I'm having trouble understanding why exactly people are placing so much blame regarding the oil spill on Obama. I'll admit I don't know much about the situation or his official role, but that's why I'm posting this. It seems to me that in the middle of an unprecedented economic disaster that this gusher, despite being a terrible scourge whose effects will be with us for decades, pales in comparison. Of course it's destroying a major seaport, countless acres of land, and further damaging an already damaged area, but I don't see how this trumps the need to create jobs and avoid further national financial meltdown which in my mind would ruin the entire country.
As I understand it the DoD, which is under his command, bears responsibility for natural disasters, the MMS and Bush era deregulation played a role in leading to the spill, and BP has been dragging their feet cleaning up their own mess. However when Obama tells BP that they had better clean up their slop he is accused of strong arming private industry.
I'll agree that his moratorium on drilling in the Gulf is a poorly thought out move that only serves to further disrupt an already fragile job market. The issue is that I keep hearing people say Obama is not doing enough, but I doubt the validity of this claim. Pundits with 30 second talking points and potbellied fishermen with outlandish ideas of what should happen leave me frustrated.
What should Obama be doing and how is he supposed to be responsible for that? Specifically. Not, "He's the leader of the free world and we should be able to get this done because...well, because black superman isn't down here being a community organizer while also fixing the economy, mitigating two wars and the politics with proximal nations, Iranian nuclear development, a failing drug war, keeping our currency competitive with the euro and saudi gold dispensing ATMs and also I want him to do it all without any tax dollars ."
As I understand it the DoD, which is under his command, bears responsibility for natural disasters, the MMS and Bush era deregulation played a role in leading to the spill, and BP has been dragging their feet cleaning up their own mess. However when Obama tells BP that they had better clean up their slop he is accused of strong arming private industry.
I'll agree that his moratorium on drilling in the Gulf is a poorly thought out move that only serves to further disrupt an already fragile job market. The issue is that I keep hearing people say Obama is not doing enough, but I doubt the validity of this claim. Pundits with 30 second talking points and potbellied fishermen with outlandish ideas of what should happen leave me frustrated.
What should Obama be doing and how is he supposed to be responsible for that? Specifically. Not, "He's the leader of the free world and we should be able to get this done because...well, because black superman isn't down here being a community organizer while also fixing the economy, mitigating two wars and the politics with proximal nations, Iranian nuclear development, a failing drug war, keeping our currency competitive with the euro and saudi gold dispensing ATMs and also I want him to do it all without any tax dollars ."
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