House Conservatives Call Escrow Account 'Chicago Style Shakedown'

We all agree that BP should be held fully responsible for its complicity in the oil tragedy in the Gulf," said Chairman Price. "In fact, BP has already begun paying claims. Any attempt by the company to sidestep that responsibility should be met with the strongest legal recourses available. However, in an administration that appears not to respect fundamental American principles, it is important to note that there is no legal authority for the President to compel a private company to set up or contribute to an escrow account.

BP's reported willingness to go along with the White House's new fund suggests that the Obama Administration is hard at work exerting its brand of Chicago-style shakedown politics. These actions are emblematic of a politicization of our economy that has been borne out of this Administration's drive for greater power and control. It is the same mentality that believes an economic crisis or an environmental disaster is the best opportunity to pursue a failed liberal agenda. The American people know much better.

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/06/house-conservatives-call-escrow-account-chicago-style-shakedown.php?ref=fpa

Chicago style shakedown, I like it. You'd think Obama was a mob boss the way he is talked about, although I guess you could consider someone like Henry Waxman an enforcer considering he can bring companies to their knees running them ragged through a Washington dog and pony show.

I wonder if somewhere Bush and Cheney are kicking themselves for showing BHO the ropes when it comes to concentrating power in and running an extremely muscular executive branch that shows little interest/deference to Congress or the American people as a whole.

BHO has certainly picked up that baton and run with it, except in his case he is using it to knee cap corporations instead of terrorists and dictators he doesn't like.

IggyPride00;392451 wrote:BHO has certainly picked up that baton and run with it, except in his case he is using it to knee cap corporations instead of terrorists and dictators he doesn't like.

Hope and change!!!!11!!1

BoatShoes;391583 wrote:But I also feel like some folks who say he should be doing more....I mean a lot of you guys are the same kind of people who believe the worst thing that could happen is BHO or someone from the MMS shows up and says "I'm from the government and I'm here to help"....and now you guys are using this as a time to complain about him never having been an executive; As far as I can tell, you should be happy he's never been an executive because just because he was one doesn't mean he wouldn't be a socialist executive. Personally I'd rather have him accept his incompetence and let the Oil Industry try to clean it up. Should the BHO administration have been more on BP? Maybe so, but those on the right certainly shouldn't believe that.

I really believe the right is complaining about this only because of the left and media's complaining about Bush after Katrina. If Bush is at fault for not responding quick enough then (which most accurate reports say he actually did) then they should be complaining about Obama's response to this.

IggyPride00;392451 wrote:http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/06/house-conservatives-call-escrow-account-chicago-style-shakedown.php?ref=fpa ............. instead of terrorists and dictators he doesn't like.

name one ...........................

Analyst: Criminal Charges, Fines Could Cost BP $63 Billion...

Andrew Ames, a spokesman for the Justice Department, said there was no timeline for the civil or criminal investigations, and that the department was “looking for all possible violations of the law.”

The department is reviewing the actions of all companies involved in the spill, and focusing on several environmental laws in particular, including the Clean Water Act, which carries civil and criminal penalties, and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act, which provide penalties for injury and death to wildlife, could come into play, along with “traditional criminal statutes,” Mr. Ames said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/us/17liability.html

I would hate to be BP right now. The economic fallout for them is tremendous, and judging by these quotes Eric Holder is determined to use any and every law (no matter how obscure) to nail their hide to the wall.

Yeah, too bad the government doesn't use the same vigor to stop the oil from spilling into the Gulf.

Rep. Joe Barton (R) from Texas has just appologized to BP for the American response to the BP oil spill, saying it is a "tragedy of the first proportion" that a private corporation was subjected to what amounts to a "shakedown" by the federal government. He laments the attorney general's participation in what amounts to the construction of a "$20 billion dollar slush fund" that has no basis in the rule of law, and sets a dangerous precedent in American history. He also goes on to say he does not want to live in a country where any individual or corporation, who does something wrong, has to live in fear of the government pressuring them into a similar shakedown demanding money.

You can view the video at the youtube link, but the liberal netroots crowd is literally frothing at the mouth right now to make campaign ads using his soundbite about apologizing with the backdrop of dead animals and oil spilling everywhere. I am not sure I have seen them this excited about something in a long time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js7mjQkV6tc

Yeah, liberals never let a tragedy go to waste. Government gets a 20 Billion dollar bailout by BP. Anyone who thinks this money will make its way to the Gulf and the people who really need it are delusional.

IggyPride00;392671 wrote:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/us/17liability.html

I would hate to be BP right now. The economic fallout for them is tremendous, and judging by these quotes Eric Holder is determined to use any and every law (no matter how obscure) to nail their hide to the wall.

We will devour ourselves with litigation rooted in senselessness. But when the 'leader' is an activist/agitator it is to be expected.

Update 4 -- CNN and MSNBC both replayed Barton's apology to BP at the top of the hour. Fox completely ignored it. Go figure.

That was from the Daily Kos, and they are not happy about that in the least bit. You'd think they know by now that Fox is not a schill for the administration the way the other news organizations are.

tk421;392701 wrote:Yeah, liberals never let a tragedy go to waste. Government gets a 20 Billion dollar bailout by BP. Anyone who thinks this money will make its way to the Gulf and the people who really need it are delusional.

The beaurocracy put in place to distribute the funds will devour them.

Remember those people lost in the FEMA trailers. Beaurocracy at its finest. Look out Louisianna the Feds are back.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/31/cbsnews_investigates/main5278136.shtml

Deschamp says he called FEMA countless times for assistance, only to get an endless game of bureaucratic run-around that has beaten him down.

"They give me the same answers: 'You need to call this person.' I call this person and they tell me I need to call this person."

We're working with the state to remove all the bureaucratic red tape to make sure that those final families can be serviced by those programs as well," HUD Senior Advisor Fred Tombar told us.

Yet so many of those final families say the last thing they want is another program. Rather, they want someone to actually listen, to offer the help they really need, and to close the doors on their trailers once and for all

.

Queen Nancy has now chimed in (reportedly posted on her Twitter):

Americans are suffering in the Gulf while Republicans apologize to Big Oil. We need clean energy now.

Robert Gibbs now with the official White House response:

What is shameful is that Joe Barton seems to have more concern for big corporations that caused this disaster than the fishermen, small business owners and communities whose lives have been devastated by the destruction. Congressman Barton may think that a fund to compensate these Americans is a ‘tragedy’, but most Americans know that the real tragedy is what the men and women of the Gulf Coast are going through right now. Members from both parties should repudiate his comments.

Man has Congressman Barton mobilized the left into a feeding frenzy right now. They are like rabid dogs foaming at the mouth waiting to attack and he is the red meat they have been waiting for.

IggyPride00;392824 wrote:Queen Nancy has now chimed in (reportedly posted on her Twitter):

Someone needs to inform "Queen" Nancy that there is no such thing.

These people in the Gulf won't see 25% of that money. Like was mentioned, remember the red tape after Katrina? It will be worse than that.

Calls are starting for Representative Barton to step down from his position on the committee because of his comments. Republicans (according to Politico) are hunkered down in Boehner's office right now trying to figure out damage control because they are extremely upset about the comment and understand how big of a mistake it was politically.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/38674.html

Fox News is doing their part to help as they have spliced the comment out of all coverage thus far while making sure to leave in the part just up until that point where he rails against the wrongs of the government, but it can only do so much as one network to control the information flow and message.

Needless to say, it was a dumb move on the Congressman's part because now it is taking the focus off the President and instead giving liberals a talking point and politically that is just not helpful.

IggyPride00;392958 wrote:Needless to say, it was a dumb move on the Congressman's part because now it is taking the focus off the President and instead giving liberals a talking point and politically that is just not helpful.

Only in politics does one need damage control for saying something that is absolutely correct.

tk421;392676 wrote:Yeah, too bad the government doesn't use the same vigor to stop the oil from spilling into the Gulf.

You've got to be kidding don't you? What do you want them to do??? Have the Navy dive a submarine into the hole? The best minds and the best technology for this are in the private Oil Industry...not in the federal government! This is always the mantra.......why is it suddenly not holding true now!?!?

I mean; here's one geologist who thinks that, worst case scenario, it might be unstoppable.

http://scienceblogs.com/casaubonsbook/2010/06/worst_case_scenario_on_gulf_sp.php

IF BHO took over this operation you'd say this incompetent nitwit who knows nothing about capping an oil gusher is running the show??? What a power hungry socialist! And O.M.G. That eeeegggooo of his.

BoatShoes;392980 wrote:You've got to be kidding don't you? What do you want them to do??? Have the Navy dive a submarine into the hole? The best minds and the best technology for this are in the private Oil Industry...not in the federal government! This is always the mantra.......why is it suddenly not holding true now!?!?

I mean; here's one geologist who thinks that, worst case scenario, it might be unstoppable.

http://scienceblogs.com/casaubonsbook/2010/06/worst_case_scenario_on_gulf_sp.php

IF BHO took over this operation you'd say this incompetent nitwit who knows nothing about capping an oil gusher is running the show??? What a power hungry socialist! And O.M.G. That eeeegggooo of his.

yeah but Obama can get these guys to fix the problem.

The Democrat party has already released an illustration in honor of Barton's apology.



Biden has now also weighed in on Barton (via Politico):

"I find it incredibly insensitive, incredibly out of touch."

"There's no shakedown," he says. "I find it outrageous to suggest that if in fact we insisted that BP demonstrate their preparedness to put aside billions of dollars ... to take care of the immediate needs of people who are drowning."Speaking of Gulf residents, he says, "these guys don't have deep pockets." He adds that Barton's comment was "astounding."

The Democrat response team is moving at warp speed on this right now.

IggyPride00;393027 wrote:The Democrat party has already released an illustration in honor of Barton's apology.



Biden has now also weighed in on Barton (via Politico):



The Democrat response team is moving at warp speed on this right now.

Clearly, the politicians have their priorites straight.

More from Queen Nancy:

A new CNN poll shows 82% of Americans support the $20 billion escrow fund for compensating spill victims. Yet House Republicans think it's "shameful" and an example of "gangster" politics because BP is being "fleeced."

If we could have gotten the type of rapid response from the Whitehouse and Democrats in Congress on reacting to the spill the way they have the Barton apology the Gulf might be a different place right now.

IggyPride00;393048 wrote:More from Queen Nancy:



If we could have gotten the type of rapid response from the Whitehouse and Democrats in Congress on reacting to the spill the way they have the Barton apology the Gulf might be a different place right now.

This.

IggyPride00;393048 wrote:More from Queen Nancy:



If we could have gotten the type of rapid response from the Whitehouse and Democrats in Congress on reacting to the spill the way they have the Barton apology the Gulf might be a different place right now.

Indeed,

or in reaction to massive unemployment

or in reaction to massive deficit spending

or in reaction to massive illegal immigration

or .................

Dems are humping the hell out of this statement to the point of looking pretty sad and desperate. It doesn't have any legs, kiddies...you're wasting your time.