MSNBC Pundits Out of Touch With Americans
“We must make a commitment to the Gulf Coast that goes beyond responding to the crisis of the moment.”~~ Barack Obama
Instead of gearing up to support the POTUS in his rather courageous announcement that we are addicts and need to get off of fossil fuel (this isn’t something done by Presidents who have an energy bill calling for alternative energy stalled in the Senate) or having his back regarding his new energy push, pundits on MSNBC attacked the President after his Oval Office Speech tonight.
Keith Olbermann led the charge, saying the President wasn’t mad enough and didn’t give any details. The President spoke for 17 minutes. Is it just me, or does that seem like a rather short time to give details for a new energy policy, gulf clean up, and more? Perhaps it escaped Keith Olbermann’s notice, but most Americans wanted to hear from their President to be reassured. They don’t want an angry President. If they did, they would not have elected Obama when they had His Angriness Himself (Walnuts) McCain begging to be chosen.
No, Americans were tired of a President leading with his gut. They wanted a thinker. Someone who stopped first before he and his End Times running partner threatened World War III over what turned out to be wrong information. And this is what we got.
Obama’s job tonight was to assure and inspire the American people. After all, he needs us to agree to change or his energy policy will not work. I thought his speech did an excellent job of laying down how we got here and where we need to go – especially for the majority of Americans who don’t immerse themselves in politics every second of the day. You know, those people with lives (unlike some of us).
The most important thing the President said tonight was, “One place we have already begun to take action is at the agency in charge of regulating drilling and issuing permits, known as the Minerals Management Service. Over the last decade, this agency has become emblematic of a failed philosophy that views all regulation with hostility – a philosophy that says corporations should be allowed to play by their own rules and police themselves. At this agency, industry insiders were put in charge of industry oversight. Oil companies showered regulators with gifts and favors, and were essentially allowed to conduct their own safety inspections and write their own regulations.”
That was the boom, out go the lights moment when the left should have been up cheering. Instead, we got whining and criticism. Obama is saying he is going to use this to undo DECADES of deregulation. This will change our country and our lives for a long time. It’s a BIG FUCKING DEAL, to borrow a phrase from Joe Biden.
Keith Olbermann wasn’t alone tonight in his attacks on the President. Chris Matthews joined in, though Chris’ critiques were at least based on history and a grasp of the process of passing legislation. And Howard Fineman was there, making it a real party — three boys bashing the President. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn I was watching Fox. The President did nothing right in their eyes.
I haven’t seen such blatant undermining of an agenda…ever. It makes me wonder if MSNBC is funded by big oil. Because here we have their President, doing something no other president has done. And he desperately needs the American people to wake up and get behind him on this. And what does MSNBC do? They bash him for not being angry enough (last time I heard that it was a right winger speaking), not giving enough details (as if the people want to hear a dissertation from the “professor” and as if he is not giving more information tomorrow), Obama needs a new CCC (then he would be called a socialist), and lastly, Keith Olbermann with the ever clever quip, “I don’t think Obama aimed at all tonight.”
You know, Keith, I am so tired of ideologues who have never governed misleading the American people about expectations. I’m so tired of pundits ruining our political dialogue with incessant whining and desperate criticisms. I’m so tired of pundits NOT AIMING for anything except more viewers. The truth is, Keith’s just catering to the liberal base who love to hear their own attacked because it makes them feel like they’re not like the Right. They take deep pride in bashing their own policies for the sake of their egos not identifying with the authoritarian mind set of subservience. Of course, reasonable people realize that there’s a wide path between subservience and support.
I guess SOME people want Obama to be ANGRY. Me? I’m grateful he’s not reactionary and he thinks and listens.
Beware the ideologues. I’m just saying.
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I agree and disagree with you. Okay I’m wishy-washy.
I did want to see a little bit of anger. Not anger expressed his anger but as action. Quite frankly I would have given every single oil company that drills in US waters a couple of short weeks to produce responsible reaction plans to spills. And I would’ve said that last night. The whole country knows that the oil companies have fought their way through this entire thing with MMS and the amount of lies they have told.
The president did set the precedence that he is on top of this and I believe that he is. I did want to see the people through somewhat of a wringer to show a separation between BP, big oil and our government. I want to see that line more clearly defined. The government has to work with VP to get this bill cleaned up but at the same time it has to be perfectly clear to the people that BP is on the ground with someone’s foot on their neck.
Another situation he should have fixed or mentioned is that this rig was registered to the Marshall Islands. They are the ones who are responsible for the inspections. We hold no authority over the Marshall Islands therefore we hold no authority over the inspection of Rigs that drill in our waters( in this circumstance). The MMS does have some responsibility here but not as much as people think as far as I can tell. At the same time concerning MMS, every middle manager all away to the top should have been immediately fired and replaced for either being part of this BS or not reporting it. Then put in a new guy.
I guess I wanted to see more action last night. I don’t need reassuring. I do need reassuring that we are going to be extraordinarily firm with any company that can affect the environment of the United States. It’s called preventative actions mode
What did these morons think President Obama could say in 30 minutes that would cover all their criticism? President Obama has been working his butt off trying to get answers and get this oil disaster under control, and the oil gusher stopped. Talking now is not going to work for the people dealing with this mess. President Obama knows what he has to do and now we just need to see action.
I think some of these critics need to take a step back and think about the matter of the speech, not its manner. This is a huge problem that is going to take some time to solve, and his getting angry for the cameras is just not going to cut it. And after all, anger is pointless unless it can be constructively channeled to actual action. That action will consist of having the government’s “boot on BP’s neck,” where it belongs. Regardless of what anger is shown,the only thing that matters now is corrective action to fix this, and preventive action to keep it from happening again.
@Shiva,
Well, we are seeing that action this morning with the BP escrow account of 20 billion dollars:-)
That was my beef with Olbermann, that he attacked the lack of action knowing Obama had this meeting today with BP. A speech is not comprised of action; we have to judge the actions that follow the speech– as you point out.
@Vicki,
Good point, Vicki. We have to wait and see, but this morning President Obama already took drastic action of getting 20 billion in escrow from BP.
@Anne,
So true. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m so tired of reactionary idiots who get us into wars over their gut — I prefer Obama’s measured, calm approach. I know he’s going to look at every angle. I might not like where he ends up, but at least I know he has a good reason for it.
Excellent post.
Keith lost us as viewers last night. When liberals start shooting from the hip just like the right-wingers, it’s time to turn them off, too.
The complexity of the problems facing this nation demands more disciplined intellect and measured responses from both our leaders and the “pundits.”
Keep up the great work!
@C.L.,
Thanks! Glad to see you here. Love your phrase of disciplined intellect — that is indeed what we need, what the times call for.
@C.L.,
The far right and the far left are more alike than either would like to acknowledge. They are alike in their arrogance and their dismissiveness of those who don’t follow lockstep with them. I also like the phrases you use, because they aptly the only kind of approach that is effective for this type of problem solving. The “pundits” are losing credibility, because of their penchant for drama to keep their ratings up. Because of their well-known inability to be objective, they often needlessly stir up unproductive anger.
It is counterproductive to badmouth a president who is doing his best to solve a problem. If there was ever a time for all of us to rally together, this is it. The oil spill has an immediate and devastating effect on the lives and livelihood of Gulf Coast residents, but like everything else, it has a ripple effect that will impact all of us eventually. We don’t need people on FOX NOISE like Limbaugh, Beck, Palin, Malkin, Coulter, and others to keep fanning the flames of negativity. Nor do we need people like Olbermann on the left to critique the messenger when the message itself paints a grim reality all of us have to address. Addressing it in all its ugliness is the only way to even begin solving the problem.
BP is a terrorist organization the same as Al Qaeda and BP Corporate officers have committed a terrorist act against America by murdering Americans and destroying the Gulf of Mexico (in process). Simply declare BP a terrorist organization and send all company officers to Guantanamo for daily waterboarding until they confess (Bush & Cheney solution) then introduce them to Cuban firing squad. The patriot act would apply and all problems are solved. No one wants to hear Obama_mama reduces family values and promote homosexuality.