Joe Barton inadvertently speaks the truth
What's become of us when the leaders of the GOP -- defenders of the free market system -- unite to pounce on Joe Barton for daring to speak the truth? Barton articulated what many of us have been saying on Ricochet: that the administration pressure on BP amounts to an extra-legal "shakedown." An apt choice of words.
Not that Barton defended BP's actions. He came right out and said that this was a case where a corporation did something "wrong," but he simply lamented the "political pressure" to create a government-run "slush fund." The Left was going to make hay out of Barton's statement whether or not Boehner, et al try to "distance" themselves from it, so why not stick to our principles? Especially when even the Economist is taking note of "Vladimir Obama's" broader attack on capitalism.
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Re: Joe Barton inadvertently speaks the truth
That's beltway politics for you, Adam. "Bad optics"..."wrong forum"...when you're not on the Hill, these things -- thank God -- matter less. A lot less. The political equivalent of no news is good news: don't go viral. Don't create the catchphrase that winds up in the DCCC fundraiser. These two brief interviews with two different GOP Congressmen are illuminating.
May '10
Re: Joe Barton inadvertently speaks the truth
Shame on Boehner and the others for their spineless pandering. And shame on Barton for backing down.
Re: Joe Barton inadvertently speaks the truth
Right -- especially because calling what Obama is doing to BP a "shakedown" is sort of sugar-coating it. The whole point of a shakedown is that you get something in exchange for it -- even the mob promises to protect you from other mobsters. What's Obama promising? For him, the $20 billion is just the beginning. It doesn't buy BP any protection down the road.
I hate to harp on this again -- this is now almost a cliche for we right wingers -- but this is exactly what Acorn and the rest of those awful groups do, just with a couple of more zeroes attached.
Jun '10
Re: Joe Barton inadvertently speaks the truth
This is so typical of Repubs, and some so-called conservative commentators. Fear, defeatism, and ankle-biting. Dems always rally around each other, Repubs always shirk away into the shadows, after apologizing.