About Us
Mission Statement
Rules of Conduct
 
Name:
Pswd:
Remember Me
Register
 

Constructive or Destructive?
Author: Raine    Date: 06/17/2010 12:38:31

Yesterday I wrote in the comments of the blog the following:
Thom just said he was GLAD to hear the Nat Guard was being deployed. I found that disturbing to hear coming from him as I have known What that they were there right from the start. It was weeks - WEEKS ago that he deployed those 17,000 service members to the gulf. Hell -- I posted a link from the DoD yesterday.

And here lies a big problem, for me. Progressives like Thom, (and others - like Olberman), complain about the lack of reporting from our media, and claim to be the ones who are willing to carry the torch, and yet, in this case, they have done the opposite.

It seems as tho suddenly the President isn't progressive enough for them, and they have chosen to not do the research that the MSM should be doing, the same research they claim they want to do.

I could be wrong here, but I am terribly disappointed by the progressive media at this point. I would have hoped that they would have gotten this information out there.
There is a difference between constructive and destructive criticism. The 2 are not mutually exclusive to one another. There are legitimate concerns to be had with this President, but I have found in the past year and a half, that when I hear something on the radio or TV that sounds just awful, a little research goes a long way. Many times I find that what I heard and reality are two very different things.

What I said yesterday was aimed at smart people who I do trust, like Thom Hartman. For months Thom has said that he wanted President Obama to be like FDR, even playing wonderful clips of the great President. Imagine my surprise when yesterday he exclaimed "I don't want him to be like FDR, I want him to be like Jimmy Carter" So which is it? It isn't Just Thom, so I apologize if I seem to be picking on him, I'm not. It's just starting to seem like everyone has an image of what they want the President to be as opposed to the person he has shown himself to be. It's come to full bore on our own Stephanie Miller show. This week has been painful to listen to. People in the middle of the debate have legitimate claims and opinions, but to shut it down with the accusation that the other doesn't allow dissent is simply another way to shut down debate. It's strawman, and I want better than that from ALL of the people I love in progressive radio. I rely on them for insight as well as information.

I would like this president to be the greatest President he can be. I had hoped that progressive media would help him do that by getting truth out there, but I am starting to see that sometimes instead of truth, there is a selective appropriation of information to fit the agenda. Now, I understand that this is most likely not done in malice, but it seems to be happening nonetheless.

I have even heard it suggested by people on the left that we haven't accepted help from other countries, Sadly that seems to be a talking point that originated on the right as witnessed by the former half term governor of Alaska. The problem is, it's not true.
In late May, the administration accepted Mexico’s offer of two skimmers and 13,779 feet of boom; a Dutch offer of three sets of Koseq sweeping arms, which attach to the sides of ships and gather oil; and eight skimming systems offered by Norway.
One can question why it took so long for that help. I had wondered that myself, but I have come to a belief that perhaps people were told that this wasn't as bad as it really is. BP is telling lies, and no one seems to know what to believe. Gone under the radar is that Eric holder is investigating, and we won't know anything regarding criminal negligence for some time, considering this alleged crime is still happening. There are estimates that these fines could be over 60 billion dollars.

Maybe the problem is simply that people are rightfully panicking.

As far as offshore drilling goes, this president has always said it was part of a comprehensive plan to change our energy policy in this nation, something that every President says they'll do, but never seems to have the political fortitude or courage to back it up. But here is a little information Campaign Promise 458: Invest in all types of alternative energy Result? Promise Kept. For the first time, to my knowledge, a President actually acknowledged Peak Oil in a White House address
"...oil is a finite resource. We consume more than 20% of the world's oil, but have less than 2% of the world's oil reserves. And that's part of the reason oil companies are drilling a mile beneath the surface of the ocean - because we're running out of places to drill on land and in shallow water.

For decades, we have known the days of cheap and easily accessible oil were numbered. For decades, we have talked and talked about the need to end America's century-long addiction to fossil fuels. And for decades, we have failed to act with the sense of urgency that this challenge requires. Time and again, the path forward has been blocked - not only by oil industry lobbyists, but also by a lack of political courage and candor.

The consequences of our inaction are now in plain sight. Countries like China are investing in clean energy jobs and industries that should be here in America. Each day, we send nearly $1 billion of our wealth to foreign countries for their oil. And today, as we look to the Gulf, we see an entire way of life being threatened by a menacing cloud of black crude.

We cannot consign our children to this future. The tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now. Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash American innovation and seize control of our own destiny."
He's also proposing a major Wetland restoration project for the Gulf. The Gulf's wetlands are like kidney's, you cannot survive with out them. These are amazing undertakings that should IMO, be supported.

Had we made the changes Jimmy Carter wanted we might not be where we are today, but the reality is this: this is where we are today. And while it is good to push the President (he asked Americans to do so) I think it is important to know the facts. Too many times I have heard something I did not like come from the White house only to find out a few days later that I was misinformed. This is from both the left and the right. I do think staff changes need to be made, but not out of retribution or blame for something. Maybe Ken Salazar should be fired, and even Rahm Emanuel - but I don't think or even know whether it will help or hinder what is happening NOW. This is really that big of a crisis.

After giving a scathing review of the Presidents Speech the other night, Keith Olberman tweeted the follwing:
Then I will say, more or less: this is easily the smartest political leader I have ever seen, as good a political public speaker as I've heard, + last October I was privileged along with 11 other newspeople to spend 2 hours with him as he showed extemporaneous mastery of every one of two dozen topics fired at him by us in random order. I left the room wondering if we had ever before actually elected a president who was one of the 1,000 smartest people in the country (or maybe 100, or 10) as we had now. I believe in him and in his presidency and he has frequently achieved success (in health care reform, particularly) by doing that for which I criticized him. I hope that is again the case now because the Gulf Speech was not up to his standards nor did it express his mastery of policy. And if you will stop watching because I said this, I'll be very sorry, but you will have been watching for the wrong reason. I am not, have not been, and will not be, any politician's, nor any president's, spokesman.
It seems to me that once again, this President is not meeting the standards that people in the media seem to want to set upon him. As BobR said yesterday , this was not the speech of a lifetime, but it had very important information. And I believe it resonated with the people who needed it too the most: The people of the Gulf -- including the Fisherman's prayer. Seeing the next day he actually secured a 20 Billion dollar fund from BP was an amazing accomplishment. $100 million dollars for the unemployed workers on oil rigs was equally astounding. These are good things in light of a catastrophe that may change the way we live forever.

So no, I don't want another FDR, Nixon, Carter or Lincoln. I want President Obama to be able to be the best president we could have. He is smarter than me, and I like that. I like that I am challenged by the things he does and it forces me to think instead of react, which is what happened during the previous administration. This is a different time, and a different person with FAR different motives. That is important to remember. They are not the same. NOT at all.

We need all the truth out there from the media, not just what we want to see. Not having the truth is exactly what got us into this mess in the first place. My hope today was to provide constructive criticism, and not shut down debate. I really want to know what you think.

and
Raine



 

62 comments (Latest Comment: 06/18/2010 02:40:38 by Raine)
   Perma Link

Share This!

Furl it!
Spurl
NewsVine
Reddit
Technorati