Middle Eastern nations, some of whom are not our allies.
Something else that bothers me a whole lot is the way that many on the left are piling on the president by claiming that he is too cool, and that he's not been involved in this incident. None of this is correct. Media Matters has an accurate timeline of the president's involvement, and it shows that on April 20, the day of the explosion, the president called Salazar, Jackson, and others to the WH for a meeting and ordered them to go the Gulf on April 21. The president has visited the Gulf 3 times in the last 6 weeks. Another reason I'm ticked is because so many Americans thought they were voting for a Third World Dictator instead of an American president in 2008 and do not realize that Congress must take the lead in dealing with these oil companies and other corporations that abuse the planet and its' people. They also seem to be oblivious to the fact that the republicans have no desire to regulate these entities and are more than willing to fight tooth and nail to preserve the status quo, just as they did on HCR and financial reform. Vitter and Jindal are still calling for lifting the president's ban on drilling, and Barbour is in deep denial about the environmental damages of the Gulf explosion and continues to promote more tourism for his state even though oil balls are washing up on its' shores.
Thanks again, Annette, for another Weekly Address from our president video, and for your very accurate comments.
Thank you for stopping. .I always enjoy your insight and your opinion. Thank you too for your kind words.
I have seen what you are saying... So many think he needs to get angry and yell and stomp his feet... That's just what he shouldn't do... it would just fit the stereotype some on the right have perpetuated... the angry black man... I appreciate his calm demeanor... I think it shows more strength than being angry and yelling all the time would.
annette: thanks for posting this and for your analysis. As you know already, I totally agree. No surprise there.
morb: Your comments are also very perceptive. Sometimes I think Democrats are getting as petty and stupid as the opposition.
One other thing I think people need to realize. After a man-made or natural disaster such as Katrina or the spill, the president really should stay away for awhile. The people who are frantically trying - under horrendous circumstances - to stop the oil flow, clean up the mess, save lives, save animals, save marine life, and everything else these tragedies encompass, don't need to be overrun by even more media, secret service, White House staff and whatever else that is part of a presidential visit. Especially in the early days when they're just getting organized and the operation underway. A friend of mine called this "false symbolism" on his blog. I agree with him.
We are a quick-fix society but it just doesn't work that way.
Photo ops won't stop the oil from gushing. Obama put a seemingly capable incident commander in the retired Coast Guard Admiral in charge. Too much Obama hinders him and everyone else from doing their jobs.
Of course, it's always good to see the President though.
Thanks for commenting huntb.. however I am not sure what you meant....lol
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