Papantonio on Hardball - Obama needs to be Huey Long not Gandhi

[eleny]

Papantonio made an emotional plea. He said that he respects Axelrod, who just appeared on Hardball, and Obama. But he said that the Gulf coast is dying while tankers that could suck up the spill are waiting for oil prices to change so they can then unload their oil.

It was an amazing interview. He called for President Obama to use his bully pulpit to get those tankers to the Gulf of Mexico.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Papantonio is always great! He was INCREDIBLE on Tweety's show today.

If you missed it..it will be rebroadcast at 7PM EDT

EDIT: Jeez Do some people join just in order to unrec posts??????????????????

[eleny]

2. It's a must-see video when it becomes available

[Hawkowl]

3. Fuck the bully pulpit

Obama needs to commandeer whatever ships and personnel are necessary. It a giant asteroid were heading straight at earth, Obama would hold a press conference and broadcast his jibber jabber at the asteroid as a solution.

[izquierdista]

21. Now, now...

You sound as though you have give up on biplanetsanship. I'm sure if we and the asteroid come together....

[Pirate Smile]

4. It would have been nice to have a scientist or drilling expert. That would have been more

informative then having on an attorney representing people suing.

I say that as an attorney.

They aren't trying to help understand the situation and options, etc. Tweety and Pap just want to throw gasoline on the outrage fire.

Acting like Huey Long isn't going to solve the problem but then that isn't what Tweety wants. They want PR. They want screaming and raging.

[eleny]

8. Pap is asking for the bully pulpit to be used to get the tankers in to pull out of the gulf

Saying that our president has a bully pulpit is a complement. Asking him to use it is nothing less than patriotic.
Saying that the Gulf is dying is being informative. Asking our government to do what works to help the situation is entirely appropriate, imo.

If the Saudis used those tankers to remove oil and process, we ought to be able to get that help, too.

Papantonio was responding to the kumbaya sounding message that Axelrod put forth during his interview on Hardball right before Papantonio was interviewed. I can understand his frustration after Axelrod spoke.

[Pirate Smile]

12. I don't believe that there is some great solution - like bringing in those tankers -

which Obama isn't doing. I don't believe it. I watched the press briefing with Gibbs, Allen and Browner and wish they would have beem asked about that because I'm sure there is an answer. I'll tweet the question to Gibbs.

Everyone things to think there is some easy solution and they just aren't doing it. I think that is bullshit.

[eleny]

15. I didn't get the impression that he thinks the tankers are a solution

But the Saudis were able to clean up 85% of their massive spill.

I can't think of a reason not to use the oil skimming tankers.

[Pirate Smile]

18. I can't either if it would work. There is no doubt that it is 100% preferable to suck that up out

in the Gulf before it heads toward land. Because that is what everyone - even BP - would prefer, I just don't see why it wouldn't be being done if it was workable.

Do people here really have themselves convinced that Obama wouldn't do that if it was possible? I mean for his own self interest, why in the world would he not want the oil picked up before it gets near shore? He would. Is he worried about cost? No, because BP would be paying for it and the financial damage once it hits shore and the marshes is so much larger.

[eleny]

20. Honestly, I'm stumped

I do believe that one thing freaking people out is that we're on the cusp of hurricane season. You know what that will mean.

Also, you know that the more we do, the more faith people have in the powers that be. Appearance is an important factor and doing something significant is paramount. Btw, "significant" doesn't mean it takes care of whole problem.

[eleny]

23. Btw, Papantonio asserted that the tankers are sitting full of oil

He said that the companies are waiting for the price of oil to change so they can reap the profits.

I just posted the YouTube of the interview in the Videos forum.

[flamingdem]

10. I WANT THE COLD HARD SCIENCE, no more fluff or bitching nt

[eleny]

11. Every time I see a picture of oil covered fauna I get an education about what's happening

[flamingdem]

14. I want to know what they're going to do and percent chance of success

I think it's dim.

I want to prepare for the shock.

[eleny]

16. I bet that there's no way to tell nor for us to prepare at this point

Feels like another "inconvenient truth". :cry:

[sharp_stick]

5. How are tankers

supposed to suck up the oil? They are simply big empty vessels that require an entire pier side infrastructure just to load and unload.

Unless there are some special tankers hanging around that I havne't heard of, that's always possible.

[Better Believe It]

7. I'm sure they can improvise and find a way. It's not going to Mars exactly.

[eleny]

9. You received an answer to this question in the other thread where you asked it

Maybe you didn't see it yet. Here is the thread where you asked your question and got an answer
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8407581#8407629

Here is the link you got about the special tankers
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8402501

Hope this helps.

[sharp_stick]

13. Unfortunately nobody

seems to know where these tankers are anymore. The latest article I found on the Valdez Star was from 1991?

I keep hearing about this spill in Saudi Arabia that got cleaned up really nicely but nobody seems to be able to point to an actual article or even PR site that lists any kind of fantastic skimming operation.

[eleny]

17. Has anybody in the administration been asked?

I'd sure like to hear what they have to say about it. Until then, it's a good question to keep asking for the sake of everything involved.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

6. That was very good.

[no_hypocrisy]

19. Apt analogy!

[WillyT]

22. Exactly !!! - HUGE K & R !!!

Go Papatonio!!

:woohoo:

:kick:

[eleny]

25. I posted the video just now in the Videos Forum

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x468191

[islandmkl]

24. while not looking to argue with Pap's premise...

i ask "how many of you coastal people protested the income from the wells?"...you don't deserve this outcome, but you can't play with the devil without consequences...

did i miss the part where the gulf coast states were disputing the establishment of off-shore rigs...as a majority...

it's always good to play these games till somebody gets hurt...

and a lawyer is always the first with the answers AFTER THE FACT...and i am not trying to broadly taint lawyers...just saying that Pap had more fucking emotion than proven fact or process...

[eleny]

28. I believe that he did site some sources for what he asserted

He cited Matthew Simmons regarding how the pressure gradients need to change or the well to run dry before the spill will stop.

He also cited how the Saudis remedied their 700 million gallon oil spill with siphoning tankers back in 1994.

He also asserted how pelicans are hobbling on their knees because they can't fly being covered in oil and how their nests have been found to be destroyed by the oil. I have no reason to doubt that this is true having seen pictures and videos of the devastation.

Having listened to Papantonio on the radio with RFK Jr. for years being concerned about environmental issues, I never thought of him as an "after the fact" kind of person.

Today, his emotion sounded genuine and from a place that has been involved and concerned about environmental issues for a very long time.

[islandmkl]

29. i couldn't quite get the 1994 reference...he seemed to allude that those tankers were still around..

waiting for the price to get where they could make some $$...but i probably missed that full explanation...when did they unload?

[eleny]

32. According to MP the tankers are sitting full

Sounded to me like Pap feels that if Obama used his bully pulpit he could get the oil companies to get the tankers unloaded and available for this emergency.

Btw, I posted the video in the Videos Forum.

[QC]

26. False analogy: Gandhi actually cared deeply about many things. n/t

[islandmkl]

27. exactly...who are you talking to when you paint Ghandi in some poor light...?

what's next...WWJD?

probably would have drilled away and not had the problem...

[eleny]

30. My impression is that Papantonio felt Gandhi's more quiet resistance method....

...is not appropriate for our current dilemma.

But I get your point since there are probably other analogies that he could have used.

[David Zephyr]

31. K&R. I wish I would have seen this.

HPL.

[eleny]

33. The video is here at DU now

In the Videos Forum...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x468191

[Swamp Rat]

34. k&r for Huey P. Long

We need him now more than ever.

[eleny]

35. Hey, you!

:pals:

[NNN0LHI]

36. Did he say the names of these tankers that could come and scoop up all the oil?

Or were these anonymous tankers?

Don

[eleny]

37. The interview is in the Videos Forum...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x468191

He said that these are tankers of the type the Saudis used for their massive 700 million gallon oil spill in 1994. They're supposed to be tankers that can siphon the oil and process it. He asserted that the tankers are sitting full waiting for the price of oil to change so that it can then be sold - sounded like for better profits.

That's all I know. The video should help and perhaps an email to Papantonio. http://www.ringoffireradio.com/

Hope this helps.