Let me finish tonight with the emerging embarrassment on the right.
Joe Barton reminds us that sometimes, politicians get what they deserve. In other words, they get caught saying exactly what they wanted to say.
Someone once said that the late Spiro Agnew had about the same depth of political belief as the tired guy on the 5:00 commuter train after his third drink. Well, they may not have bars on those trains anymore, but you get the point.
You know this guy. He picks up the newspaper but all he ends up talking about is he doesn't like taxes. He doesn't like government regulations because his boss says they're bad for profits. He doesn't like government at all because that's the way the guys talk in the executive dining room talk, guys who get "their" talking points from the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal. And, oh yeah, he thinks jokes about climate change and environmental concerns are really a hoot.
And here comes the embarrassing part. All of a sudden, we're hearing this "idiot" talk – because that's what the Romans called people who were not really citizens – from people who actually get quoted. Joe Barton and Michele Bachmann, elected members of Congress, they're out there taking "BP's" side of the public debate. Why? Because they've been kennel-trained to do it: bark at regulation, bark at government and, if they can reach it, lick the hand of big corporations.
What an embarrassment, to have some of them caught in the act doing what they've been leash-trained to do all these years:
Rand Paul has called the President's pressuring of British Petroleum "un-American." Barton, the top congressional Republican on energy policy said the president was shaking down B-P for getting it to set aside $20 billion for the people they have hurt. Bachmann called that $20 billion a "redistribution of wealth," a "slush fund." As I said last week, don't say the word "slush" around BP. It's hard to discover an event in human history where someone has caused such a disgusting, oily mess.
Pay no attention to Mr. Barton's apology and Ms. Bachmann's endless regurgitations. They got it the way they wanted it the first time, the way they'd been trained. In taking BP's side against the American government, they showed us their hearts.
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Leave a Comment:
This is the best "Let Me Finish,' since you started the feature at the end of the show. I hope it signals a rash of similar well thoughtout, punchy and pithy statements.
Well said, Chris.
You left out John Boehner, Mary Landrieu and Lisa Murkowski--also puppets for big oil and other special interests.
Well said Chris, another great show. Hardball really is the most educating and intresting news program on tv.
I agree with you Chris. I guess the hill must have forgotten about the spill the US paid for in the UK. Maybe you can forward the article to them to refresh their memory. It is not too long, I think they should be able to read it without having an assistant help out. It is only right the US makes BP pay and the government control the process. http://www.iosc.org/papers/00195.pdf
It's all fine that BP is going to pony up 20 billion to pay the peoplel in the gulf but to the right, it makes no difference how they were conveinced to do it, the President would be criticized. If we had a way of going back in time and seeing 2 options at how to handle this mess and we see how Republicans reacted to the first option so we go back in time and take the 2nd option we would see a like response from them. You see Chris, it doesn't make any difference how the President handles a situation but simply that he does. Any action, ever how good or bad taken by this President is going to be criticized by Republicans. It is there intention to make every action he takes a bad or wrong action. If they knew he went to bed at 11PM they would be after him for not waiting until midnight. He cannot win with Republicans.
Not a shake down but maybe a slush fund. The bigger the pot the more tempting for ALL politicians and folks with sticky fingers to dip in. Can't believe Chris Matthews is so naieve or has such a short memory that he is not aware of all the defalcation, graft, embezzlement in Medicare, HUD, Defense, . Say, and whatever happened to all those Stimuls Dollars anyway? How bout all those Tobacco Tax revenues? Forgotten? and all those TARP dollars. Gee have they all been accounted for. This is not a matter of whether funds will be wasted, stolen it's a matter of trying to keep the loss in the low HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS. Not pointing fingers at any one person or party or group. $20 Billion is a lot to give away especially when the 'giveawayer' only expects minimal corroboration.
Don't insult us by pretending political patronage won't play hand! Are you kidding? -- in (Huey) Longusianna?
Get real! The opportunity and likelihood of lost millions is a certainty. How would YOU describe a "slush" fund?
Chris has a selective memory. 700 billion in TARP is totally unaccounted for. There is his example he requested yesterday on his show with reguard to BP's 20 billion so called "shakedown." It is a perfectly legitimate argument to raise on whether the 20 billion will ultimately get to the residents of this disaster. As a taxpayer I welcome full disclosure by the US Government on the spending of BP's 20 billion.
I apologize for being a week late in posting the following comment.
With respect to Tony Hayward's testimony to the Senate during which he said, basically, that he either didn't recall, didn't know, or couldn't recall, and to which you all three responded that, in effect, he was taking the 5th, I beg to differ. Taking the 5th is legal; saying he didn't know, if he did, was lying and not legal.
It's a wonder that you can be so dismissive about someone who disagrees with your point of view. If and when there will be a down-to-the-dollar accounting of the $20 billion showing it's going where it's supposed to, then I might agree with your point. I fail to believe, however, that this money will do what it's supposed to.