More and more, strawmen arguments are being set up and knocked down by those criticizing those who criticize the handling of the gulf situation. Currently, there are two diaries on the rec list that fall into this category, and while not not as strawmanish as they might be, certainly provide the platform for others to slam those who criticize the administration with their strawman arguments. Both paint those disapproving of the handling of the Gulf crisis and desirous of stronger action towards clean energy as basically childish and stupid in their (misstated) goals and arguments.
Attacking those who push for solutions that produce tangible results is not going to help get results. And by painting the viewpoints of those who criticize what is being done as weak, uneducated, childish, vindictive and plain old stupid, the effort to push for real solutions is undermined.
Below are the primary strawmen in play.
You want an angry President/Revenge.
No, what is being sought are viable and results oriented action. Presidential anger is not Presidential leadership, though anger may at times be a tool for that. This is not about revenge, this is about getting the Gulf situation under control, and ensuring that this sort of catastrophe does not occur again.
For the short term, the desired action is not allowing BP to call the shots, control the information flows, limit the access, give orders to federal agencies in some cases and ignore orders in others. It means pushing our legislators hard to enact legislation that will remove BP's control of the situation and that will mitigate the economic and environmental damage underway.
For the long term, this means pushing hard for clean energy. And yes, this does mean going in the face of corporate America. We do need real change when it comes to our energy policies. We do not have infinite time: populations are rising, supplies and resources are dwindling, and other economies such as India and China are taking a larger slice of the energy pie. If we don't act by choice to change, and act soon, choice will be removed, but we'll have change anyway.
You want President Obama to act like "The Decider".
There are those calling for President Obama to declare a national emergency to allow for more direct action by the government, such as he did in the case of H1N1. There are also calls for President Obama to use the bully pulpit to castigate daily those in congress on both sides of the aisle who are blocking legislation that would allow for greater penalties to BP, which would not only help provide funds for mitigation of the disaster and for those harmed by it, but also would discourage other corporations from taking the risks that BP did that led to this disaster.
This is not asking for President Obama to act like Bush. This is asking for leadership like we saw in the days of the campaign. This is asking him to risk losing in order to truly win. Because our legislators are going to do everything they can to prevent real change. Too many are all too comfortable with the status quo. President Obama has the world's greatest stage from which to speak. And yes, he is speaking out - but he is not castigating the lawmakers, let alone by name and across party lines, to do what needs to be done.
You want President Obama to put on his Superman cape and fix it himself.
This is ridiculous, and no one is thinking along these lines. What is being called for is basically good management during a crisis, for the President to find the people who can find the solutions to the current crisis, and to find the people to manage things in the agencies who will make decisions that will prevent this sort of thing in the future, and help lead us to a cleaner, greener energy approach.
Calling for strong leadership is reasonable. And given the pride that a number of folks on this site take in being "pragmatic" when it comes to politics, it is amazing how many don't think that the Gulf should be used as a backdrop for a strong push for clean energy, for regulation of the oil industry, and for examination and change of the system by which our nation provides itself with energy.
You believe that the entire Obama administration is a corporate cartel
It is undeniable that there are corporate interests at play here, and that there are a number of corporate friendly members of the administration. Furthermore, the administration must deal with a certain number legislators whose campaign monies, livelihoods and future employment are determined by how friendly they are to corporate interests. We've all seen too many examples of the numbers at opensecrets to think otherwise.
But to paint those everyone that the corporate interests are having too much impact on the handling of this situation as some sort of conspiracy theorists is going to far. It should be possible to acknowledge the corporate power in Washington without being called a conspiracy theorist.
You hate the President, personally.
Wrong again. Painting those on the left who criticize the actions of the office of the President and his administration as being hate based, or racial, or personal completely miss the point, and fall into the trap of conflating the man in the office with the office itself.
You just want President Obama to Fail
No, we want him to succeed. And the proof of the success will be when we've gotten to the point where we have changed the way our nation acquires and uses energy.
In closing, by misrepresenting the viewpoint and arguments of those who criticize the handling of the problem, the ability to effect change from the ground up is undermined. Furthermore, if there isn't tangible change, if there are not measurable results in the handling of the Gulf crisis, no amount of talk is going to prevent the political backlash. That ball is in the court of the President and our legislators. We live in a representative democracy; we can't do it ourselves. All we can do is push our leaders to do what is needed. If they rise to that challenge, the politics will swing in their favor. If not, there will be a price to pay at the polls.