What do you say to a politician who rakes in more than 15% of his campaign cash from the energy industry? What do you say to that same politician after he identifies the “tragedy of the first proportion” of the BP oil spill as a government requirement that BP pay the costs of cleanup?
You say “Hello, Mr. Chairman,” if the Republicans win back the House. Joe Barton would become the chair of the Energy and Natural Resources committee. For Joe Barton, the oil slick and landfall is just second order. Do you want Joe Barton directing congressional oil policy?
Joe Barton is a tragedy of the first proportion.
David Cozad is struggling to challenge Joe Barton in the 2010 elections as a congressional candidate against the big oil agenda. He’d be struggling a little bit less with your contribution.
seems like politicians are getting sloppier and sloppier about their intimate relationship with big business. Used to be what Barton did, we would agree across the spectrum what a gaffe that was. Nowadays we seem to take it for granted business and government are bedfellows, and we just change the channel if we don’t like the implications. I guess.
As i have been asking since 2000, what can we actually do about it? The results speak for themselves, it goes on as usual – right off the cliff.