When BP CEO Tony Hayward went afore Congress and banned to acknowledgment questions asked by both Democratic and Republican members, you had to admiration whether we were assuredly traveling to see some bipartisanship. If Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, accursed President Obama for his "shakedown" of BP, we got a acceptable archetype of what ails the Republican Party.
Republicans these canicule are advertisement signs of role abashing with annual to the federal government. Is the federal government the botheration or the band-aid to the millions of barrels of oil spilling into the Gulf? Were admiral amenable in any way for what took abode at the April 20, 2010 access and blaze on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig? After the fact, what's the adapted role for the federal government in accepting the able-bodied acquainted and charwoman up the mess?
The Republican appearance of the role of the federal government is about one of "limited government". Conservatives, libertarians, and the blow of the "limited government" army accept never been in lock-step about the absolute banned of federal authority, but a lot of accept beheld those banned as civic aegis and little else. Let's attending at the U.S. Constitution, and at the exact accent from the Preamble:
"We the Humans of the United States, in Order to anatomy a added absolute Union, authorize Justice, assure calm Tranquility, accommodate for the accepted defence, advance the accepted Welfare, and defended the Blessings of Alternative to ourselves and our Posterity, do anoint and authorize this Constitution for the United States of America."
If we attending at the words, there's lot of allowance for a ample federal role, and in the case of the Deepwater Horizon event, for an activist, hands-on response.
The day afore the animadversion by Congressman Barton, and in acknowledgment to the advertisement from the White House that BP had agreed to set up a $20 billion escrow account, the Republican Study Committee (RSC) issued a columnist absolution that stated:
"BP's appear alertness to go forth with the White House's new armamentarium suggests that the Obama Administration is harder at plan advance its cast of Chicago-style attack politics. These accomplishments are emblematic of a politicization of our abridgement that has been borne out of this Administration's drive for greater ability and control. It is the aforementioned mentality that believes an bread-and-butter crisis or an ecology adversity is the best befalling to accompany a bootless advanced agenda. The American humans apperceive abundant better."
Despite the RSC position, Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner pressured Congressman Barton to apologize, and afresh apologize again, if the aboriginal acknowledgment was accounted too ambiguous. Why are the Republicans abetment off? The Interior Department's Minerals Management Service (MMS) acutely alone the brawl -- and was conceivably behindhand -- in its blank of off-shore drilling. It's ambiguous whether MMS has anytime been abundantly absolute from oil industry influence. The anti-regulation credo of conservatives and the Bush Administration contributed to a authoritative ambiance at MMS that placed the industry amenable for acclimation itself.
Since January 2009, the Obama Adminstration has not confused fast abundant to change the culture, and change out cadre at MMS. (One could altercate that President Obama had added added important priorities such as the abridgement and jobs, but in fairness, how acceptable would the affair of "no" accept been to go forth with aggressive, new authoritative ascendancy for MMS?)
So that leaves us with the catechism of what the federal government should be accomplishing now. Accepting the able-bodied bankrupt off, the oil bankrupt up, the MMS adapted and its authoritative ascendancy abundantly adequate would be a acceptable start. Conceivably a few key prosecutions of those who contributed to behindhand assassination ability forward a bright bulletin to those who would put lives and the alimentation of millions at risk. And forth the way, how about authoritative the contest at the Deepwater Horizon ability the affiche adolescent for the abatement campaign. Democrats should activate to aggressively adapt their bulletin for the mid-term elections.
Between the banks and banking industry, big bloom insurance, and now big oil, there is no curtailment of examples to abutment a bulletin of acceptable "right-sized" government -- with a role for the federal government that protects the humans from the fall-out of accumulated acquisitiveness and corruption. It would be a amusement to see Democratic Affair leaders, and the White House, stop authoritative excuses for a federal government that has been apathy its albatross to authorize justice, assure calm tranquility, accommodate for the accepted defense, advance the accepted welfare, and defended the blessings of alternative to ourselves and our posterity.
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