The opening line of the statement from the Republican House leadership taking Rep Joe Barton (R-TX) to the woodshed (my emphasis): “The oil spill in the Gulf is this nation’s largest natural disaster and stopping the leak and cleaning up the region is our top priority.”
Maybe they mean it’s been a disaster to nature? Or that it happened in nature? Or that man is natural and therefore his disasters are natural, too?
If Joe Barton could suck up oil as fast has he can take the heat off everyone else, we’d have this spill licked.
Think about it. BP CEO Tony Hayward sat there blinking awkwardly as Barton proceeded to rescue Hayward from what was expected to be a day-long PR disaster for BP by taking all the heat on himself.
Then, remember, it was just 24 ago hours that all kinds of Republicans were trashing the $20 billion escrow fund as a “shakedown.” Even House conservatives’ 100-member-strong study committee called it a “Chicago-style shakedown.” But no matter. Thanks to old Joe, the House GOP can make him the scapegoat instead, threatening to strip him of his seat on the Energy Committee for doing too good a job of parroting the party line.
The line from GOP flacks today was that Barton’s apology for the escrow fund was completely different than their criticism of Obama for the escrow fund. That’s a distinction Dems will be happy to let Republicans try to make to voters all the way to November.
Vic Rawl, the guy who lost the South Carolina Democratic Senate primary to Alvin Greene, petitioned today to have the state Democratic party overturn the result. The state party’s executive committee just decided to reject his bid. So Greene v DeMint, it is. The party’s announcement after the jump … Read More
Politicians aren’t like the rest of us. They can do all sorts of things the rest of us could never do. And they can’t do all sorts of things most of us could do without any problem. But I’ve gotta wonder if Dino Rossi, who’s just signed on to run for Senate against incumbent Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), has fully thought through the cans and can’ts.
At the moment he’s running for US Senate while keeping up a business on the side running seminars on how to make a killing by buying the distressed or foreclosed homes of people who lost their shirts in the housing crash.
Whales, hookers, cash in envelopes. Pretty soon things can start to go very wrong.
According to Politico, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) may already be as good as out as Ranking Member/Chairman if the Republicans retake the House this year. But there’s another part of this story. A number of publications have noted that Barton gets tons of money from the oil industry. Indeed, his biggest donor is a part owner of the well that caused the spill.
But, as is often the case, I think donor amounts actually miss the point. Because the most striking thing about the whole episode yesterday is how beyond the call of duty Barton’s whole performance was. Indeed, to me at least, no one seemed more pained by Barton’s outburst than Tony Hayward, whose company has clearly made the decision to go for a deal on the cleanup costs rather than fight the whole thing tooth and nail. So, yes, Dems take lots of oil money too. But while Dems have one night stands with the oil industry or relationships, with Republicans like Barton it’s a committed and loving relationship. Even when it’s not even helpful.
Crack (New York-based) TPM reporter Rachel Slajda makes first appearance at TPM’s DC Bureau. Bureau Chief David Kurtz wore a seersucker suit for her arrival, which is apparently part of some inside joke I’m not aware of.
If we had any question why Republicans were keeping Sharron Angle away from the press, I think we have our answer. With video. Eeesh.
Theda Skocpol says Obama’s liberal critics on the oil spill need to get a clue.