Bill Maher on Obama's Drilling Policy: "I hope there's a flip-flop I could believe in."

[jefferson_dem]

This morning on ABC's "This Week".

Maher says Obama owns this spill because of his energy policy, which includes drilling. Katrina agrees, claims Obama was pandering on oil drilling, hopes he will reverse himself.

[Jennicut]

1. Maher has always been an idiot.

A sexist idiot as well.
I have repeated that on this board over and over again.
I personally cannot stand him, liberal or not.

[DrDan]

2. even idiots get it right every once-in-a-while

[jefferson_dem]

3. His misogyny is blatant and offensive ...

No doubt.

[marmar]

4. I love Bill Maher, but when did he become a policy expert?

nt

[CTLawGuy]

5. when he stops using any oil or oil-based products

then he can talk.

[brentspeak]

50. You forgot to end your post with "drill, baby, drill!"

[CTLawGuy]

60. oh that's hysterical

please, quit your day job :eyes:

[Solomon]

6. Well, I've pretty much said the same thing. To me him

coming out for off-shore drilling was the first and biggest mistake he's made so far. If he had just held out for a few months he's look like a prophet. Instead he opened the door to the blame being shifted to him for the stupidity of off-shore drilling.

[Baalath]

7. still should he be called a flip flopper because he learned and grew?

[Solomon]

13. Hell no I don't think he should be called a flip flopper.

It's called being smart and learning your lesson. He's the only one that has the guts to actually admit it. That's why I like him.

[Cha]

9. Yeah, because people are so ignorant and

fall for anything the corporatemediawhores tell them.

I don't care what Pres Obama said about offshore drilling..this is cheneybush deregulation's BP problem.

bill maher just spits out about Obama that has nothing to do with reality.

[denimgirly]

8. He's right -- Obama gave into the right again and got screwed...Time ot listen to your base Obama

If he just would listen to what he campaigned on instead of always giving in to the right on pretty much everything he'd literally be hailed as one of the great presidents...this spill could have been the very thing he needed to pass a strong energy policy if he just stuck to what he campaigned on but true to form he once again caved to the right BEFORE even negotiating anything....the pattern seems to be, if there is big business money on the table Obama will virtually always give in to the special interests and the right by way of making the bill dramatically weaker...in this case giving away the farm (off-shore drilling) before even sitting down to discuss anytihng.

When will he learn that the right is not interested in working with him no matter what....stop trying to make them like you because they wont...its embarassing.

This drill mess is bad for Obama and worst of all was avoidable...stick to your core principles man....its not all about politics 24/7...this country needs a leader not an appeaser.

[jenmito]

10. Riiiight...because if Obama were AGAINST opening some places for drilling, this catastrophe

wouldn't have happened. :eyes:

[phleshdef]

11. Obama's policy on future drilling exploration would not have prevented this event either way.

This catastrophe definately should cause some serious rethinking on future drilling. Hopefully, it wakes a lot of people up. But in no way, shape or form can be the accident itself be tied to ANY action or policy that the Obama administration itself is responsible for. I do get where Bill is coming from with this but he is also distorting reality with his anger.

[jenmito]

12. +1

[tekisui]

24. If Obama doesn't react by distancing himself from this accident,

by re-instating the ban on new off shore drilling, the image of the oil-filled Gulf will be tied to him.

Anyone who suggests he is in any way responsible for the leak is just being silly. But, if Obama doesn't see the political and environmental writing on the wall, he'll suffer for it.

[freddie mertz]

14. I agree and he was great on the show.

Sad to see under attack for speaking up.

[Ikonoklast]

15. You support anyone that attacks this president.

No big surprise from you there, Skippy.


Maher is a Libertarian tool who only has a vague idea as to what is actually happening in the political arena.

[freddie mertz]

16. Nonsense.

Maher was not "attacking" the president.

He was criticizing him from the POV of a self-described supporter.

I agree with him in the same spirit.

I voted for Obama and supported him in the primary myself.

But like Maher, I have been deeply disappointed by what I see as some bad policy decisions.

If anything, the decision Maher took issue with (on drilling) put Obama closer to a conservative or libertarian-style position than Maher's, at least in this case.

[jefferson_dem]

17. I must say...

I agree with you 100%.

Maher and Katrina made the point that, unlike his chimpish predecessor, Obama is smart and confident enough to re-evaluate his policy positions given whatever circumstances are presented to him. While Maher's position may not be (or may be) grounded in a firm understanding of the policy, he makes an important point and I applaud him for that.

Frankly, I'm surprised Maher is being hammered so hard here .. when all he did was offer a totally reasonable perspective.

[freddie mertz]

19. And thank you for it.

Maher and anyone else should be able to critique a policy decision without being mischaracterized as "attacking" the president.

I saw the clip and he was critical on points but also generally supportive.

Also, it was a great panel for once, with three "lefties" ganging up on the ghastly Mr. Will.

Unheard of on network TV, and recommended to anyone interested to catch the segment on repeat or online.

[impik]

29. I'm sorry, he can't say that Obama "owns" this spill. He just can't.

[freddie mertz]

42. He got associated with it by supporting offshore drilling expansion.

Timing was terrible.

[ClarkUSA]

55. So what? That's tangential at best. Maher said Obama "owns this spill" which is wrong because...

... it is all BP's fault which President Obama has repeatedly emphasized since the spill happened.

[Ikonoklast]

22. Calling someone that changes policy in order ro reflect a new reality a 'flip-flopper'

is an attack, based on the connotations in the language used.

Maher makes his living off of words, their use and meaning.

He knew exactly the impact his choice of words would have.

[tekisui]

25. I read it as Maher saying sometimes a change in policy is an

honorable and even necessary 'flip-flop'.

[ClarkUSA]

33. The phrase "flip-flop" is a pejorative and a cheap shot at a laugh line. Any "change in policy"...

... will not be a "flip-flop" aka. complete policy reversal but a tightening of U.S. regulations governing any new deep-sea oil drilling long opposed by oil companies (e.g., demanding that oil companies use the $500K auto-shut-off valve that the EU requires which would have prevented this massive spill in the first place).

[freddie mertz]

44. He was turning the cliche on its head.

Irony. Satire.

[ClarkUSA]

46. No, he was going for a cheap laugh. BTW, I watched the show twice in the past 24 hours. n/t

[freddie mertz]

48. You completely missed the irony then.

The point he was making was that Obama is no Bush, and should be smart enough to admit error and change policy.

[ClarkUSA]

49. Uh huh. Sure I did. And the term "flip-flop" was an endearment, I suppose?

:sarcasm:

[freddie mertz]

57. If you have ever watched his show...

You would know how much contempt Bill has for terms like "flip-flop" and other nonsense words slung around by the GOP and lame-brained pundits.

The ability to change one's mind and/or admit error is an attribute of ADULTS... and is, therefore, incomprehensible to the likes of Palin, Bush, et al.

Obama already changed his position on this issue at least once. Surely he should be able to do so again.

I would welcome a reversal and so would Bill, which was his entire point.

Good night.

[ClarkUSA]

58. You can spin Maher's cheap shot all you want, but I never did like lipstick on a pig. n/t

[spiritual_gunfighter]

53. Bingo

Irony and satire are unfortunately lost on reactionary people.

[freddie mertz]

43. He was using the term ironically.

In SUPPORT of "flip-flopping" on this issue.

It was an attempt at ironic humor in the context of a network news show.

Did you see the show or the clip?

[Howler]

38. Completely agree Freddie Mertz n/t

n/t

[ClarkUSA]

20. +1

:thumbsup:

[JamesA1102]

18. Maher is a comic who thinks he's a pundit

and he made a fool of himself this morning.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/may/02/bill-maher/bill-maher-and-george-will-spar-over-oil-and-brazi/

[ClarkUSA]

21. That's a cheap shot. Maher is wrong. Obama's energy policy has got nothing to do w/the oil spill...

... so there is no sensible reason to assert that he "owns this spill because of his energy policy". In fact, President Obama has repeatedly gone out of his way to put the blame squarely where it belongs: on BP. I very much doubt there will be a policy reversal, but President Obama will at the very least require every new U.S. deep sea oil drilling rig will have the $500K shut-off valve that most other countries demand, which would have automatically stopped the spill after the explosion damaged the rig. The administration will also probably demand that companies like BP have disaster planning in place ready-to-go from now on.

[BeyondGeography]

23. So BP changed the way they operated oil wells because of O's announcement on offshore drilling?

STFU, Bill.

[flamingdem]

26. We must make sure he maintains the moratorium PERMANANTLY nt

[KansasVoter]

27. Obama didn't cause it but he supports it. He gets some of the blame.

[impik]

30. How exactly he gets the blame for something he had nothing to do with?

[KansasVoter]

35. Because he think off shore drilling is a good idea. Thus more chances for accidents. Duh!

[ClarkUSA]

41. Um, I think marriage is a good idea so am I to blame for divorces and domestic violence?

:crazy:

[freddie mertz]

45. You miss the point.

Let alone the irony in Maher's use of the term "flip-flop," which he used to express disdain for that sort of simplistic rhetoric.

[ClarkUSA]

52. KansasVoter's point is easy to miss, because it makes no sense. I was similarly nonsensical. n/t

[Ikonoklast]

31. And if wheat fails due to a drought this year?

Using your logic, Obama would get some of the blame.

Obama supports farmers, by supporting grain subsidies.
Wheat crop fails. Not caused by Obama.
Obama must shoulder the blame.

[KansasVoter]

34. Really dumb logic! How can anyone promote something that causes a drought. LOL.

[BeyondGeography]

32. Hugo Chavez gets some of the blame, too

After all, he supports offshore drilling. :silly:

[ClarkUSA]

36. Talk about "dumb logic"! Exactly how is President Obama to "blame" for BP's fuck-up? n/t

[KansasVoter]

39. Because the more oil wells you allow the more chances of fuck ups!

[ClarkUSA]

40. Huh? That's like saying you're to blame for car accidents if you favor driving cars because...

..."you allow the more chances of fuck ups".

:crazy:

[freddie mertz]

47. False analogy. nt.

[ClarkUSA]

51. NSS. It's as false an analogy as KansasVoter's. n/t

[freddie mertz]

56. Whatever. Have a good night...

[impik]

28. Bill Maher is a jerk. Obama "owns" this spill????!!!! Idiot.

[high density]

37. Kind of amazing watching Bush stooge Matt Dowd this morning tell us we need more government...

...to stop things like mining and drilling disasters. I thought private companies were supposed to police themselves and that the cost of regulations just got passed on to consumers? Total 180 there from the Republicans I guess.

[and-justice-for-all]

54. This is the result of shurb deregulation...

Has nothing to do with Obama policy.

[hollowdweller]

59. I thought he was great on that show.

I dont' get cable and had never seen him before. Thought he was a great addition to the show.

[bigwillq]

61. Obama owns everything

that involves the U.S., some of it inherited. That's what happens when your President.

[ClarkUSA]

62. Wrong. President Obama has rightly put the blame where it belongs: BP. n/t

[bigwillq]

63. He owns it.

As leader of this country. Which doesn't mean it's a bad thing. I, for one, feel he and the administration have done an effective job, so far, of handling this situation.

[ClarkUSA]

65. Subjective semantics aside, the fact is Pres. Obama has laid the blame squarely on BP. n/t

[bigwillq]

66. As it should (nt)

[fishwax]

64. I'd like to see a flip flop too

But Obama doesn't own this disaster.

[LWolf]

67. He nailed that one, anyway. nt

[The Damned]

68. Unfortunately,

we still need oil for the couple of decades the transition will take.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

69. I knew that the M$M were going to use Maher's illogical words against Obama.

Any time a so-called liberal--whether it be Michael Moore, Katrina, Krugman, or Maher--speaks out against another liberal, especially Obama, the M$M and the wingnuts use their words for political expediency.

Maher is just flat-out wrong. Had he paid attention, he would have realized that Obama has called for a comprehensive approach to energy policy. He's yet another example of some of us liberals who didn't pay attention to the fact that Obama has never painted himself as a liberal and who are now upset because he's not behaving as a liberal. Had these people actually paid any attention to Obama's own voting record and his words, they would have known better.

And, as much as I love Michael Moore, he, too can be so wedded to his ideology that logic sometimes escapes him, as do the facts.

Katrina, Arianna Huffington, too, are other examples.