Rep. Joe Barton has just apolgized to BP for "Shakedown" What!

I was just watching the Congressional testimony and hearing with BP Exec Tony Heyward...rather than giving Heyward the "Dressing down" he deserved, Rep. Joe Barton APOLOGIZED to BP and call the fund set up to help Gulf citizens a "SHAKEDOWN".

WHAT? Even Heyward couldn't believe what he was hearing from Barton either. Somehow the Republicans always seem to shoot themselves in the foot...(this time it's with support of BP and apologizing.)

The interesting part is that Heyward (BP Exec) is now apologizing to the very same people that Barton just dogged out and threw to the wolves....The citizens of the Gulf Coast.

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Arlington Tx) should be immediately recalled for acting against the interest of US citizens! He should also be immediately investigated for any tie's to BP, The Oil Industry and their lobbyist.

Source

www.dallasnews.com..." target='_blank' class='tabOff'/>

[edit on 17-6-2010 by realmatrix]

You are actually surprised a House Republican is siding with a corporation over people?


...Where did I put my captain obvious picture...

Originally posted by AllexxisF1
You are actually surprised a House Republican is siding with a corporation over people?


...Where did I put my captain obvious picture...

I am actually surprised that ANY Congressional Representative would be stupid enough to make such an OUTRAGEOUS claim in an open hearing like this!

I don't care if he's a green martian representative...he now needs to go.....and his office is just down the street from me...so I'll be rounding the forces that required to start the process.

reply to post by realmatrix


S & F
Here's the ABC video/article of Barton's apology:

blogs.abcnews.com...

From the article:

"The Congressman of accepting big contributions from the oil industry, having raked in $1.4 million from the industry since 1989 and is one of the top ten all-time biggest recipients of BP money in the House of Representatives, according to the Center for Responsive Politics."

He is trying to "pay back" BP's "generosity". What a jerk!





[edit on 17-6-2010 by manta78]

Originally posted by AllexxisF1
You are actually surprised a House Republican is siding with a corporation over people?


...Where did I put my captain obvious picture...

And a TEXAS republican, at that? He doesn't want to see this precedence
set. Might cut back on his own dividends.............. and oil interests.

Originally posted by manta78
reply to post by realmatrix

 

S & F
Here's the ABC video/article of Barton's apology:

blogs.abcnews.com...

From the article:

"The Congressman of accepting big contributions from the oil industry, having raked in $1.4 million from the industry since 1989 and is one of the top ten all-time biggest recipients of BP money in the House of Representatives, according to the Center for Responsive Politics."

He is trying to "payback" BP's generousity. What a jerk!

[edit on 17-6-2010 by manta78]

Thanks for this info...I figured as much!!! I just got off the phone with Rep Barton's local office here in Texas and they are now backtracking and saying he just wants to make sure that BP has the same rights as citizens!!

Good grief...does that need an apology from Barton in open session? NO it does not and I am going to hammer this until he either apologizes to the people of the Gulf or steps down.

reply to post by realmatrix


Your welcome, and I agree.
Barton either needs to apologize for his apology,
or step down.

"Please forgive me BP for being involved in this investigation. I know you payed for my mortgages and the college tuitions for my children. So let me just tip my hat to you in broad public media coverage and kiss your ass so that you know that at least one Representative at this investigation is on your side...."

"Please forgive me BP. Please don't cut off my lobbying money dear Sirs... Would you like for me to prostrate myself right in on the open floor for you right now? I'm spineless and a wonderful example of the model American politician these days. And you can rely on me my dear paymasters."

"BP, I'm so sorry."

Yes people of the world. This is the state of American politics as it is today. A complete disgrace.

I am at a loss for words.

There some transparency for you. Wow how blatant can it get? Way to go Texas.

BP’s oil leak was an accident! The government should not force a company to set up an account for victims. Did you hear what one of the Dem reps say to the poor BP CEO guy? “Instead of asking for your resignation, back in the samurai days we would just give you a sword and you would take care of the rest.” What the hell is this a witch hunt? IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! It was not done on purpose. If it was done on purpose then they should pay but mother nature is to blame because she decided to burp at 5,000 ft below the ocean.

I would go as far as to blame the demarcates and the green peace movement! If they did not force oil companies off U.S shores into international waters to drill this would not have happened in the first place. If a well like this blew on land all we would have to do is bulldoze a mound of dirt on the well and be done with it. Stop hating on BP.


[edit on 17-6-2010 by camaro68ss]

To paraphrase the great film Casablanca:

"I'm shocked, SHOCKED, to find Republicans supporting corporate interests over those of citizens!"

You know, because corporations are more important than people...

Originally posted by camaro68ss
BP’s oil leak was an accident! The government should not force a company to set up an account for victims. Did you hear what one of the Dem reps say to the poor BP CEO guy? “Instead of asking for your resignation, back in the samurai days we would just give you a sword and you would take care of the rest.” What the hell is this a witch hunt? IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! It was not done on purpose. If it was done on purpose then they should pay but mother nature is to blame because she decided to burp at 5,000 ft below the ocean.

I would go as far as to blame the demarcates and the green peace movement! If they did not force oil companies off U.S shores into international waters to drill this would not have happened in the first place. If a well like this blew on land all we would have to do is bulldoze a mound of dirt on the well and be done with it. Stop hating on BP.


[edit on 17-6-2010 by camaro68ss]

Mother nature is to blame? You're blaming that spill on mother nature? Have you completely lost it?

As for offshore drilling, it has nothing to do with democrats or greenpeace. Look, if there is oil to be drilled, someone is gonna drill it. Period. If it wasn't BP drilling it, it would be another company and none of them would be complaining.

Here in Brazil, most of our oil drilling is done on deepwater or ultra-deepwater levels. If the oil is there, they it´s gonna get drilled. Period.

Update: In the afternoon session of the BP Congressional hearing Rep. Joe Barton has just backtracked on his statement and apologized to US citizens for his earlier comments.

Boy his phones lines were burning up and I am quite sure of that. As one longtime Texas Republican operative said on c-span earlier."What Joe Barton said during the hearing this morning does not Represent the State of Texas and neither does he."

The leadership undoubtedly got to Barton during the break in the hearings, as well as, his field ops were most likely telling the Chief of Staff we are getting killed on this.

This is not over by a long shot for Barton here in Texas!!!

Before his election to Congress, Barton was an executive with ARCO, which was later acquired by BP.

He has taken $1.4 million in campaign contributions from the industry since 1989, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

www.nydailynews.com... xzz0r9OYJw4m

Big surprise. He's in their pocket.

Originally posted by camaro68ss
BP’s oil leak was an accident! The government should not force a company to set up an account for victims. Did you hear what one of the Dem reps say to the poor BP CEO guy? “Instead of asking for your resignation, back in the samurai days we would just give you a sword and you would take care of the rest.” What the hell is this a witch hunt? IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! It was not done on purpose. If it was done on purpose then they should pay but mother nature is to blame because she decided to burp at 5,000 ft below the ocean.

I would go as far as to blame the demarcates and the green peace movement! If they did not force oil companies off U.S shores into international waters to drill this would not have happened in the first place. If a well like this blew on land all we would have to do is bulldoze a mound of dirt on the well and be done with it. Stop hating on BP.


[edit on 17-6-2010 by camaro68ss]

No... this was not an accident...

You see an Accident is something you don't see coming...

BP leaders were told over and over this was going to happen if they continued...

yet they continued.... hence... it's not an accident...


You really need to better understand the situation prior to making claims

A republican rep from Texas siding with an Oil company?

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/dc8cb0550133.gif[/atsimg]



Anyone really surprised?

It was kind of glossed over at the end of the hearing, but there was one senator (I'm not good at names...) who kept asking why the "Ultimate Failsafe" - which had been shown by BP engineers, among others, to have 260 ways of going wrong - was modified by BP against the judgement of the vendors. Hayward just did his little obtuse dance again (You'd think it wasn't an important hearing....).

How can it be an accident when the 'ultimate failsafe' was modified in a way that created MORE chance of a failure?

reply to post by DaMod


No surprise here. Let's give him a bucket and a shovel and get this apologist little squirt out there cleaning up with the other BP execs.

Maybe then the small people will get their lives back.

sure sounds like the Rep. mr Barton, is doing his best to secure a future position with the company/ mega-corporation ...
upon his impending forced retirement from Gov't he will need a nourishing teet to nurse his transition to the real world...
why not BP

instead of one of those Arms Merchant corps. which deal in homeland-security & full-sprectrum military dominance

they may be pigs but they are conniving ones