Paul Krugman: The Oil Spill Is Obama’s Fault

[babylonsister]

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/the-oil-spill-is-obamas-fault/

The Oil Spill Is Obama’s Fault
Paul Krugman


No, I haven’t lost my mind — that’s not what I believe. But you know that’s what the talk-show hosts will be saying soon, if they haven’t already started. The only question is what the story will be.

Will it be claims that liberals and/or scientific conspirators sabotaged the rig, to undermine good Americans who want to drillheredrillnow? (Michael Crichton already wrote that novel).

Will it be that oil workers, demoralized by the march of socialism, fell into despair and let the accident happen?

Will it be claims that since this didn’t happen under Bush, it obviously shows that Obamanomics is responsible?

I don’t know. But you know something along these lines is coming.

Update: He shoots! He scores! Media Matters: Rush’s conspiracy theory: “Environmentalist whackos” may have blown up oil rig to “head off more oil drilling”

[louis-t]

1. Boy, the enviro whackos are well-funded.

It's 'spensive to get the equipment needed to sabotage something a mile underwater.

[NJmaverick]

2. Paul you come up with some real gems

:thumbsup:

[NYC Liberal]

3. It's as insane as claiming Bush caused the tsunamis in 2004. nt

[MadMaddie]

4. Yea, President Obama must be a magician to the the Right Wing

is out fringing themselves in 2010.

[Chulanowa]

9. Sounds like a lot of posters here on DU, actually

[MadMaddie]

13. Yea, I know. WTF?

I just responded to one about President Obama is responsible for creating the jobs. If the banks aren't loaning money to the small busineses, the small and medium businesses cannot hire. It's all interconnected....geeze....

[lamp_shade]

14. That was my first thought. You've apparently seen a few of the "Blame Obama" posts here.

Sweet Jesus. Where do these people come from.

[Forkboy]

5. Not even close to being his fault.

[babylonsister]

34. Krugman doesn't really think that.

He just knows that's how it will be spun, as it has been this a.m. Obama-heads he wins, tails he loses.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/us/02gulf.html?hp

His administration has publicly chastised BP America for its handling of the spreading oil gusher, yet a review of the response suggests it may be too simplistic to place all the blame for the unfolding environmental catastrophe on the oil company. The federal government also had opportunities to move more quickly, but did not do so while it waited for a resolution to the spreading spill from BP.

[Ilsa]

6. Yeah, nothing ever went wrong when the rethugs were in charge.

They haven't even determined a definitive cause for the blowout, have they?

[tridim]

7. Rush is saying it's all because we want to take down The Dick's Halliburton.

:evilgrin:

Occam, Rush. Rush, Occam.

[Jennicut]

17. Because Halliburton is most likely to blame.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/halliburton-may-be-culpri_n_558481.html

Oh wait, over there...it's environmental wackos causing the oil rig to explode! Everyone look!
Except we aren't that dumb, are we?

[Froward69]

8. I have been hearing diffrent stories

of this since yesterday... different theories looking for the same conclusion... they are trying to get the lie straight.

[Uzybone]

10. "demoralized by the march of socialism"....BWHAHAHAHHA

well done Prof.

[Kdillard]

11. They are so predictable.

[crazylikafox]

15. +1

[State the Obvious]

12. So, what it's REALLY about is how the powerful media manipulate the "story"...

...to say what THEY want it to say......

And Dems seldom CONFRONT the misinformation....or they become easily distracted (Shiny Object Syndrome.):banghead:

[dave29]

16. I heard he's just been lucky up to this point.

:shrug:

[depakid]

28. That's becuase he HAS been lucky

-now however, there's no more luck to rely on. Conciliation, conflict aversion and "rope a dope" -call the usual rhetorical dynamics what you will, isn't going to work in the days, weeks and months to follow- and there's nothing in the way of interceding events, opponent's scandals or fortuitous timing that will change that.

[Phx_Dem]

Delete dupe

[Phx_Dem]

18. I vote for #2, "The march to socialism . . ." ROFL

They were too depressed to pay attention to the condition of the rig.

:rofl:

[moondust]

19. "Obama's Katrina"

Heard it already on Andrea Mitchell's show with Pat Buchanan. The claim is that the government was tardy/slow to act.

The wingnuts are going to propagandize this like everything else.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

38. The government was not slow to act, Buchanan lies again

[Whisp]

42. CNN has already spewed that question a number of times.

did I mention how much I detest the ugly fuckers on CNN? If I watched FOX (not available here thank the Lard) I'm sure I'd blow a gasket, so someone is watching over me.

[IndianaGreen]

20. Didn't he say 'drill, baby, drill' in so many words?

A stupid and reckless energy policy that also included more Chernobyls!

[Dragonfli]

25. see post # 24 /nt

[jeanpalmer]

30. Yes he did say that

and that may be why he hasn't gone to the Gulf yet -- because what is happening in the Gulf really brings into question his recent decision to open up more offshore drilling. And he has no answer for it. But the emerging catastrophe is forcing him to make the trip. I see he's trying to schedule one now.

[grantcart]

21. It wasn't his fault - he didn't have the right tools when he installed the floor clamp.

[cliffordu]

23. Well, he did, but Michelle had them at the FEMA camp tightening some of the

hoses on the waterboards...

Or maybe she was using them for the 'whitey tapes' as punctuation.

:shrug:

[freddie mertz]

22. Of course he didn't cause it, and of course he will be blamed by opponents and nutcases.

But that doesn't mean his energy and drilling policy is good.

OR that he has taken a bold stand in defense of the environment.

He has not.

[Dragonfli]

24. What is responsible is a policy of offshore drilling - with the drilling you get the spilling

One spill a year I hear in a good time.

There will be more of these as long as offshore drilling remains the policy.
I believe that those that enact these policies are culpable as well, someone should be responsible for policies that cause harm, why not the author of such policies?

Is Obama blame free and free also of the responsibility of the consequences of his policies both seen and unforeseen? If so, how so is he blameless?

[johnaries]

26. "Drill, Baby, dr... er, wha? It's Obama's Katrina!" nt

[depakid]

27. "The only question is what the story will be."

Precisely.

If ever there was a time to listen to and implement the principles that George Lakoff and Drew Westen have researched and writen about extensively, now would be it.

[jeanpalmer]

29. That's not what they're saying

The right is saying he should have made a trip there. They're faulting him just like Bush was faulted for flying over the Katrina and not paying a visit. Obama is letting his underlings handle it, just like Bush did. As President, he has the ultimate responsibility for the government's response. It's up to him to see to it that the response is adequate. Frequently, as happened with Katrina, underlings don't do the right thing. It's up to the CEO to make sure everything is being that can be done. So yes he does have an executive responsibility to visit the scene to see what's going on and provide leadership. It's like the expectation that a police chief will visit a major crime scene. And he will be faulted if he doesn't get down there soon.

[GoCubsGo]

32. No, what they are really saying is...

..."This is going to cost the corporations billions of dollars to clean up. Let's do our best to blame Obama and the government, so that the corporations get out of footing most of the bill. And, maybe we can get rid of Obama, to boot."

[Jennicut]

33. He is going down there.

"President Barack Obama is planning to head to the Gulf Coast sometime in the next 48 hours to get an update on efforts to contain the massive oil spill from an offshore drilling rig, a White House official said Saturday.

A senior administration official said details of the trip were being worked out, and Obama will likely travel with a "small footprint" — meaning a very small entourage. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the trip had not been officially announced."http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10527535

The "underlings" here are not former judges for a horse association like Michael Brown was.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

31. Go to the front page of today's Huffington Post. There, it is implied that it's the "Fed's Fault"

for the spill.

The so-called LIBRUL MEDIA is now calling this "Obama's Katrina."

And Bill Maher went after Obama last night; he was trying hard to appease the wingnut on his panel.

[babylonsister]

35. NYTs, too...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/us/02gulf.html?hp

[northernlights]

36. yup. those environmental whackos deliberately destroyed the ecologically sensitive

and irreplaceble coastlines for thousands of miles in order to forestall the possibility of big oil getting there first and destroying the ecologically sensitive and irreplaceable coastlines for thousands of miles. :crazy:

[saltpoint]

37. Recommended. Yes, the oil spill is Obama's fault, and are people so

gullible that they think it's a coincidence that the oil spill borders Texas and Texas is where JFK was shot and that Barack Obama was somehow NOT involved in the assassination plot?

[political_Dem]

39. The fear of having someone of color lead them is so bad that they have go to such extremes as this.

Because of that racist fear generated by conservative rhetoric, any unrelated catastrophe is Mr. Obama's fault. Furthermore, any mistake the POTUS makes is magnified a hundred fold. And worst of all, his every move is watched, scrutinized, parsed, gawked at and most incredibly, derided and dismissed.

It is even more fascinating to see folks who can't stand the power of a black POTUS act out in unbelievable ways.

So, I'm not surprised by what Mr. Krugman is pitching in his commentary. Any one of color is used to the extra scrutiny that happens as a result of their actions.

Instead of being in a time when people have a chance to show their humanity, this age has demonstrated the ugliest traits in humankind.

[GoCubsGo]

40. Krugman isn't pitching it.

He is pointing out that others are pitching it. He says in the first sentence that he doesn't believe it.

[political_Dem]

41. Thank you for pointing that out, but I already know that.

Krugman isn't the one at fault. It is the purveyors of RW rhetoric and those who believe them who are held culpable in pressuring and scrutinizing Mr. Obama in this fashion.

[GoCubsGo]

43. You said "Krugman is pitching" it.

That insinuates he is the one purveying it.

[political_Dem]

44. Although I see what you are saying, that's not what I meant.

Yes, I said, "So, I'm not surprised by what Mr. Krugman is pitching in his commentary."

And I meant it. I am not surprised by his commentary that people are attacking and blaming Mr. Obama for the oil spill.

However, I am not saying that Mr. Krugman himself said that Obama is to blame. In all my readings of Mr. Krugman, he has never said anything of the sort--economics or politically-wise.

(Another person along these lines that I like is Naomi Klein and her proposal of the "shock doctrine".)

I'm sorry that you interpreted my remarks in such a manner. But believe me, I know Paul Krugman is good in his commentary. He is one of the few folks who called things as they were when the "Bail Out of Wall Street" happened around the 2008 elections. His analysis during that time was spot on.

So yes, I clearly understand his intentions in this current commentary. And I agree with him.

And I also believe that people do have a problem with Mr. Obama's leadership and will blame him for everything. That is succinctly Paul Krugman's point. I just added that sometimes this blame comes from a racist point of view.