The title of this post is not my title nor my quote. It is what was said by my ultra-conservative, proud Tea Party neighbor (and friend) after he viewed President Obama’s speech on the BP oil well disaster last night. Compared to what is flowing in Memeorandum, seems like my neighbor (we’ll call him “Greg”) is in the minority. I asked Greg why he respected President Obama now based on the speech. Here is what he said in an e-mail to me this morning (posted with his permission and grammar corrected):
We’re screwed T. No ifs, ands, or buts. WE ARE SCREWED! BP gambled with nature and got their butts kicked and we in the wake. And guess what? Obama FINALLY looked presidential to me. He didn’t cheer lead. He didn’t go with the sorry “feel your pain” crap. He conveyed how screwed we were and that we gotta work hard to clean this up. Heck this is some painful stuff for me to day. I loathe him as a president as you know. But he can’t do much. This all on BP. And that’s the butts I wanna kick. I wanna get them in a concrete room and take care of business. LOL! But anyway, I respect President Obama now. He’s not a complete pansy now since he didn’t act like one. So now he can eat at my dinner table now. LOL!
The e-mail shocked me yet didn’t shock me. I’ve watched Greg morph from hating the very soul of President Obama to just hating him as a President. When he got his job back as a construction worker due to stimulus funds from the federal government, he said that he was glad President Obama helped but “good, working folks back to work like himself”. It’s quite refreshing and heartening.
Now to how Blogtopia and mainstream media (from the Left and Right) are giving the business to Obama’s speech; one word for them: HUH? Why “HUH”? Not because of criticizing the speech which is what the media is supposed to do. But this whole lack of emotion angle. Let’s just be real. If President Obama went all “I feel your pain” weepy weepy Billy Boy Clinton, he would have been panned SEVERELY as a pansy, wimp, and worse. And the Chris Matthews, “I don’t sense executive command” comment was one of the silliest I’ve ever heard. Basically Matthews and many others on that angle act like President Obama’s should look and act like the below photo while standing on the bow of the U.S.S. Kick This Oil’s Azz presidential super carrier:
YEAH! Look at that! That’s a President during an oil well disaster that he can’t do much about. Strong! Stolid! Azz kickin’! Bullish! Brave! Uh… Super! Hmm… Strong chested! Duh… Big mustached! That darn oil would just disappear if President Obama looked and acted like Ol’ Theo! And if President Obama went after BP like a banshee, the inevitable “government taking over business” line would refrain. Excuse me while I find a corner and regurgitate.
My fellow political Americans. I know it’s great fun and sport to use every single issue in this country as criticism or praise for our sitting Presidents. But unless President Obama personally destroyed this oil well by ramming it with the U.S.S. Kick This Oil’s Azz super carrier, it is not his fault nor does the responsibility rest fully on his shoulders. BP (aka British Petroleum) was a profitable giver to American politicians company who’s recklessness and utter stupidity led to this epic disaster. All President Obama can do is make sure enough money and resources are available to help restore the livelihood of those affected and come up with better ways of policing oil companies.
So yes, we are screwed. In BP we trust. *shudder*
UPDATE
Since the inevitable President George Bush and Hurricane Katrina comparison will arise, I have always maintained that the lion’s share of what was done wrong rested with the state and local governments in Louisiana. A hurricane causes a natural disaster. The BP oil spill is a man-made disaster. And in both cases, both Presidents should not be blamed for the disasters. Was President Bush slow with funds? Maybe so. But what about the nonsensical state and local governments lack of everything in responding? So in my book, both President Bush and President Obama were and are being unfairly maligned.
I’m not complex. Don’t have time for all that. And all that complex stuff bad for the stomach. Just color me simple and plain with a twist.