BP Chairman: ‘We Care About the Small People’
EmailBP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg today said that President Obama “is frustrated because he cares about the small people. And we care about the small people. I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are really companies that don’t care, but that is not the case in BP, we care about the small people.”
The Swedish-born Svanberg made his comments after a more than four hour meeting between BP executives and White House officials, including President Obama.
Afterwards, both the president and Svanberg called the meeting “constructive.” President Obama told reporters that he raised two issues in the part of the meeting in which he participated, BP’s new escrow fund for those who have been economically harmed by the spill, and further efforts to cap the well. Svanberg apologized to the American people and announced the company wouldn’t be paying dividends to stockholders for the remainder of 2010.
Standing in the State Dining Room beneath a looming portrait of Abraham Lincoln, President Obama announced that BP had agreed “to set aside $20 billion to pay claims for damages resulting from this spill. This $20 billion will provide substantial assurance that the claims people and businesses have will be honored.” The $20 billion, he said, is not a cap, not a maximum amount, and it “does not supersede either individuals’ rights or states’ rights to present claims in court,” he said.
The escrow account will be run by Kenneth Feinberg, who served as the “Special Master” for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and currently serves in that same role deciding executive compensation for companies that received Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP funds. A three-person panel will adjudicate rejected claims.
In addition, in the wake of the president’s temporary moratorium on 33 deepwater drilling projects, BP will contribute $100 million to a fund to compensate those unemployed oil rig workers.
The president said that in a private conversation he had with Svanberg, he “emphasized to him that for the families that I met with down in the Gulf, for the small-business owners, for the fishermen, for the shrimpers, this is not just a matter of dollars and cents; that a lot of these folks don’t have a cushion. They were coming off Rita and Katrina, coming off the worst economy that this country’s seen since the Great Depression, and this season was going to be the season where they were going to be bouncing back.”
“I emphasized to the chairman that when he’s talking to shareholders, when he is in meetings in his boardroom, to keep in mind those individuals; that they are desperate; that some of them, if they don’t get relief quickly, may lose businesses that have been in their families for two or three generations,” the president said. “The chairman assured me that he would keep them in mind.” Mr. Obama said the standard he would be applying “is whether or not those individuals I met with, their family members, those communities that are vulnerable, whether they are uppermost in the minds of all concerned. That’s who we’re doing this work for.”
With other executives such as CEO Tony Hayward and Managing Director Bob Dudley standing behind him, Svanberg came to the White House stake-out outside the West Wing and said he appreciated “the deep concern” that President Obama “feels for the people in the region” as well as “his frustration.” He said he trusted that Mr. Obama “sensed the sadness and the sorrow that we feel for this, for this tragic accident that should never have happened.”
The BP chairman announced that the BP board had decided the company would not pay any further dividends to stockholders for the remainder of 2010. He said he wanted “to take this opportunity to apologize to the American people on behalf of all the employees of BP many of whom are living on the Gulf Coast. I too thank you for the patience that you have in this difficult time. Through our actions and commitments we hope that over long-term that we will regain the trust that you have in us.”
Regarding the oil that continues to gush into the Gulf, the president repeated what he said in his first Oval Office address Tuesday night, that his administration has directed BP to mobilize additional equipment and technology, he said, which in the “coming days and weeks…should capture up to 90 percent of the oil that is leaking out of the well.”
The president said “that’s not good enough, so we will continue to press BP and draw on our best minds and resources to capture the rest of the oil.”
Asked if the company took shortcuts on safety, Svanberg said the company is conducting its own “independent investigation where we will scrutinize everything that we do, to make sure that we understand the root cause of this tragic accident,” but beyond that he wouldn’t comment. After two questions, the BP executives will ushered away from the White House press corps and they ignored questions being shouted towards them, such as “how’s that ‘relative trickle’ going,” a reference to BP chief operating officer Doug Suttles’ comments to the Associated Press last week that by yesterday the gushing in the well would be reduced to a relative trickle.
-Jake Tapper
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The “small people”? Really? With all the money BP is spending on PR you’d think the executives would have been briefed on appropriate and inappropriate phrases.
Posted by: Rose | June 16, 2010, 3:33 pm 3:33 pm
So… The “independent third party” is going to be the US Govt’s Pay Czar Ken Feinberg, huh?
Now that BP has agreed to quit paying shareholder dividends — has the media informed Americans that WE hold 40% of those shares of stock in our retirement and pension portfolios? In essence … our government has forced BP to quit paying dividends to US citizens?
TheTimes UK just posted a headline: BP caves in to Obama demands
…Ken Feinberg, who ran 9/11 compensation fund, will run BP scheme.
Posted by: suzyQ | June 16, 2010, 3:35 pm 3:35 pm
$1 per year for 20 Billion years!
Posted by: tillyerkt | June 16, 2010, 3:50 pm 3:50 pm
Money has fixed everything!
All’s well with the world! Small people give thanks to our saviors: Obama and BP !!!
Long live the corporate empires and their government lackeys!
The stupidity and arrogance of greed!
Posted by: JAM | June 16, 2010, 3:52 pm 3:52 pm
The “small people”? Really? With all the money BP is spending on PR you’d think the executives would have been briefed on appropriate and inappropriate phrases.
Posted by: Rose | Jun 16, 2010 3:33:58 PM
Uh, yeah.
For many years,a good decade, I used to go to Louisiana twice a year, for the week of MardiGras and for a week during Jazz Fest. I also dedicated some time to helping with the Katrina cleanup, though two weeks at two different times is really just a drop in the bucket. I was very fond (actually still am) of a fellow river rat, Cajun style and I thought of him instantly when I Obama evoked the blessing of the fleet and then again today I read a reader reaction to the speech at Andrew Sullivan’s Daily Dish blog (The Deepwater Horizon Speech Reax, Ctd, 16 Jun 2010 01:04 pm)
“Small people” …. groan. Obama’s wording and concern struck me as much more authentic. I’m glad he’s gone down there a few times, and hope he will continue to keep these people in mind. They’re not small people. They’re the salt of the friggin earth.
Posted by: progressive mama | June 16, 2010, 3:52 pm 3:52 pm
A President that takes control and gets the job done despite all the negative criticism. Yep! America has an excellent President. Cool, calm, precise, and considered! That’s a real leader, not what the Republicans have been screaming about “emotion”! Give me this kind of President any day.
Posted by: wernervonphooey | June 16, 2010, 3:53 pm 3:53 pm
LOL! The guy just can’t get a break. Even if he had used “the little people” he would have gotten flack. We all know what he ment, but still, it’s kind of nice to push back on these people who make $1.1B a year to wear a suit and delegate their work.
Posted by: Wayne | June 16, 2010, 3:53 pm 3:53 pm
The only problem is that the escrow fund is in oil safely stored at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
Posted by: tillyerkt | June 16, 2010, 3:56 pm 3:56 pm
Small People? Really? Wow……. it just gets better and better all of the time….
Posted by: Dcbtx | June 16, 2010, 3:59 pm 3:59 pm
but, but, he also said President Obama cares about the small people too….language barriers, I think we all know what he meant it’s just that “little” sounds so much better than “small”
Posted by: samhiguchi | June 16, 2010, 4:02 pm 4:02 pm
I would advise him not to text either.
Posted by: Kathy M. | June 16, 2010, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm
words can be taken out of context so quickly………..Like when Tony wanted his life back……..IT’s NORMAL to have wanted his life back……Small people. We know what he means….No need to get all nasty…….No one is small and NO ONE CAN MAKE YOU FEEL INFERIOR WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT………ha
Posted by: dave | June 16, 2010, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm
if they can pay the claims in a timely manor, it will be a HUGE win for the President.
Posted by: jeanne021556 | June 16, 2010, 4:07 pm 4:07 pm
The british refer to their working class as the “dirty people”. So we got some respect when they look down their noses and being only “small”.
Posted by: Lenovo | June 16, 2010, 4:08 pm 4:08 pm
He would have gained more points if he had recognized the people he was referring to as, “the backbone and fabric of America’s society”, because that’s the category into which these people fit. Oh, and let’s not forget “the small animals” whose habitats are being destroyed, and whose lives are being lost.
Posted by: MacDouglass | June 16, 2010, 4:09 pm 4:09 pm
And who is going to make Obama pay for the damage he has done to the people of Louisiana and the American citizens by placing his moratorium on oil drilling? How many people have lost their jobs because of his knee jerk reaction? Do we stop all air flights because one has a crash? Insanity continues to run loose in Washington.
Posted by: tia | June 16, 2010, 4:09 pm 4:09 pm
Obama will get SMALL votes.
Posted by: alan gioannetti | June 16, 2010, 4:09 pm 4:09 pm
Obama will get SMALL votes.
Posted by: alan gioannetti | Jun 16, 2010 4:09:21 PM
You realize of course that it wasn’t Obama who said it. It was the Swedish-born BP chairman.
Posted by: progressive mama | June 16, 2010, 4:10 pm 4:10 pm
Nice to know he cares about dwarfs and leprechauns.
Maybe we can start paying for BP products with small change.
Posted by: dale | June 16, 2010, 4:12 pm 4:12 pm
Good, so long as everything can be scapegoated onto a nasty foreign oil company – or drunken captain.
Then nothing has to change, no difficult decisions need be made, oil drilling and consumption can go on as normal. Yes, there will be more spills (lots of other similar deep-water rigs out here) but it will probably be a decade or two away but Obama won’t get blamed for that. No one blames Bush senior for this spill, even though he too assured us it would never happen again.
Posted by: Jackie | June 16, 2010, 4:15 pm 4:15 pm
Any chance this guy is related to Leona Helmsley?
Posted by: Richard | June 16, 2010, 4:16 pm 4:16 pm
Maybe he meant “small” in terms of our paychecks vs theirs! Idiots.
Posted by: fay | June 16, 2010, 4:18 pm 4:18 pm
What I’m not getting is Obama’s refusal to accept the Dutch offer. Near as I can figure, given there are waivers and have been waivers in the past to the maritime Jones Act is that the unions wouldn’t be happy with Obama. Which means, at least me, all the anger and concern expressed by Obama has been complete BS. Obama put the interest of unions ahead of a national interests. No surprise there, eh? Oil cpould have been contained, captured and all this mitigated. Typical corrupt politican.
Posted by: fedup_11 | June 16, 2010, 4:20 pm 4:20 pm
Good job President Obama. Make them pay!
Posted by: A.Lincoln | June 16, 2010, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm
Who is going to apologize to the “small” sea turtles, “small birds”, and other “small” suffering and dead sea life and wildlife?
Posted by: fay | June 16, 2010, 4:25 pm 4:25 pm
At least both BP and Obama seem to be doing and saying the right things today. I like Obama’s determination to get 90 percent of the oil captured and then keep after the remaining 10 percent. He finally called BP execs into the White House for a talking to, and committed to sealing the well fully asap. Of course BP has contempt for average Americans, “the small people”, that’s why Obama must be our champion. Chumps like the BP fatcats only respond to power and money. Obama’s actions today were more reassuring than last night’s unfocused speech. After two months of suffering, the American people deserved far more info, planning and reassurance than the president gave them last night.
Posted by: hopesprings52 | June 16, 2010, 4:25 pm 4:25 pm
$20 Bil .. going into the ‘small’ claims court..
Posted by: Dontget818 | June 16, 2010, 4:27 pm 4:27 pm
as for the BP Chairman calling us;the American people “small people”? SUCK IT!
—
Kinda similar to our Prez (accomplished author that he is) saying “the folks”, huh?
Posted by: smartlillena | June 16, 2010, 4:28 pm 4:28 pm
Posted by: wernervonphooey
—
You can damn sure have him, pal.
Posted by: smartlillena | June 16, 2010, 4:30 pm 4:30 pm
… I guess ‘unwashed masses’ would be an upgrade …
Posted by: Dontget818 | June 16, 2010, 4:32 pm 4:32 pm
I wonder how much of the 20 billion can be syphoned off to the unions?
Posted by: david | June 16, 2010, 4:35 pm 4:35 pm
Obviously this interview was before Svanberg, speaking for a company that has been assailed from everycorner for the past two months, said, “I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don’t care, but that is not the case in BP. We care about the small people.” He called us Americans small people!!!! I say pull the plug on B.P. in America. Changing a persons opinion of you is next to impossible. BP will never look at Americans as equals intellectually or culturally. If by SMALL he meant there poor, He should check his information about American’s cause right now almost all of us are poor. We may be poor but never call us SMALL. Our vote my not amount to much on election day and we may have lost control of our own government yet one simple truth remains; our greenbacks (dollars) help pay for their lavish lifestyle. Or should I say used to.
Posted by: Nashorama | June 16, 2010, 4:38 pm 4:38 pm
“Of course BP has contempt for average Americans, “the small people”, that’s why Obama must be our champion.”
LOL! Without oil companies, the average American would live like the Amish. Try living a modern existence without oil. BTW, the state and federal governments collect much more in gasoline taxes than the oil companies collect in profit. And these governments ADD NO VALUE in the oil exploration/drilling/refining process. The hard work is done by the oil companies.
Obama our champion? Obama has more contempt for Americans than any president in my lifetime, signing one bill after another that most Americans don’t want and enslaving current and future generations with debt that can’t possibly be paid off.
This $20 billion fund? If history is our guide, since one of Obama’s cronies is providing “oversight”, chances are good that a lot will be redirected to unions and Democratic Party cronies. Whatever isn’t will largely be wasted. Just watch.
Posted by: Mary | June 16, 2010, 4:40 pm 4:40 pm
What I’m not getting is Obama’s refusal to accept the Dutch offer.
Posted by: fedup_11
—
Coming from a country that is below sea level, you’d think they’d be worth listening to.
Then again, I’m not getting why ABC isn’t pressing to learn what they were offering..
Posted by: smartlillena | June 16, 2010, 4:42 pm 4:42 pm
Why isn’t the government employee’s union paying about 10 billion into this escrow account? The MMS employees who are paid by our tax dollars have been complicit in letting the oil companies operate without oversight. This is what you get with large government.. corruption and lack of accountability. The unions are also responsible for making sure their members and doing the job they are being paid for.
Posted by: Marvin | June 16, 2010, 4:42 pm 4:42 pm
Well, I guess we are the “small/little” people. After all, we are the ones who pay all the taxes.
Posted by: RJ | June 16, 2010, 4:47 pm 4:47 pm
At 60,000 bbls a day, how much of that oil is the Jones Act directly responsible for? One million bbls?
Posted by: smartlillena | June 16, 2010, 4:47 pm 4:47 pm
All this man was attempting to say is that BP cares about average American people who have suffered great loss because of the oil spill. Nothing more.
Posted by: Diane | June 16, 2010, 4:48 pm 4:48 pm
How sad some Americans are. There have already been thousands of claims by people who don’t even live near the Gulf, but have pleasure boats in the Gulf. They were claims for thousands of dollars of lost wages. Anyone found to have file a false claim needs to be jailed immediately.
Posted by: Chuck | June 16, 2010, 4:50 pm 4:50 pm
We know what he meant….NO offense taken from me…..anyone making under $1 million $’s a year, IS ‘small people’…..he meant he cares about the ‘little guy’……this is a tempest in a teapot! Be GLAD he isn’t announcing his company is declaring bankruptcy….!!! Be glad he isn’t fighting this in court for the next 20 years like EXXON did (the ole Made In America Oil Company!!!).
Posted by: Zellie | June 16, 2010, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm
It’s a language issue….pure and simple…..
Posted by: Zellie | June 16, 2010, 4:55 pm 4:55 pm
At 60,000 bbls a day, how much of that oil is the Jones Act directly responsible for?
smartlillena | Jun 16, 2010 4:47:53 PM
Makes you wonder why the Republicans never got rid of this nefarious Jones act (aka, section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920) when they were in complete control of the government, doesn’t it?
Posted by: jhw539 | June 16, 2010, 4:55 pm 4:55 pm
him stepping in a little more ‘doo doo’ to keep him humble, though, doesn’t hurt!
Posted by: Zellie | June 16, 2010, 4:57 pm 4:57 pm
“if they can pay the claims in a timely manor, it will be a HUGE win for the President. ”
I’m afraid that’s all he’s really worried about…his popularity and wanting to look good.
Posted by: JustMyOpinion | June 16, 2010, 4:57 pm 4:57 pm
So, where are all BP defenders now? Those who say BP-bashing is going to drive the company bankrupt? The fact of the matter is BP may say it is establishing the fund but I will bet you they will fight tooth and nail through the courts every claimant…
Posted by: indy_voter | June 16, 2010, 4:57 pm 4:57 pm
“words can be taken out of context so quickly………..Like when Tony wanted his life back……..IT’s NORMAL to have wanted his life back……Small people. We know what he means….No need to get all nasty…….No one is small and NO ONE CAN MAKE YOU FEEL INFERIOR WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT………ha
Posted by: dave | Jun 16, 2010 4:04:34 PM”
I have no time or patience for Obama or the company he keeps…but I will agree wwith this post. I do not think any offense was meant by “small people”…they meant “working class”, everybody knows it. Who cares what words they use…just fix the damn leak and clean up the coastal waters.
Posted by: JustMyOpinion | June 16, 2010, 5:01 pm 5:01 pm
What difference does the “small people” remark make. That fits right in, because the president and congress view us as subjects and their royalty.
Posted by: Andy | June 16, 2010, 5:02 pm 5:02 pm
Now you know why republicans need to be thrown out of office. I say nationalise the oil now. I’m tired of the global corporate island tax havens controlling our shores.
Posted by: rightbehind | June 16, 2010, 5:06 pm 5:06 pm
It is illuminating to see how BP sees the American public as “small” and how Mr. Obama can sell us out for dealing with these environmental terrorists, instead of seizing their assets outright.
Posted by: Steve | June 16, 2010, 5:09 pm 5:09 pm
“Small People”? Leave to the royalists to find a way to add insult to the biggest injury this country has ever received. Arrogant, english boob, go home.
Posted by: Kevin Thomas | June 16, 2010, 5:10 pm 5:10 pm
Makes you wonder why…
Posted by: jhw539
—-
No. How much oil has poured from that well while your Prez made plans? (that’s a legitimate question, jw)
Posted by: smartlillena | June 16, 2010, 5:13 pm 5:13 pm
They should and deserve the stick they are getting, but his wording of “small people” is strictly a case of him having another mother language and not living in the USA.
Hopefully the medias critique of todays events won’t come down to nasty attacks like this.
Posted by: martin olssoon | June 16, 2010, 5:13 pm 5:13 pm
Cats out of the bag! This is how they think about us. It’s “them” and “us”. We are the “us” group. They want us gone.
Posted by: Linda | June 16, 2010, 5:14 pm 5:14 pm
I HOPE THIS 20 BILLION DOLLARS WILL “PLUG THE HOLE” IN THE FACES OF THESE TOXIC REPUBLICANS WHO CAN’T DO A DARN THING BUT COMPLAIN…. ANYONE WHO SAY’S “”NO”" TO EVERYTHING IS EITHER A LIAR…OR JUST PLAIN STUPID…. I SAY BOTH!!!!
Posted by: LAUREN | June 16, 2010, 5:18 pm 5:18 pm
Reading the comments above.
To all of you making excuses as to what the term “Small People” means.
You apparently have never been out of your own backyard.
Swedes..NOR the British…ever refer to the working class people as SMALL PEOPLE. It has the same meaning everywhere!!!!
However…they do feel that the “small” ignorant people must be controlled as they can not run their own lives.
It was not just a misinterpretation of another language, as I was in Sweden for 2 weeks in March. They have an EXCELLENT command and understanding of the English language…better than some Americans!
Are you so far left that you do not understand how the elite (our now White
House administration) and a socialist country perceives an average American?
Travel a bit before such comments are made.
Better said…WELCOME TO SOCIALISM!!!!!
Get used to it!
Posted by: ColleenBen | June 16, 2010, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm
Time to prepare 3 envelopes.
Posted by: Truth | June 16, 2010, 5:25 pm 5:25 pm
“Posted by: smartlillena | Jun 16, 2010 5:13:11 PM”
Geee I thought private enterprise is always preferable to a government solution?
Watching right wingers tie themselves in knots to cover up their pimping of Big Oil would be alot funnier if we weren’t all now paying dearly for their idiocy.
Posted by: Ryan C | June 16, 2010, 5:28 pm 5:28 pm
“Posted by: smartlillena | Jun 16, 2010 5:13:11 PM”
Geee I thought private enterprise is always preferable to a government solution?
Watching right wingers tie themselves in knots to cover up their pimping of Big Oil would be alot funnier if we weren’t all now paying dearly for their idiocy.
Posted by: Ryan C | June 16, 2010, 5:28 pm 5:28 pm
I sincerely hope this 20 BILLION DOLLARS will “PLUG THE HOLE” in the faces of many toxic Republicans who can’t do anything but complain…. anyone who say’s “NO” to everything is either a Liar …or just plain Simple-minded!! I say BOTH!!!
Posted by: Andi | June 16, 2010, 5:29 pm 5:29 pm
I am a native speaking swede and in this context we would say “Den lilla människan”.
That translates directly into “small people”.
For us swedes, “den lilla människan” would refer to a person or group of people who are not in control of their own destiny and in need of help.
I understand that it has degrading meaning for Americans.
Posted by: martin olssoon | June 16, 2010, 5:41 pm 5:41 pm
All you royal apologists out there would do well to bite your regal lip (Diane/Zellie,etc..) OUR president cares about his fellow citizens, not his quaint subjects. This man has defined “un-American” quite well for all of us, and now needs to shut-up and sign the check.
Posted by: Kevin Thomas | June 16, 2010, 5:43 pm 5:43 pm
Mary | Jun 16, 2010 4:40:54 PM posted: “Since one of Obama’s cronies is providing “oversight”, chances are good that a lot will be redirected to unions and Democratic Party cronies. Whatever isn’t will largely be wasted. Just watch.”
Mary, what makes you think the Obama administration somehow has the ultimate corner on cronyism, waste, and debt?
Sure would have been nice to have the last decade of unpaid BILLIONS in royalties from your buddies in the oil industry. The GAO found that under the Bush Administration’s leadership in 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2008, that the Department of Interior’s MMS simply could not accurately account for its royalty program.
Just google the Project on Government Oversight’s “royalty in kind” reports. MMS was left saturated with mismanagement, corruption, and oil industry’s influence.
Btw, I live near Amish-style farms. Hard work, but basically a good life and none of them appear obese. Might not be such a bad option for us slackers; Peak Oil is on the horizon.
Posted by: green.goddess | June 16, 2010, 5:50 pm 5:50 pm
“It would be a real roflmao if your hero Barry wasn’t the pimp-in-chief.
Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn | Jun 16, 2010 5:42:33 PM”
Sometimes right wingers are baited into saying racist nonsense.
Sometimes they get there all on their own.
Posted by: Ryan C | June 16, 2010, 5:56 pm 5:56 pm
martin olssoon | Jun 16, 2010 5:41:57 PM posted “For us Swedes, ‘den lilla människan’ (small people) would refer to a person or group of people who are not in control of their own destiny and in need of help.”
Thanks for the clarification Martin. Do you think Mr. Svenberg realizes Americans don’t like the idea of a huge Oil Corporation being in control of our country’s destiny?
Posted by: green.goddess | June 16, 2010, 6:12 pm 6:12 pm
After two questions, the BP executives will ushered away from the White House press corps and they ignored questions being shouted towards them, such as “how’s that ‘relative trickle’ going,” a reference to BP chief operating officer Doug Suttles’ comments to the Associated Press last week that by yesterday the gushing in the well would be reduced to a relative trickle.
——-
Jake, you’re so subtle here. You didn’t mention you were the one who yelled that out. Nice.
Posted by: progressive mama | June 16, 2010, 6:35 pm 6:35 pm
Martin Olsson. What are you talking about? The Swedish phrase “den lilla människan” is just as demeaning in swedish as it is in english, “small people”. Stop representing us Swedes Martin! That is clearly a degrading comment in either language. Another matter of embarrasment for us Swedes is that a top swedish executive speaks this poor english. Probably worse english than 90% of the people living in Sweden with english as their second language….
Posted by: Fredrik Andersson | June 16, 2010, 7:08 pm 7:08 pm
we are the small people..remember? “Clinging to our religion and guns?”..or in this case fishin’ poles?
Posted by: cindy | June 16, 2010, 8:17 pm 8:17 pm
Has anyone ever seen this Ken Feinberg in an interview?? Good heavens above, do yourself a favor and find one on “you tube”..it’ll make your jaw drop.
Posted by: cindy | June 16, 2010, 8:23 pm 8:23 pm
I guess this means that the Roloffs are going to the White House.I like them ,too.
Posted by: Nephron | June 16, 2010, 9:41 pm 9:41 pm
Lame attacks on the GOP and “small government” advocates reveal only the absence of any ability to think clearly about the true responsibility of government.
Yeah, get government out of running my life, but you better believe government is responsible for the physical integrity of the very land we live in. Keeping us safe is the government’s PRIMARY responsibility.
Obama’s such a bungler that he was dragged kicking and screaming into meeting with Hayward today when he should have done it months earlier.
Steven Pearlstein had a great piece today — he’s nailed it. Obama is a loser.
Posted by: tanarg | June 16, 2010, 10:05 pm 10:05 pm
Posted by: tanarg | Jun 16, 2010 10:05:41 PM
Steve Pearlstein did have a good piece in WaPo today, which didn’t say Obama was a loser or that he was dragged kicking and screaming to a meeting with BP. I suggest people read it themselves. In addition to a point made about the meeting today, Pearlsteing points out, “In recent days, for example, the oil industry, eager to take advantage of the public anger at BP, has tried to divert attention from its own culpability. At a House hearing Tuesday, top executives of Exxon Mobil, Shell and Chevron came together to suggest that BP was the bad apple in the barrel, so to speak, and that what happened to BP’s well could never, ever — not in a million years — happen to one of theirs.
Unfortunately for them, however, committee staff had dug up the contingency plans these same companies had filed with the Interior Department outlining how they would handle a spill of similar magnitude. The plans turn out to have been prepared by the same outside consultant and used much of the same meaningless boilerplate as the now-discredited BP plan, including the same references to deceased experts and marine life not found in the region.”
Anyway, read it…
Now, tanarg, tell me why do I think the only reason you read it at all is because far right wing noisemaker Laura Ingraham touted it? Lol. its like when you can tell there was a drudge link to this blog…. lol.
Posted by: progressive mama | June 16, 2010, 10:14 pm 10:14 pm
Jolie..have you heard Ken Feinberg, the guy who will control the 20 BILLION escrow fund speak? (you MUST google or you-tube him.)
Posted by: cindy | June 16, 2010, 10:28 pm 10:28 pm
One thing’s for sure here.
BP needs a new PR department.
Posted by: Mike | June 16, 2010, 10:31 pm 10:31 pm
One thing’s for sure here.
BP needs a new PR department.
Posted by: Mike | Jun 16, 2010 10:31:35 PM
Word.
Posted by: There is no Planet B | June 16, 2010, 10:50 pm 10:50 pm
To Martin Olsson “din lilla människa” if you cant understand that that is degrading in ANY language you need to refresh your swedish skills!. Point beeing that he sucks at english as much as he sucks at dealing with this crisis. I think he should get off his high horse and clean upp this mess or mankind should demand his head for messing up nature and americas coast!
/a Swedish Average Joe
Posted by: Magnus | June 17, 2010, 3:55 am 3:55 am
Swedish/English dictionary:
lilla or liten = little
små = small
“Den lilla människan” should more logically be translated into “the little people”, not “the small people”. I don’t understand how he got it wrong.
Posted by: Lars Forsberg | June 17, 2010, 5:46 am 5:46 am
Another native Swede here. I would not say that “den lilla människan” is a derogatory expression in Swedish. It could be translated as something like “the ordinary man”, “the man on the street”.
Posted by: Jens | June 17, 2010, 6:20 am 6:20 am
Perhaps Mr. Svanberg was referring to the “working class”, a term frequently used by the elites on the left, including the Obamas, to describe average Americans.
Posted by: Sigmonde | June 17, 2010, 7:01 am 7:01 am
“Swedish/English dictionary:”
How does “bitter working class” translate in Swedish?
Posted by: Sigmonde | June 17, 2010, 7:11 am 7:11 am
This comment is just the way the “big people” view and consider the rest of us; the “little people.” It was a sickening comment, but it is how they view the world. They sit on their little thrones and move the common citizen around like pawn pieces in a game of chess. This is what our country has come to….it is us and them. There is no EQUAL in their minds. This is the reason the problem has gone on as long as it has and I would venture to say it will continue. I feel for the people who are trying to settle claims against BP because they will only pay enough to throw some “crumbs to the dogs.” I can just hear them talking during their golf games where they dress up in their little cute outfits and hit a little white ball while laughing at the citizens who are suffering. SHAME ON YOU Carl-Henric Svanberg…no apology will suffice at this point!!!!!!
Posted by: Snow | June 17, 2010, 7:32 am 7:32 am
How does “bitter working class” translate in Swedish?
Posted by: Sigmonde | Jun 17, 2010 7:11:20 AM
=======
Swedish: small people.
Chicago Politician: God and Gun clinging less educated people (than Harvard law)
Posted by: fat cat | June 17, 2010, 8:28 am 8:28 am
like when you can tell there was a drudge link to this blog
—
Like a very interesting story I read this morning on Drudge. Instead of some biased commentary it was an actual newspiece on the increasing number of banks unable to make their TARP payments. In the midst of this “recovery”…
It’s a shame Mr Tapper/ABC couldn’t make mention of it and just maybe force some attention from your Prez.
Posted by: smartlillena | June 17, 2010, 8:35 am 8:35 am
How many small bussnesses call themselves “the little guy”? give me a break, He miss stated himself, get over it, unless you are perfect, i’m sure you have misstated yourself too
Posted by: ROBERT | June 17, 2010, 8:50 am 8:50 am
I need a job BP. Let me know if you care.
Posted by: Roland | June 17, 2010, 8:54 am 8:54 am
My bs alarm is screaming.
Posted by: Disapointment | June 17, 2010, 9:20 am 9:20 am
Why aren’t BP big people arrested for negligent homicide?
Posted by: Thingumbob | June 17, 2010, 9:20 am 9:20 am
This is culturally how Europeans speak. And most of the people affected ARE the lower classes. Why are not the American contributors to this fiasco involved? Just so there’s no misunderstanding. I am both European and (now) “working class”
Posted by: Mental Midget | June 17, 2010, 9:37 am 9:37 am
People are just looking for something to pick at with the “little people” comment. It was obvious what he meant to say and English isn’t his first language. I have heard a lot worse from others who have tried to say something when they didn’t speak English well.
Posted by: Mary Brandenberger | June 17, 2010, 11:18 am 11:18 am
Get over yourselves, it was just a bad word by word translation from Swedish. The term “den lilla människan” could translate to the small people. It is something that Swedish politicians use frequently to describe the “ordinary guy”, in the context of a person trying to do well by his/her family, making a life for themselves. Not at all to do with class. Perhaps he should have someone read through his statement but he obviously did not mean it in a derogatary way. Listening to his speach you will notice straight away that he is not that comfortable speaking English. Getting the meaning of an expression wrong is an easy mistake to make when you translate from one language to another.
Posted by: Christian | June 17, 2010, 1:31 pm 1:31 pm
Even though I am disgusted with the oil company…I don’t think he meant it as a slur. He was just trying to relate…and he was sorry. Some people are overly sensitive and I understand with what is going on down in the gulf but let’s give this guy that he mis-spoke. We have all been there at one time or another.
Posted by: talmag | June 17, 2010, 2:31 pm 2:31 pm
“Like a very interesting story I read this morning on Drudge. Instead of some biased commentary it was an actual newspiece on the increasing number of banks unable to make their TARP payments”
Psssst Drudge only posts headlines.
Posted by: Ryan C | June 17, 2010, 5:40 pm 5:40 pm