Barton’s Constitutional Moment
Today I’m flying the Sons of Liberty flag, a patriot flag I fly when freedom is lost. The President of the United States, called in an international corporation and demanded $20 billion dollars from them “or else.” Take all the rest of the noise and emotion out of your thinking … can our federal government DEMAND money from private corporations “or else?” It seems they can, and now they’ve done it twice.
YES, I know there is a PROBLEM! For those who haven’t yet heard, there is an oil spill in the Gulf, BP has admitted to it (and you can see all of the information here at my BP-Update (daily updated) Post. There is the beginnings of real devastation along the Gulf coast and the spin-off financial destruction is just beginning … lack of tourists (frightened off early by the news media), lack of the ability to fish because of the pollution (although Obama says the shrimp taste OK), now the lack of 120,000 jobs because Obama has decided to unnecessarily halt drilling. So YES there is a huge problem, and we are only seeing the very beginnings of it. But instead of using the court system, laws and procedures we have in place, we have once again allowed our Socialist President to once again skirt what is legal and not allow a crisis to go to waste. He has called in a PRIVATE corporation and DEMANDED $20 billion “or else.” … and got it!
Joe Barton’s “Constitutional Moment” .. Like a firecracker, a tiny noise, a flash of light …
“I’m ashamed at what happened in the White House yesterday,” said Barton, the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “I think it is a tragedy in the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown — in this case a $20 billion shakedown.”
But alas, like the firecracker, the moment was short-lived …
I apologize for using the term ‘shakedown’ with regard to yesterday’s actions at the White House in my opening statement this morning, and I retract my apology to BP. As I told my colleagues yesterday and said again this morning, BP should bear the full financial responsibility for the accident on their lease in the Gulf of Mexico. BP should fully compensate those families and businesses that have been hurt by this accident. BP and the federal government need to stop the leak, clean up the damage, and take whatever steps necessary to prevent a similar accident in the future. I regret the impact that my statement this morning implied that BP should not pay for the consequences of their decisions and actions in this incident.
Why Barton Apologized: (From Cynthia Tucker)
“According to a GOP leadership aide, Barton met with House Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) Thursday afternoon, and was told, “Apologize, immediately. Or you will lose your [subcommittee] position, immediately. Now that he has apologized, we’ll see what happens going forward.” (Now if they can just get Rush Limbaugh to apologize!)
My post on The Free Republic:
The only mistake Barton made was apologizing.
When you really want to see what “republicans” are made of, give them a tough choice between “getting votes” or “the Constitution”. Like the libs, they mostly go for the “feel good” rather than the WHAT’s RIGHT! We have courts and a system in this country that also would have created the Escrow account and would have given relief to the people on the Gulf coast that are going to need it! (But now we don’t need the courts or procedures or Constitution any more do we, we found a quicker way!)
Now we have set another new Socialist Marker … the President of the United States can demand money from a corporation for a “just” cause. This time the reason was an oil spill on the Gulf that is devastating lives it was a meaningful but a “make you feel good” reason … and Lord knows, those folks on the Gulf need remuneration … and I do FEEL GOOD about them getting the money!
BUT I DO NOT APPROVE OF THE METHODOLOGY
This is the kind of move Hugo Chavez would make, not a President of the United States who is oath bound to the laws of the United States of America.
So what if the next “good reason” is “the big bad corporation” is making too much money while there are people starving in Atlanta. With this precedent, Obama could go demand $20 Billion from Geico to help feed the needy people in Atlanta. All they have to do is demonize the company,turning people against small green lizards that create excessive profits, and call them into the White House or an “agreement or else”…(which would be the THIRD such meeting … count ‘em!)”
For short-term “good feelings” and support of the Gulf Coast, the republicans caved in on the loss of another freedom rather than USING the system already in place to solve the problem. And these guys are lawyers and experts on the Constitution, Courts and Procedures? I don’t want them representing me … in court OR in D.C.! Democrats are hailing this as a great victory … that should be all the proof you need … if Ed Shultz likes it, dear republicans, you screwed up!
Shultz’ comments the day before … : (see any familiar words?)
- President Obama! You are the dude! The president takes the heads of BP behind closed doors, shakes them down for $20 billion, and gets an apology.
- President Obama went behind closed doors today with Tony Hayward and the other suits from BP and informed them it’s time to pay.
- If you go by today’s results, you’d have to say the President of the United States hit it out of the park. In his own way the President of the United States took on a multinational [corporation] shook ‘em down for $20 billion for the American people. President Obama got more out of BP than the Congress ever has.
An Offer BP Couldn’t Refuse: (From Heritage Foundation)
On October 13, 2008, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson summoned the CEOs of the nation’s largest banks into a gilded conference room at the Treasury Department just a stone’s throw away from the White House. Each CEO was then handed a one-page document that said their company would agree to sell hundreds of billions worth of equity to the federal government through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). “We plan to announce the program tomorrow – and that your nine firms will be the initial participants.” In case anyone missed the subtle message, Paulson added, “We don’t believe it is tenable to opt out, because doing so would leave you vulnerable and exposed.” Sure enough, just like a certain fictional band land leader once did, all nine CEOs signed their respective contracts.
Yesterday, history repeated itself. This time it was the executives of BP who were summoned directly to the White House to have a little chat with the President and Attorney General Eric Holder (who has threatened BP with criminal prosecution). The exact conversation may never be known, and by the end of their “no-nonsense business meeting” BP emerged from the Roosevelt Room to announce that they would “voluntarily” place $20 billion into an escrow account to begin covering claims associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster and contribute another $100 million to a foundation that will support oil workers made unemployed by President Barack Obama’s indefinite ban on offshore oil drilling.
Rush knows a slush fund when he sees one … (“Don’t Doubt Me!)
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.): “I think we had to have someone say this is where you can go without limiting your criminal liability or civil liability.For instance, the question is brought up, pay for all of the health care for the people in the Gulf. No, but I think those who lost their job, then lost their health care would be legitimate.”
Bottom Line
Today Freedom was Lost (again). Today the President once again was able to use a very emotional CRISIS to use to his advantage gaining another precedent in taking over private companies. Another crisis that didn’t go to waste. What is sad is that there are people who will vote for him because he took their FREEDOM away. Absolutely amazing.
Joe Barton’s Constitutional Moment: There for just a moment, one republican had a “gut feeling” this was wrong and said so, only to be HAMMERED by his own “fellow republicans” into submission and apology. I’ll vote in November, but I must admit I’m starting to wonder if I’m wasting my time. Maybe the dye is cast, I’m seeing a boot on the neck of Liberty that others cannot see.
Relevant Posts After This Post
- An oil spill is not a reason to Suspend the Rule of Law (AmericanThinker 06.19.10)
- I’m with Joe Barton on this one! (RenewAmerica 06.19.10)
- Trust Fund Ignores Rule of Law (Heritage Foundation 06.20.10)
- Our Caudillo President (American Spectator 06.19.10)
- Judas Must Have Been a Republican (American Spectator 06.22.10)
- Is Obama’s Shakedown of BP and impeachable offense? (AmericanThinker 06.22.10)
Posted on the Free Republic 06.18.10
What bothers me about this is, of course, the late response … but the response we got was again “a crisis not to be wasted” … the longer he waited, the more desperate the crisis … then in the end it was easy to “SHAKEDOWN” BP for $20 billion … something he legally cannot do, but now by precedent CAN do next time. Yes I want those people to have the money, they are desperate, they are hurting, it is not their fault and they need help NOW … but THIS was not the right way.
Blinded by the crisis, the Constitution took another hit … we just gave this socialist a free pass to shake down any company he wants to for any crisis that comes along. People are hungry in Atlanta, hey, let’s call in ToysRUs and see if we can get a billion or so from them and feed the starving people. Right before our crisis-blinded eyes he pulled this off…while we were watching! Only ONE congressman had a “Constitutional Moment” … but it didn’t last, he was hammered into submission by the crisis-lynch-mob-mentality in DC …(fellow republicans all).
The next time I see a crisis, I’m going to start watching BOTH of his hands!
The Patriot’s Flag – Barton’s Constitutional Moment