Grade Obama on the Gulf Oil Spill

[Ockham]

Watch the video, take the poll.

BTW - Day 43 was the Paul McCartney concert award dedication.

 

[tacomancer]

:shrug: I think he is doing as good as anyone could expected to be under the circumstances. The man does not possess expertise in this issue and it is something that is best delegated to experts.

 

[Jucon]

Just because we only see him when he makes public appearances does not mean these things in the video were all he was doing. Yes, he probably should have gotten down to the Gulf sooner to make people THINK he was doing something... but to claim he was ignoring the disaster is absurd. Apparently some people need him to physically be there to think he is on top of things?

Wtf can he do? He's the President... it's not like he's going to go down to the beach and help clean up for a week straight. There are other things going on in the world. The country and the world don't stop just because an environmental disaster happens.

Not to mention there are other people in charge of giving him recommendations on what to do... he gets updates and recommendations... he isn't an expert on oil spills.

And some people act like he's an idiot or something... if he chose not to go with an idea someone had, I'm sure there was a good reason for it. What possible reason would he have to not use an effective idea?

 

[tacomancer]

Looking at the poll (it wasn't up during my first post). I really think options 1 and 3 really equate to the same thing. The best thing he can possibly do is be partially engaged and delegate to experts.

Sorry, but with the way the answers are phrased, I find the poll to be inadequate and biased due to the assumption that him being directly involved is the best possible thing and results in him doing everything he could do.

 

[jujuman13]

A President, any President can by appearing at the site of any large scale tragedy, impart a feeling of 'He really cares', with deep regret Obama has not shown this side of his nature to the American electorate who elected him to serve THEM.

 

[jujuman13]

Now here is a man who shows that he cares.

Quote(The prime minister will visit Cumbria later as police continue to investigate the 12 killings carried out by gunman Derrick Bird.

David Cameron, who will be accompanied by Home Secretary Theresa May, is to meet senior police officers.)

He visits so that it will show that he cares for those people who are the electorate, regardless of who they voted for.
And he does it in a timely manner.

 

[The Uncola]

Oh goody...

.. another freakin' push poll.

Well, I guess if you can't get the results you'd prefer with an honest poll, actually asking a straight up question, instead of a loaded one and offering the full range of opinion options, this is what you get. I'll pass on the stinkbait, but thanks for the offer.

 

[Gipper]

Is there any grade lower than F?

Seriously, he doesn't even see this as an environmental, economic, or ecological crisis. He sees this as a political spin. If he would actually address the problem instead of trying to figure out how to make a catastrophe serve him better in the polls, I wouldn't feel like putting a bullet into his head.

How hard would it have been to assign a brain trust comprised of great non-political minds focusing in engineering and physics? You could go to your random overpriced universities like Stanford and MIT and just organize a group of professors who could all get together in a think tank for a while and develop feasible and credible methods of cleaning this up. It's a hell of a lot better than just leaving it to BP, who looks like they got caught with their dicks in their hands. Then, when you fix the problem they caused and couldn't stop, you send the bill in the mail.

He's too busy getting photo-ops with random sports teams and intellectually circle-jerked by burnt-out liberal hippies who made music 50 years ago in Liverpool. That's one ostrich who seriously needs to get his head out of the sand.

 

[Jucon]

Is there any grade lower than F?

Seriously, he doesn't even see this as an environmental, economic, or ecological crisis. He sees this as a political spin. If he would actually address the problem instead of trying to figure out how to make a catastrophe serve him better in the polls, I wouldn't feel like putting a bullet into his head.

How hard would it have been to assign a brain trust comprised of great non-political minds focusing in engineering and physics? You could go to your random overpriced universities like Stanford and MIT and just organize a group of professors who could all get together in a think tank for a while and develop feasible and credible methods of cleaning this up. It's a hell of a lot better than just leaving it to BP, who looks like they got caught with their dicks in their hands. Then, when you fix the problem they caused and couldn't stop, you send the bill in the mail.

He's too busy getting photo-ops with random sports teams and intellectually circle-jerked by burnt-out liberal hippies who made music 50 years ago in Liverpool. That's one ostrich who seriously needs to get his head out of the sand.

So because you only SEE Obama doing photo-ops and grilling BP and others involved, that's all you think he's doing? Lets put bias aside and think about this one more clearly...

 

[Gipper]

Okay, you got it. What do you think he's doing to fix the problem?

 

[tacomancer]

Okay, you got it. What do you think he's doing to fix the problem?

He has the government working with BP and is getting briefings. That is the best that can be done under the circumstances. I don't understand what else people could want. Its not like he is a patroleum engineer or roughneck or something.

 

[jamesrage]

Watch the video, take the poll.

BTW - Day 43 was the Paul McCartney concert award dedication.

I picked other. Its not his responsibility to handle the leak and it should first be responsibility of BP and the local states to protect their coastline and then the states ask for help if it is too much to handle and then Obama should get the federal government to help with the clean up and give BP the bill for the clean up..

 

[country]

:shrug: I think he is doing as good as anyone could expected to be under the circumstances. The man does not possess expertise in this issue and it is something that is best delegated to experts.

cmon now. The man does not possess expertise in running a bank, or an auto manufacturing business or health care. As president he should delegate! So far there is little evidence he has taken any steps in that direction. Even honest democrats are getting nervous, waiting for him to do something.

 

[FilmFestGuy]

Looking at the poll (it wasn't up during my first post). I really think options 1 and 3 really equate to the same thing. The best thing he can possibly do is be partially engaged and delegate to experts.

Sorry, but with the way the answers are phrased, I find the poll to be inadequate and biased due to the assumption that him being directly involved is the best possible thing and results in him doing everything he could do.

As far as I know he doesn't have a degree in Underwater Geology & Topography, so how "directly" involved he can be is the biggest issue here. Is he supposed to be manning the sub himself?

 

[VanceMack]

Where is the option for "He is doing a suuuper job, its NOT HIS job to do anything at all its all BP, but he is in charge and telling BP what to do, and besides its Bush's fault"...?

 

[Gipper]

He has the government working with BP and is getting briefings. That is the best that can be done under the circumstances. I don't understand what else people could want. Its not like he is a patroleum engineer or roughneck or something.

Doesn't seem to be helping from my perspective. Having a bunch of random faceless VPs of a corporation shuffling a couple pieces of paper to a collection of Washington talking heads isn't getting a damn thing done.

As stated before by me and others from the thread, I'm not expecting him to slip on red boots and a cape to save the day. How about letting people who actually DO have some knowledge about the subject organize some things, or at least ponder some potential solutions instead of him coming down and glad-handing a few local yokels a month after the fact in an attempt to "appear" compassionate and concerned.

Some of you people were the same ones burning Bush at the stake for not inciting panic in a bunch of grade school kids by taking an extra 7 minutes to finish a book. He was criminally negligent for weeks and he's getting a free pass.

He's not being presidential. He's wanting to look presidential. Remember, this is his first term. He still has much to lose, and the way he's going he's just about lost it.

 

[tacomancer]

Doesn't seem to be helping from my perspective. Having a bunch of random faceless VPs of a corporation shuffling a couple pieces of paper to a collection of Washington talking heads isn't getting a damn thing done.

As stated before by me and others from the thread, I'm not expecting him to slip on red boots and a cape to save the day. How about letting people who actually DO have some knowledge about the subject organize some things, or at least ponder some potential solutions instead of him coming down and glad-handing a few local yokels a month after the fact in an attempt to "appear" compassionate and concerned.

Some of you people were the same ones burning Bush at the stake for not inciting panic in a bunch of grade school kids by taking an extra 7 minutes to finish a book. He was criminally negligent for weeks and he's getting a free pass.

He's not being presidential. He's wanting to look presidential. Remember, this is his first term. He still has much to lose, and the way he's going he's just about lost it.

Wait. So BP's engineers aren't experts? What actions would you consider to be presidential?

cmon now. The man does not possess expertise in running a bank, or an auto manufacturing business or health care. As president he should delegate! So far there is little evidence he has taken any steps in that direction. Even honest democrats are getting nervous, waiting for him to do something.

He has federal departments with those sorts of expertise though and he has delegated. He has made it clear that the government is overseeing what BP is doing.

 

[FilmFestGuy]

Doesn't seem to be helping from my perspective. Having a bunch of random faceless VPs of a corporation shuffling a couple pieces of paper to a collection of Washington talking heads isn't getting a damn thing done.

As stated before by me and others from the thread, I'm not expecting him to slip on red boots and a cape to save the day. How about letting people who actually DO have some knowledge about the subject organize some things, or at least ponder some potential solutions instead of him coming down and glad-handing a few local yokels a month after the fact in an attempt to "appear" compassionate and concerned.

Some of you people were the same ones burning Bush at the stake for not inciting panic in a bunch of grade school kids by taking an extra 7 minutes to finish a book. He was criminally negligent for weeks and he's getting a free pass.

He's not being presidential. He's wanting to look presidential. Remember, this is his first term. He still has much to lose, and the way he's going he's just about lost it.

Bush remained calm for about 7 minutes. Disappeared on a plane for a long time. Rallied Americans around him for a few weeks (I guarantee you the Right in this country wouldn't rally around Obama if something terrible were to happen, they'd all point and say, I told you so.) And then screwed everything up by not finishing the job in Afghanistan before starting another war.

Perhaps Obama should talk to the public more - but like I said, unless he's got a degree in mineralogy, topography, or geology then I don't know what you expect him to do aside from consulting experts.

And I'm sure the moment he does something to punish BP, the Rand Paul types are going to run around screaming about "socialism" again.

 

[zimmer]

Obi gets an "S": Sad performance.

.

 

[Jucon]

Some of you people were the same ones burning Bush at the stake for not inciting panic in a bunch of grade school kids by taking an extra 7 minutes to finish a book. He was criminally negligent for weeks and he's getting a free pass.

It makes me laugh when people think, "you harassed Bush for nonsense reasons so it's alright for me to harass Obama for nonsense reasons".:doh

Doesn't seem to be helping from my perspective. Having a bunch of random faceless VPs of a corporation shuffling a couple pieces of paper to a collection of Washington talking heads isn't getting a damn thing done.

As stated before by me and others from the thread, I'm not expecting him to slip on red boots and a cape to save the day. How about letting people who actually DO have some knowledge about the subject organize some things, or at least ponder some potential solutions instead of him coming down and glad-handing a few local yokels a month after the fact in an attempt to "appear" compassionate and concerned.

He's not being presidential. He's wanting to look presidential. Remember, this is his first term. He still has much to lose, and the way he's going he's just about lost it.

Have you ever considered the possibility that many clean up efforts right now would be pointless? Many efforts to stop the oil from getting to land would be a waste of money because it will come ashore anyways?

All that can be done is to drill a relief well, and only BP can do that. This happened... and as much as you might like to think so, you can't stop the oil from destroying the Gulf and the coast anymore. It is too late. There is nothing anyone could have done, and there is little anyone can do now but hope for the best.

 

[ricksfolly]

All presidents, including Obama, can only try to allay peoples fears the best way they know how. None don't know beans about technology, so don't expect any miracles from Obama.

ricksfolly

 

[RightinNYC]

He's not doing much, but exactly what should he be doing that he isn't? I don't have a problem with how he's handled it.

 

[apdst]

PBO is doing a piss poor job. Since day zero, he has done more to enhance the problems rather than solve the problems.

No berms.

No burning.

Didn't accept foreign aid.

Killed tens of thousands of jobs.

He needed this to be a disaster and that's exactly what he got.

 

[zimmer]

He's not doing much, but exactly what should he be doing that he isn't? I don't have a problem with how he's handled it.

Informing the American people as to what they are doing. His press conference was a disaster.
If he had said he underestimated the potential problem people would have understood. He didn't. He tried to make it seem as if he was fully engaged from Day 1. He wasn't.
Then he tried to take credit for the mud shot. When it failed he looked dumb.

Instead of meeting after meeting and taking almost a month... getting faster decisions on the sand bars being built.
Have meetings, but make decisions... not all will be perfect, but THIS IS THE TIME TO MAKE DECISIONS, AND CORRECT AS YOU GO... JUST AS THEY DID WITH HEALTHCARE. They have the priorities wrong with these two... Healthcare should have been slow... BP Horizon's mess should move faster.

Get all manner of supertanker out there to get oil out of the water as the Saudi's had done.
The guy should look like hell from logging 18-hour days... instead he looks like he's going sailing. Off to hoops, off to SF twice, golfing multiple times... vacation... parties... and he claimed to have such superior judgment.

He can also scrub parties and golf.
People don't need to see him having a jolly good time while we have a massive disaster on our hands.
Bush had the common sense to stop playing golf during the war. And this oil gusher is a form of warfare on our shores and in our waters, and on our economy.

He need to behave more like Patton than Palmer.

Think if Petreaus were President?
That guy would be all business all the time.
I doubt he would have lawyered up, a dumb and dumber move because it is going to have people clam up... the companies will tell their employees not to say anything because it could be used against them in court.

But being a community agitator, it's about all he knows to do... point fingers and agitate.

.

 

[jr602az]

Obama is not God so don't blame him, blame the BP because its there responsibility from day 1.