Republicans on Wrong Side of Oil Spill

While gulf coast residents struggle to survive the worst man-made disaster in American history, several Republican lawmakers in Washington have come to the defense of British Petroleum Oil Company.

One of those showing sympathy toward BP was Congresswoamn Michele Bachmann of Minnesota who commented that if she were the Chairman of BP she would not allow the corporation to be "fleeced" by America.

She further stated that the corporation should not be used "as an ATM."

These remarks and others made by leading Republicans in the House and Senate can only be described as mindless.

Some residents of the area who were interviewed by CNN immediately after Joe Barton, a Republican Congressman from Texas who serves on the energy and commerce committee, apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward refused to comment because what they wanted to say was not suitable for television.

I can imagine.

It is amazing, for lack of a more adequate word, that Republicans would come to the defense of BP.

The oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is all but destroying the lives of thousands of people who make their living from it. It is wreaking havoc on wildlife, marine life and the ecology of the region not to mention putting thousands of residents and clean up workers' health in jeopardy.

For more than 60 days the gulf coastline has been battered with thousands of barrels of oil causing many businesses to scale back their operations if not shut down altogether.

The economy of the area is in a shambles. And while all of this is going on Republican Congressional leaders choose BP over the American people.

Why?

Very simple. The oil company is in their back pocket.

It was reported by Ed Schultz of CNN, that BP has given more than $1.4 million to Joe Barton since 1990.

It is no wonder that Mr. Barton would feel it necessary to apologize to BP.

The Republican Party as a whole has a long-standing reputation for favoring big business and mega-corporations.

It is Republicans who are always chanting for deregulation, which is one of the primary causes of the mess in the gulf.

Deregulation and relaxed regulation.

The very same culprits that caused the banking debacle of 2008.

Politicians are elected to represent the people not corporations.

When corporations abuse the environment, endanger people's lives and literally destroy the economic base of an entire area the residents of that area expect those representing them to represent them.

It is a slap in the face to all those who are suffering immeasurably along the gulf coast, to hear their representatives apologizing to the ones responsible for wrecking their lives and their livelihoods.

Carl-Henric Svenberg, the chairman of British Petroleum Oil Company, said the other day in a much quoted misspeak, that BP "cares about the little people."

Even though Mr. Svenberg may have used the wrong words to describe the people of the gulf, he got the sentiment right.

Joe Barton, Michele Bachmann and other Republican leaders would do well to do the same.

Care.

Republicans are out of touch.

For the most part, the average "Joe" in America doesn't even register on their radar screen.

They sit atop their lofty pedestals casting aspersions upon the common man oblivious to their plight.

At some point and time they need to come down to where the rubber meets the road and see how real America lives.

BP Oil Company is totally responsible for the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico and they should be held to task for cleaning up and restoring the area.

No one should be apologizing to BP because no one did anything to them. They did however, do something to America that we may never recover from.

I applaud President Obama for holding BP accountable to the residents of the gulf. He is to be commended.

Since President Obama has been in office, Republicans have found themselves repeatedly on the wrong side of issues.

This time, they are not only on the wrong side; they are not even on the playing field.