BP Goes to the White House (Updated)
[Guest post by DRJ]
Politico reports six BP executives — including CEO Tony Hayward, Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg and BP America Chairman Lamar McKay — have arrived at the White House. CBS reporter Mark Knoller, the unofficial White House timekeeper, originally reported that President Obama would meet with them for only 20 minutes. However, Knoller recently updated that:
“Now I’m told Pres. Obama will attend two portions of the WH meeting with BP execs – spending more than the 20 mins on his schedule.”
How long can it take to demand BP hand over $20 Billion?
— DRJ
UPDATE: Washington Post business columnist Steven Pearlstein says President Obama erred by making this a showdown with BP’s CEO Tony Hayward. Instead of the “Barack and Tony Showdown,” Pearlstein says Obama should have worked with BP to solve the problem:
“From the moment when it became clear that the blowout preventer had failed and a major spill was inevitable, it should have been clear to both Obama and Hayward that they were in this mess together. Rather than calling for Hayward’s removal, the president’s attitude should have been, “Your guys screwed up, my guys screwed up, so we better both roll up our sleeves and fix this thing before we’re both out of a job.”
My impression is that, unfortunately, this is not how community organizers solve problems.
I hope Hayward and Svanberg tell Barcky to shove it, and they will not be bullied around by a community organizer, and they will not pay for his disasterous political decisions, like the moratorium on drilling.
JD (4b684a) — 6/16/2010 @ 7:28 amWhy is Jamie Gorelick at that meeting? Hasn’t she done enough damage?
JD (4b684a) — 6/16/2010 @ 7:29 amJD, as much as I share your sentiments, it’s still somewhat satisfying to see such a large Obama bootlicking entity like BP watch all of their grand plans turn to cow dung overnight. I’ve had to sit through their endless “green” harpy PR commercials during the Sunday morning talkers for years now – and now their generous campaign support for POTUS and complicity in his carbon tax scheme has been revealed. They’re reaping what they’ve so strenuously sown, however unfair the demogoguery may be.
Dmac (3d61d9) — 6/16/2010 @ 7:37 amI updated the post with thoughts from a Washington Post business columnist.
DRJ (d43dcd) — 6/16/2010 @ 7:41 amI guess they never heard of Ben Franklin.
Stashiu3 (44da70) — 6/16/2010 @ 7:45 amAmen, DRJ, amen.
I am not in disagreement with you, Dmac. They made their bed. But that does not mean they have to give over tens of billions of dollars and be a supplicant to Barcky now.
JD (4b684a) — 6/16/2010 @ 7:45 amGorelick’s attendance puzzle’s me. Didn’t she pilfer enough from Fannie and Freddie? Is she trying to get her hands on the claims funds too?
JD (4b684a) — 6/16/2010 @ 7:46 am“Community Organizers” have never “solved” a single problem. They only create problems.
Really, consider it, Obama has never actually created anything of substance in his life.
SPQR (26be8b) — 6/16/2010 @ 7:52 amSPQR – They are good at spending other people’s money to “fix” problems, either real or imagined.
JD (4b684a) — 6/16/2010 @ 7:59 amhttp://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/38600.html
Good Allah. Rain powered cars?
JD (4b684a) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:04 amSpeaking of Gorelick, her babies, Fannie and Freddie, were just booted off/resigned from the NYSE.
So let’s take over the oil industry payouts too.
Patricia (160852) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:08 amPresident Propeller Head sure knows how to sling around the feces.
HeavenSent (a9126d) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:08 amOh, sorry … here is the quote from that link …
JD (4b684a) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:13 amYeah, just saw that item about Fannie and Freddie Mac. Just wonderful, next we’ll be hearing about how Gorelick has “many advanced degress in economics and social studies.”
BTW, the crocodile tears from the MFM now falls on deaf ears, IMHO. They bought him, they own him (but we all suffer in the end).
Dmac (3d61d9) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:13 amSad how similar to Rev Al Sharpton our Propeller Head is.
10 Steps to Solving Problems
1) Scream about injustice
HeavenSent (a9126d) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:14 am2) Villify the “deep pockets”
3) “Sympathize” with the victims
4) Demand Government action
5) Ask for money
6) Demand new laws
7) Take no accountability for solving it
8) Get lots of lawyers involved
9) Shake down deep pockets
10) Declare victory for the victims
JD at 13 – Please make it very clear that the desire to drive cars powered “by the sun and the wind and the rain.” was made by the President of the United States official spokeman Robert Gibbs.
Have Blue (854a6e) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:20 amWill some media-type ask why Gorelick is there?
JD (4b684a) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:21 amThis was stated by the official spokesman of President Barcky, Robert Gibbs.
JD (4b684a) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:24 amObama said he’s going to put a lawyer in charge of the regulatory agency; perhaps that means Gorelick. As if what they really need there are more rules to ignore.
Perhaps the best thing would be to fire everyone in the MMS as an example to the rest of the government, and replace it with private regulatory services.
Kevin Murphy (5ae73e) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:27 amIf that’s the best thing, then what they’ll probably do is triple the size of MMS and essentially nationalize the American assets. Every day is “Opposite Day” with this administration.
Stashiu3 (44da70) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:41 amThat’s great news, since Gorelick did such a bang – up job of allowing widespread looting and pillaging of Fan/Fred. Not to mention giving away loans to people who had the assets approximating the value of what was in their pockets.
Dmac (3d61d9) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:42 amThe problem is, as long as Obama is the one doing the firing and hiring, it has to be really, really, really bad before we have a chance that his new choice will be better.
So, Obama’s big decision that was supposed to convince us that he’s competent was to plan a meeting one week later, a meeting of top execs for 20 minutes “or more”?? That’s barely enough time to do introductions around the table for a group this big.
I am sure all of their time could be better spent if the one was 10% as interested in results as in how it can be politically maneuvered. Any disagreements?
At least one columnist at the WaPo can point out what makes sense.
MD in Philly (5a98ff) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:46 am11.Speaking of Gorelick, her babies, Fannie and Freddie, were just booted off/resigned from the NYSE.
My naivete’ allows me one question- can anything be possibly good about that? Sounds to my uneducated ears as a way to hide the performance of Fannie/Freddie from the public, who otherwise would be able to watch what the market thinks of it.
And isn’t this the same person who undermined our ability to combat terrorism in the 90’s and then sat on the 9/11 commission looking to put blame elswhere? Or am I wrong about that. And if I am right about that, what information does she have that makes people put her in charge of important things?
MD in Philly (5a98ff) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:51 amMD – It is scary that she seems to be involved in everything that is a colossus failure.
JD (4b684a) — 6/16/2010 @ 8:55 amWhy is Barcky taking the vengeful route using a war-esque footing to claim we will make BP pay? As far as I can tell, BP has accepted responsibility and is paying. Their only objection so far seems to be their reluctance to fund Barcky’s horrific decision to issue a moratorium on drilling, and make BP pay for the fallout from that.
JD (4b684a) — 6/16/2010 @ 9:15 amComment by JD — 6/16/2010 @ 8:13 am
Here’s how that will work:
The wind and sun will create electricity through turbines and photo-cells to power the break-down of rain-water into hydrogen to power the fuel-cell to move the car, and oxygen to replenish the atmosphere since there won’t be any plants changing carbon-dioxide into oxygen through photosynthesis since we will have removed all of the CO2 from the world by having a zero carbon footprint.
Now, how many waterfront lots would you like in the Mojave Desert?
Fannie & Freddie:
They were delisted on the NYSE due to insufficient share price (can’t sell anything under a buck, I think is the rule),
but will be available in OTC trades (it’s now a “Penny Stock”).
And, Thank You, to the techs for getting Live Preview to work again.
AD - RtR/OS! (eef339) — 6/16/2010 @ 9:37 amCOmmunity organizers don’t solve problems. They create problems in order to stir up a rent-a-mob in order to extract cash from either the government or some business they have decided needs shook-down.
SGT Ted (fa9b46) — 6/16/2010 @ 12:02 pm