I think most Americans are too detached from the oil spill to hurt Obama politically

[BluegrassDem]

I hate to sound so cold, but I don't sense that the oil spill is really causing anxiety in Americans outside of the Gulf coast states. The 9/11 attacks, the tsunami, Katrina, and the Haiti earthquake all stuck in our imaginations cause of the images of human suffering. The oil spill doesn't have this. You basically have some redneck fisherman hollering that they can't take their boat out anymore.

I think the Valdez spill in Alaska was worse cause of the images of black, tar like oil all over the animals. This spill is worse in scope, but I don't think the average American outside of those 4 states are screaming and up and arms.

When I go to work, I don't hear anyone really talking about it. The media is obsessed about it, as well as they should I guess, but to try to make it seem like Obama's gonna pay big time cause of this spill just won't happen with the vast majority of Americans.

In your circles of family and friends, are you obsessed with the spill? My friends are worried about trying to land a job. I don't get much more than just casual talk about the oil spill. Maybe if it goes on for months, it might matter, but not now.

[The Magistrate]

1. That Seems the Case To me As Well, Sir

And to the degree people notice, they notice it as one more screw-up and screwing-over by the boss, by the businessmen....

[rudy23]

2. "You basically have some redneck fisherman hollering that they can't take their boat out anymore."

I know you're referring to the way others see us down here, but you're right. This is how we were seen during Katrina, and that's why no one will care. Start a thread about it on here, and at least a few people on here will recycle the horrible rw talking points about how we don't deserve to live. It's horrible, they could nuke this region and no one would give a shit.

[BluegrassDem]

5. I just think the fisherman not being able to fish pales in comparison to other disasters

I know it's their livelihood and I don't begrudge them at all. It sucks that it has happened and I do feel bad for them. But there's no comparison of their problems to people in other disasters that I mentioned. It just doesn't resonate. And quite frankly, a lot of people have lost their livelihood in the past few years due to the economy. So it's like the fisherman just have to join other the club of people who have to find some other way to make money. :-(

[DatManFromNawlins]

9. Dude, shut up while the shutting up is good

Because what you said reeks of utter fucking idiocy.

These fishermen? They're the SAME people who were damaged during Katrina. They JUST built their lives back after the Federal Government completely FUCKED THEM OVER. They have boats which are multiple hundred thousand dollar investments, doing the same job they and their families have been doing for generations. They're going to lose EVERYTHING THEY FUCKING HAVE through ZERO fault of their own after building themselves back up from NOTHING.

This is nowhere close to what the average dude who just lost his job is going through.

This is like an olympic runner having his spine broken, being told he'd never walk again, getting up, rehabbing himself after being abandoned by everbody, qualifying once again for the olympics, and just when the judge is about to shoot the gun to let them race, he shoots the poor fucker in the kneecap instead and forces him to watch everyone else run off into the distance.

You have no clue how much this country has done to damage the state of Louisiana in these past 5 years and how many promises have been broken over that same period of time.

[suzie]

10. +1,000

[rudy23]

11. Do you like food? Maybe that will remind you of your connection to fellow humans.

I doubt it.

[proudohioan]

14. Well that seems a little cruel.......

to put it nicely.

And that's the way I'll leave it for now, cuz I'd hate to get Ts'd over a bonehead like you.

[unapatriciated]

17. I care

and so does my family on the west coast. We talk daily on the phone and it is the main subject.
I went to work yesterday hoping that the leak had been sealed and we could start the massive job of clean-up,
I came home and found out BP was once again lying (by omission) to us.
Most of us feel pretty helpless about this situation.

[Clio the Leo]

3. Tomorrow's Gallup # will tell the tale...

... Friday's numbers will include polling from Tuesday night ... when the nation (at least those who watch the news) ... had two full days of "Obama's not doing enough coverage."

If they dont start going down by tomorrow, they wont. By Monday or Tuesday ... any coverage folks will see will be of the President down at the Gulf attempting to stop the leak by standing at the shore and speaking ... as I'm told that's the best way to fix such a problem.

Now .... UNLESS there's a problem with the clean up that he continues to "seem" inept to fixing ... and I highly doubt that will happen, the admin has learned their lesson now, then you're right ... there wont be much lasting impact.

The problem with Bush was that he was already on the downward path of popularity. Sure, he dropped the ball on Katrina, but folks were beginning to become uncomfortable with the war and things started to snowball from that point. Now we have the opposite situation, a President who's been gaining in popularity in the last few months.

I am slightly amused that all this happened just as the economy was starting to come out the abyss. Sometimes I wonder if there's a higher power who's entertained by his little pet and likes to see just HOW MUCH he can take. :)

[Oregone]

4. Disagree

Everything is used as a political vehicle these days in this polarized climate, to either praise or criticize the president. The media is already all over this forming the larger narrative of how this will impact the president (who has been pretty much bullet-proof so far). Even if people don't really give a shit about the spill, they are all in tune with the political talking points of the day. If the Obama administration cannot control the narrative in their favor, it will not reflect well.

This is a shitty age in politics

[FrenchieCat]

6. I agree with you. These days people choose side even if they don't know

what in the hell is happening.

[Oregone]

7. even if they don't so much as care what is happening

[Lilyeye]

8. I agree that it seems like the majority of folks don't seem to care

esp if they do not leave near the gulf. Whenever I discuss this with other people they seem clueless about it and they act surprised that I am concerned about it.

[boppers]

12. The republican south wants money. Again.

I can't be the only one seeing this pattern.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

13. I disagree - about the part about Americans being detatched

I don't know what the political fallout or repercussions will be towards President Obama personally.

But the entire Gulf and East Coast is watching the spill with horror. Fishing is not just a Louisiana thing. The keys and Florida are threatened, we have no idea what a hurricane would do with the stuff. I believe huge numbers of Americans are profoundly disturbed by this. One clue is that my far righty Governor McDonnell is fine with Obama shutting down Virginia's offshore drilling plans and agrees that we need "new safeguards".

[proudohioan]

15. If your whole concern about the oil spill is whether or not the president is hurt politcally..

then I guess you just don't get the big picture.

I agree with you, it does sound cold.

[freddie mertz]

19. Because, frankly, it is cold. nt.

[proudohioan]

21. Because, frankly, you're right, freddie....

what the hell was I thinking?

:banghead:

[freddie mertz]

22. You were thinking that the "needs of the many" trump the political interests of the few.

Very Spockian of you.

And of course, I heartily agree with you on it.

"Redneck fishermen" indeed.

[proudohioan]

23. Thank you....

My boyfriend is a trekkie from way back... he would approve of the term!

You know, that one's been getting to me lately, even on Big Ed. Just a week or so ago, he was interviewing Sherrod Brown about the financial reform bill. Big Ed actually asked,"Is this a victory for the President?" And I thought, WTF, it's not about a victory for the president, it's about a victory for the American people!

Yes, the needs of many DO trump the political interests of the few! When our politicians (on both sides) are using their political positions to score 'brownie points' on the backs of its' constituents, IT'S A PROBLEM! When our politicians are using their political positions to secure a lavish financial future for themselves and their descendants, at the expense of its' citizens, IT'S A PROBLEM!

This is not a left v right issue, nor 'Obama cheerleader' v 'Obama hater' issue, it's an American issue, and one that we need to stand together on, not divide over.

We cannot afford to fall into this 'Divide and Conquer' trap anymore!

[freddie mertz]

24. I think the flaming back and forth can become addictive.

I know I have pushed to the wall so often that I tend to flame out a certain parties, just as a reflex.

I'm trying to break the habit.

If there ever was an issue where political point-counting should be put aside, at least for the moment, this is it.

[marshall]

16. Wait for the pictures to start filling up the airwaves

It will come. The media loves a crisis, and when more and more dead fish and other sea animals start piling up, and when more and more sludge starts lapping the coastline, you will see wall to wall coverage, pearl clutching, hand wringing, cater wauling.

What Obama needs now is a bull horn moment like the photo-op Bush's people orchestrated on ground zero. I realize Obama's personality is "Mr. Cool", but remember when Al Gore got some woman advisor to work on his image? He started dressing in flannel shirts and learned how to alter his persona. Obama can and should do the same for this moment of crisis.

[freddie mertz]

18. Just wait. If the spill goes up the Gulf Stream....

All bets are off.

PS I don't rally care if it hurts Obama politically. I want him to do his job and if he does, I think he will come out fine.

What really matters is stopping the spill and containing and cleaning up the damage.

And yes, I am "obsessed" with the spill.

And you should be too.

[Bragi]

20. There will be a big effort to make people NOT care

If the plan is to continue with deepwater drilling and excavation, then there will be more blowouts in the years, decades to come. They will be rare, but they will do real harm to our oceans and coastlines.

This being the case, big oil and the people who run things will need to do what they can to convince people that its more important to American's future and its security to pursue deepwater energy than it is to "save" what's left of our oceans.

Frankly, I'm not sure it will be that hard to do. People have already been conditioned to reject even the possibility of making sacrifices to reduce our dependence on oil. It won't be much of a stretch to get them to agree to write off the oceans as a "luxury" we can no longer afford.

Maybe a PR campaign could be framed to convince Americans along the coastlines of the need to "look inward" for their future, and to turn their backs on the toxic soup that used to be our oceans.

Given that no-one in government -- including the President -- intends to stop deepwater excavation, and instead claim they can make this excavation safe and accident free, the eventual and gradual destruction of our oceans is a certainty.

In this context, I think the public can and will be convinced that this is a reasonable trade-off for more oil. It's another part of our grim future.

[TheKentuckian]

25. If people don't care they should and they will. They will also deserve the shit end

when it comes their way for being such ignorant and arrogant assholes that don't give a damn about the world or the life that is in it besides their utterly insignificant selves.

Too bad so many others and so much life will suffer with them and if they bothered to give 1/10 of a fuck about anything besides TV and their fucking self then we probably wouldn't be here.

This kind of bullshit makes me blow circuits!!!! Talking political fallout and various bullfuckingshit when so much life is being wiped out for nothing, when our oceans are less capable of helping to absorb CO2, when our food supply is made toxic, as industries are destroyed, as nature suffers and is lost for our lifetimes.

What kind of stewardship is this? Damn your circle of family and friends!!! Fuck em! I hope rotten shit happens to them so they can be bothered to care!

Fuck the dumpsterfucking morons that are worrying about politics when our fucking habitat that we all have to live in is be shit all over! Who is it that is above caring about air, food, and water?!?! This is the most basic shit there is! Where the fuck is there any confusion or lack or priority?!?

If you care more about how the politics will play than what is actually going on then you damn well deserve the worse TeaPubliKlan they can muster.

I wish I could wish some folks into an alternate reality where you had President Virginia Foxx and VP Steve King for a couple of terms before sending you to President DeMint and VP Liz Cheney just because that can't be too far off from where you stand anyway.

[Phx_Dem]

26. Americans have such a short attention span, they don't care about

anything for very long unless it directly impacts them, sadly.