Even FOE found some merit in the President's speech

[ProSense]

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH PRESIDENT ERICH PICA REACTS TO PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ADDRESS FROM THE OVAL OFFICE

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Friends of the Earth’s president, Erich Pica, had the following response to President Obama’s speech from the Oval Office this evening:

"President Obama said some of the right things tonight when he promised to hold BP accountable, to reform the agency that regulates offshore drilling, and to move our nation away from the oil dependence that led to this spill.

"However, the President failed to use this speech to call on Americans to meet their individual responsibility to help solve this problem. Each of us has a moral duty to reduce our consumption of oil, and a responsibility that comes with citizenship to make elected officials do the right thing.

“We appreciate the President’s call tonight for policies that will generate more clean energy, but it is important to note that much of the energy legislation now being considered in Congress has been unduly influenced by polluting industries and will not get us to this goal.

“The President can and should go further in fighting the polluter lobbyists whose influence is at the root of our energy problems. Reforming the Minerals Management Service is a necessary, but not sufficient, step. Lobbyists from all dirty energy industries, not just oil, must be shown the door, and regulatory agencies that oversee coal mining, nuclear reactors and corporate agribusiness must also be reformed.

This from a group that hates Kerry's bill.

Look at one of their key complaints: Obama didn't call you out. You, Americans.

What does it say about some of the critics when one of organizations most critical of the President, admits that he said "some of the right things tonight"?

They don't think he went far enough, but that's another issue.

:rofl:

[GOTV]

1. Obama always says some of the right things. Who would deny that?

[Jennicut]

2. Actually, Obama mentioned that the United States consumes massive amount of oil

while producing little of it. Consumption, very important.

[Cha]

4. Yes, I caught that and how much foreign

oil we have to import because of it.

[Jennicut]

5. Once again, missed point, right?

[vaberella]

12. Always the case. However, I think that was picked up by the American viewers.

The pundits and journalists and commentators missed it, but the American people heard it. The C-span response said that to me.

[Cha]

3. They know how to do things..they don't dismiss

as "drivel" and expect to be listened to.

[Mass]

6. What was missing from the speech were explicit types of policies.

In a time where everybody except may be Inhoffe and Sarah Palin says they have a proposal for energy that will help with clean energy, the absence of words like "climate change", "carbon capping", or "carbon pricing" is bothering. Obviously, it may not have been the goal of this speech that was also made to reassure people, but, in a time where even Democrats in the Senate are trying to avoid doing something (as seen last week in the Senate), I cannot avoid being bothered by a lack of precision that reminds me "Single Payer".

So, I agree with them, there was good things in Obama's speech, but it did not go far enough.

[ProSense]

8. It wasn't a speech, it was a brief address.

It was specifically about the effort in the Gulf. He mentioned the relevant policies, but it was not a policy speech.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. that will come next probably

[global1]

10. The Common Folk (non--political types like us) Don't Know What The Terms .......

"carbon capping"; "cap & trade" and "carbon pricing" mean. They just aren't familiar with those terms and if Obama used them tonight he would have been talking over their heads.

It is now up to us - the better politically informed - to help Obama educate. I believe that the President set the tone for that to happen with his speech.

It's up to us to spread the word. Call our representatives in the Senate & House - and help the President take this the rest of the distance - or 'far enough'.

[vaberella]

14. Thank you. Why is this so hard to grasp?! n/t

[vaberella]

13. The situation is ridiculously complex. I don't even know what a buoy is.

I had to look it up. Imagine having a break down of all of these things on national television. He'd have to create his own show for an hour a day because it's a massive thing. The American people would have turned out and even more of what he said would be lost. He had an 18 minute speech and 90% of it was lost to the pundits.

[Mass]

15. You did not need a complex explanation. You needed a few key words that would have

reassured those of us who actually cared. Read Gore's statement for example, even shorter, but unambiguous on what needs to happen.

[HughMoran]

7. Obama is the devil incarnate who has deliberately spawned this flow of death from Hell

I read that on DU :rofl:









(not really)









(maybe?)

[vaberella]

11. "President failed to use this speech to call on Americans to meet their individual responsibility"

Interestingly enough if anyone got the chance to listen to C-Span that actually was the message that got across to the people. They understood the gravitas of the situation and responded of their own accord to this silent call. Obama didn't need to say it because it seemed to be "understood" by the people who wanted to listen to him.

It's amazing really.