Democrats Tired of Obama Apathy on BP Spill

Democrats are getting restless with President Barack Obama's handling of the BP oil spill. Democrat strategist James Carville warned that The Obama administration is "naive" by letting BP take the lead in the clean up.



he CNN Transcript:

CARVILLE: They haven't told the truth about anything. They were criminally negligent in the deaths of 11 people as they were striving to get profits.

But what I'm -- concerns me is that -- I hate to say this, but I think the United States government is naive. They're -- they're -- they're -- we could have subpoenaed that on day two. We are the United States government. We have the power to subpoena. We have the Justice Department, the Interior Department, the EPA, the God knows whatnot.

We're sitting around, in my opinion, and just not doing anything, not treating this like what it is, is a disaster of the first order.

To make matters worse, Florida CFO (and Obama supporter) Alex Sink sent a letter to the President. Like Carville, Sink is urging Obama to take the lead.

Dear Mr. President:
The Deepwater Horizon oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico has become a disaster of epic proportions for those of us who live and work in the region. By whatever standard one views this situation – environmental or economic – what’s clear is that we are all suffering due to the lack of a workable plan to stop the leak and take care of the residents and businesses that have been affected.

I have said this crisis could have the same effect as a Category 5 hurricane hitting our state. Floridians want to know: Where is the Federal government’s leadership? For the past month, Gulf coast residents have been waiting for BP as they attempt different strategies to stop the leak. I ask you, for the good of the entire region, to take over the process to stop the leak. Within the Federal government alone there are multiple resources that could help develop solutions. Please bring together the best and brightest in the industry both in our country and around the world, including those who have deepwater drilling expertise in Norway and Australia.

As Florida’s CFO, I am hearing stories from residents and business owners located along the Gulf coast, from Florida’s Panhandle down to the Florida Keys. Their lives and livelihoods are being destroyed by the absence of a coordinated response coming from the Federal government. For instance, hotel bookings in the Panhandle normally carry above a 90-percent occupancy rate this time of year, but the Panama City News Herald reported last week that some hotels are experiencing decreases of 50 to 60 percent compared to the same time last year.

Further, they are facing unnecessary obstacles as they try to get help. Clearly, leaving the small business and residential assistance to BP is not working. BP is not forthcoming with the information we need and is not capable of addressing the numerous needs our communities are facing. Why must a small business owner looking for assistance through this crisis have to work through BP – why isn’t the Federal government handling claims of lost income and revenue, and interfacing with BP on behalf of Florida’s citizens? Further yet, there are numerous reports of more drilling-related activity underway in the Gulf, including the granting of waivers on several projects, despite your call for a moratorium until the cause of the Deepwater Horizon leak has been found. Given the severity of the current situation, I ask you to enforce the moratorium you called for.

I am also requesting that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke meet with the Governor and the Florida Cabinet at tomorrow’s regularly scheduled Cabinet meeting in Tallahassee to brief us on the Federal government’s efforts. I realize this is short notice, so I would be happy to request an emergency Cabinet briefing for another date to hear from the administration.

Mr. President, our communities, our environment, and our economy are all at stake. We are looking to the White House for help.

Regards,

Alex Sink

The reason the White House is not pressing BP America more is the administration is corporate-friendly. The White House did not include a public option in their proposal. Health care industry stock prices increased after millions of Americans would be mandated to buy private insurance. Obama made a deal with the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers Association to not allow Medicare to negotiate for cheaper prescription. The federal government is not allowed to do what the free market Wal-Mart does with the pharmaceutical industry. President Obama received $71,051 from BP and has voiced approval for offshore drilling.

Republicans are equally in love with corporate lobbyists. That doesn't mean progressives should declude themselves into thinking Obama shares their ideals. The President and other neo-liberals in the White House would crawl over glass to protect corporations. It is embarrassing when Kevin Costner is showing more leadership than Obama.