From TPM Reader KP …
My relatives live in Baton Rouge. I live in Pensacola. Suffice it to say I have been following every tidbit about the oil spill. I have listened from day one to people blame the administration for not responding to the spill to other organizations constructing a time line showing us that the administration have indeed responded from day one. What I think people want this president to do is get on television and show what I heard Lawrence O’Donnell called real “outrage” in front of the cameras.
Many others at left leaning blogs have expressed the same feeling — that the president is not seen to be mad enough about the problem. How is this president getting on television and feigning outrage going to fix this monster? He has put together hundreds of scientists and people in the know (I read a piece at TPM on this, too) to get out there and fix the leak. By him getting on television and acting out would be disingenuous and dishonest at best. I want the leak fixed because I am in the crosshairs, but I don’t want any such righteous indignation.
There is a certain disconnect that takes place amongst us in this country, fueled by a media that sometimes need to fill airtime as well as pages, so that they do a great disservice to the country. There is a great information void. You have few people who can and choose to explain such issues to the public, health care included. Instead, they go after the theatrics. You will notice that there is nothing else major going on right now – the financial reform is underway, the primaries are over, Kagan is pending – there is such void, and so now the media has trained its sights on the gulf. Where has the media itself been on this issue? If there is a major controversy with the newly announced DADT policy, I can almost guarantee you, the oil spill will be shoved off the headlines.
