Elvado
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Post by Elvado on Jun 4, 2010 15:09:36 GMT -5
I read a very interesting letter to the editor in today's Philadelphia Inquirer. The writer's question was "where are the usual glitterati types to weigh in on the BP disaster?" No Bruce, no Bono, no Brangelina. None of the usual suspects is either pontificating or fundraising in the wake of this disaster.
Why is that?
The cynic in me would say that they don't want to bring any attention to the colossal failure of our federal response now that one of their own sits in the big chair.
I am, of course, open to other explanations.
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Jun 4, 2010 15:21:16 GMT -5
Strange, considering that Cheney excused the oil companies of a fix, at the cost of $500K, that would have most likely prevented BP billions in cleanup.
If you don't think the government is doing anything, you should work at the EPA. Many of us have been brought off other projects to devote serious time to this problem. Of course, our expertise lies not in capping the oil (at least in my lab), but in analyzing exposure levels.
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Elvado
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Post by Elvado on Jun 4, 2010 15:25:19 GMT -5
Strange, considering that Cheney excused the oil companies of a fix, at the cost of $500K, that would have most likely prevented BP billions in cleanup. If you don't think the government is doing anything, you should work at the EPA. Many of us have been brought off other projects to devote serious time to this problem. Of course, our expertise lies not in capping the oil (at least in my lab), but in analyzing exposure levels. With all due respect, what do the actions of Dick Cheney have to do with the deafening silence of the Hollywood left on this disaster? Thus far, the federal response to this matter has been, at best, lackluster. Perhaps the Hollywood left doesn't care. Perhaps the Hollywood left doesn't know. Or, maybe, just maybe, the Hollywood Left can't bring itself to draw extra attention to a situation where their favorite President doesn't look so good. Finally, it was the Obama Administration that gave this very rig a Safety award. |
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Jun 4, 2010 18:05:30 GMT -5
That is why I said "strange" given that I would have thought they would be on top of this and blaming Cheney. For the record, I am not a fan of the Hollywood glitterati, as I regards much of them as self-serving.
As far as the Obama admin looking bad, maybe the biggest fault is letting BP try to fix their own mess.
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EasyEd
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Post by EasyEd on Jun 4, 2010 18:42:54 GMT -5
It's a strange thing that's happened in this country. If we have a recession, the public blames the President. If a war encounters difficulties, it blames the President. If we have an unprecedented hurricane, we blame the President. If we have a devastating oil spill, we blame the President. Somewhere along the way we have anointed our Presidents as Kings or Emperors, believing they personally have the power to control everything, when they don't and should not. I don't blame President Obama for the gulf oil spill disaster because he does not have control of everything.
My comments are a bit off topic and I'm sorry. As for the actual topic, I agree the rich and famous are sorely lacking in terms of concern about the spill and, of course, it's because President Obama is their man.
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Post by strummer8526 on Jun 4, 2010 20:43:31 GMT -5
It's a strange thing that's happened in this country. If we have a recession, the public blames the President. If a war encounters difficulties, it blames the President. If we have an unprecedented hurricane, we blame the President. If we have a devastating oil spill, we blame the President. Somewhere along the way we have anointed our Presidents as Kings or Emperors, believing they personally have the power to control everything, when they don't and should not. I don't blame President Obama for the gulf oil spill disaster because he does not have control of everything. My comments are a bit off topic and I'm sorry. As for the actual topic, I agree the rich and famous are sorely lacking in terms of concern about the spill and, of course, it's because President Obama is their man. Celebrities who try to talk about politics, world affairs, natural disasters, etc. are almost invariably absurd, regardless of who they are or what they're saying. One exception: when they— without getting overly partisan or political—try to leverage their own fame to raise money for worthwhile causes. Sure, I can live with some actor suggesting I give to the Red Cross. Whatever, it's harmless. Just don't try to act like your role on NYPD Blue or your 2004 platinum album has given you some heightened sense of intellect, or justice, or morality. Continuing to talk about whether celebrities blame Obama enough is silly. I actually think Ed's first point is much more interesting and much more accurate. And taking it one step further, I wonder if/how this excessive blaming of the President for everything has altered other aspects of American politics—namely, does it let Congress off the hook? Or does it create a situation where the default state of our politics is for every member of Congress to just constantly and relentlessly attack (and then defend) the President, regardless of how far removed the problem is from the President's power? (Sure, I realize that attacking and defending the President has always been a part of our system, but for the love of God, I can't imagine that 100 or even 50 years ago, we spent SO MUCH TIME discussing how literally everything is the President's fault.) I'm convinced that Congress is a completely and utterly broken institution, so maybe this is what we're left with: all eyes on the President, even when he has absolutely no role in the issue. |
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Jun 4, 2010 21:27:29 GMT -5
FWIW, Spike Lee is pretty angry at the President. Not for the right reasons, I don't think, but he's been pretty critical.
And there is the usual mix of good, bad and just stupid from the entertainment industry.
Ashton Kutcher thinks it's the Republicans' fault.
Ted Danson (and I'll bet many others) think we can't drill in the ocean at all. Which I think is pretty damn realistic of him.
Katherine Heigl thinks its "really bad. I mean...really, really bad."
On the other hand, some musicians including Lenny Kravitz and Ani DiFranco have already had a Gulf Aid, which raised $300K. Probably would have raised more if ANYONE in the media paid any attention to it.
I'm all for them raising money. I usually don't pay attention to anything that comes out of their mouths though, unless its part of a script or song lyrics (and in some cases, not even then).
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Elvado
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Post by Elvado on Jun 4, 2010 21:33:39 GMT -5
I have never suggested that any of this is the President's fault. However, his response has been tepid, asserting complete control after weeks of standing by and asserting that this was a "BP problem".
I personally don't care what Bruce, Bono or Babs thinks politically, envireonmentally or on any issue other than being self-important singers. I just find it wildly ironic that they are so silent as a group on this issue when everyone knows they would have been screaming for the scalp of this President's predecessor.
Just as this oil spill was not Obama's fault, Katrina was not Bush's fault. I don't remember my friends on the Left being quite so sure to point that out.
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jgalt
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Post by jgalt on Jun 4, 2010 23:31:24 GMT -5
Ill say: There are no poor minorities to help, only poor and not poor white people.
This is not true, in that all of the people who live on the gulf coast, black or white, poor or rich, are affected, of course; but that is what it smells like to me.
"Barack Obama doesnt care about pelicans" just doesnt have the same ring to it.
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TC
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Post by TC on Jun 4, 2010 23:38:08 GMT -5
This is insincere even for Elvado - he really cares how the Hollywood glitterati weigh in on this? Why not check in on some of Ashton Kutcher's Tweets or read some Us Weekly, big guy?
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Jun 4, 2010 23:49:02 GMT -5
Just as this oil spill was not Obama's fault, Katrina was not Bush's fault. I don't remember my friends on the Left being quite so sure to point that out. The botched government response to Katrina got many American people killed. The botched government/BP response to the oil position hasn't gotten anybody killed (the deaths on the rig itself were obviously a separate case). It's like the saying from when Bush was invading Iraq under false pretenses: "When Clinton lied, nobody died." |
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Jun 5, 2010 1:50:22 GMT -5
No, the sixth strongest hurricane ever to hit the United States caused many American people to lose their lives.
The revisionist history on Katrina almost unfailingly leaves out all of the federal government actions taken to prevent loss of life prior to the hurricane hitting and almost unfailingly fails to take into account the nigh criminal lack of response by local authorities to do the same.
What people remember is "Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job," absolutely tone deaf, no question about it, but George Bush could not have prevented loss of life any more than Obama could have prevented the aftermath of this accident.
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SSHoya
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Post by SSHoya on Jun 5, 2010 7:51:09 GMT -5
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SSHoya
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Post by SSHoya on Jun 5, 2010 7:53:55 GMT -5
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Elvado
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Post by Elvado on Jun 5, 2010 8:40:23 GMT -5
This is insincere even for Elvado - he really cares how the Hollywood glitterati weigh in on this? Why not check in on some of Ashton Kutcher's Tweets or read some Us Weekly, big guy? You'll really never get it, will you? I could not care less what the Hollywood Left has to say on this or any other topic. I simply marvel at their hypocritical silence now that their man is in charge of a less than stellar response. You want insincere? Tellme that the Hollywood Left would be this absent if George Bush were presiding over an oil spill that has gone unchecked since April. |
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Post by strummer8526 on Jun 5, 2010 11:20:22 GMT -5
I thought the same thing when I first heard about his involvement: what the hell does this director have to contribute? But I saw an interview with him yesterday and was impressed by two things: (1) his decent knowledge in the area (it was tough to tell from the short interview whether he knows a ton or is just literate on it, but either way, he's not some celebrity clod), and (2) his willingness to admit that HE is not proposing any solutions, but that from his work as a director, he has come into contact with many very very qualified experts; he really did come off like his goal has been to get those guys into a room to discuss solutions and to offer resources to anyone involved. He really seems like he's trying to facilitate some valuable work, not just spouting off random musings or political hogwash. |
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TC
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Post by TC on Jun 5, 2010 12:58:37 GMT -5
You want insincere? Tellme that the Hollywood Left would be this absent if George Bush were presiding over an oil spill that has gone unchecked since April. So they're insincere - like the guy on this board who complains when they go off on political rants, and apparently complains when they don't. Do we really need a thread for every Elvado "Why aren't [media/american people/celebrities/soccer moms] mad at Obama for Y?" |
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Jun 5, 2010 14:24:57 GMT -5
This is insincere even for Elvado - he really cares how the Hollywood glitterati weigh in on this? Why not check in on some of Ashton Kutcher's Tweets or read some Us Weekly, big guy? You'll really never get it, will you? I could not care less what the Hollywood Left has to say on this or any other topic. I simply marvel at their hypocritical silence now that their man is in charge of a less than stellar response. You want insincere? Tellme that the Hollywood Left would be this absent if George Bush were presiding over an oil spill that has gone unchecked since April. And the Tea Partiers who are protesting Obama's "excessive spending" didn't raise a peep when Bush took a record surplus and turned it into a record deficit. I think we can invoke the Boz Doctrine here. Both sides have hypocritical idiots who complain when the other side does something, but supports their own side for doing the same thing. |
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Post by strummer8526 on Jun 5, 2010 15:42:22 GMT -5
I think we can invoke the Boz Doctrine here. Both sides have hypocritical idiots who complain when the other side does something, but supports their own side for doing the same thing. We should just have the Boz Doctrine officially memorialized and pinned at the top of the Blue & Gray board. It thoroughly explains about 90% of the threads on here. |
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hoyaalf
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Post by hoyaalf on Jun 7, 2010 10:23:49 GMT -5
Before the shot starts flying, why don't we all pray fiercely for a fix here?
Best point made: we blame our presidents too much and keep re-electing the same jerks to Congress.
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