![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
defrogI don’t really want to clutter up this blog with posts about the Great BP Gulf Oil Disaster of 2010, but regarding Joe “Mr Apology” Barton – with what has to be the most embarrassing attempt by a politician to suck up to corporate interests on national television, as well as possibly the worst-timed – I thought I should direct yr attention to this contextual political analysis by John Scalzi.
The key takeaway for my money:
It says a lot when the best political commentary of the day comes from science-fiction writers.
Meanwhile, it’s also interesting to note that while a number of conservatives are still clinging to the idea that this is somehow not BP’s fault, at least one – Republican Congressional candidate William "Bill" Randall – hopes to have it both ways, suggesting that the Obama Administration AND BP conspired to intentionally spill oil in the Gulf.
Not that he can think of a single motive for BP to be in on this. But, you know, someone should look into that.
NOTE: Randall won the North Carolina Republican primary.
Apology not accepted,
This is dF
The key takeaway for my money:
Basically there’s little in the GOP oil spill positioning that isn’t a) initially following the mantra of “Whatever Obama does is Socialist,” b) a confused and hasty backtrack from that position when the GOP realize that most people are not interested in blaming Obama, they’re interested in blaming BP, which to be fair is responsible for having its oil rig blow up, killing 11 workers, and gushing millions of barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Part of the reason for this is that I don’t think the GOP as it is currently intellectually constituted is able to handle getting off the script regarding point a), or doing anything but responding petulantly and defensively regarding point b). It and its members (and media) are so used to their “socialist grandma killer” talking points, and in trying to help the Democrats do their slow motion implosion that they just don’t notice that when it comes to BP and the gulf, they’re setting themselves up for their own implosions of supernova magnitude.
It says a lot when the best political commentary of the day comes from science-fiction writers.
Meanwhile, it’s also interesting to note that while a number of conservatives are still clinging to the idea that this is somehow not BP’s fault, at least one – Republican Congressional candidate William "Bill" Randall – hopes to have it both ways, suggesting that the Obama Administration AND BP conspired to intentionally spill oil in the Gulf.
Not that he can think of a single motive for BP to be in on this. But, you know, someone should look into that.
NOTE: Randall won the North Carolina Republican primary.
Apology not accepted,
This is dF
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2010-06-19 07:13 am (UTC)