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5/20/2010
Kagen, forever the fawning opportunist
Is the polite description “playing to the crowd?” Populist? Opportunism? Sycophancy or toadyism?
Toadyism – sycophancy, the practice or quality of a toady, i.e., fawning, obsequious, extremely deferential (and essentially self-serving) behavior toward another. (Wiktionary)
You’ll see below that Rep. Kagen certainly isn’t fawning to his direct audience (BP and Transocean execs). But in scathing attacks on BP, could it be said that Kagen is fawning for the audience, fawning for the unions, fawning for those valued voters back home?
Yesterday’s Kagen press release:
WASHINGTON, DC- Congressman Steve Kagen, M.D. made the following statement at the conclusion of today’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on Deepwater Horizon involving Lamar McKay, President of BP and Steven Newman, President and CEO of Transocean.
“Big Oil, in the name of corporate profits, has moved our ship building, steel manufacturing and welding jobs overseas. In return, they have neglected to prevent the pollution of our waterways, destroyed our natural habitats, and damaged our tourism and fishing industries perhaps for an entire generation.”
“We need jobs in Wisconsin - not in Korea where BP's contractor built the ship responsible for the ongoing catastrophic oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Let’s clean up the mess; catch and punish all the crooks responsible; and rewrite our federal laws and regulations to prevent this from ever happening again.”
Dr. Kagen serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and is a member of the Water Resources and Environment; Highways and Transit; and Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittees.
Yeah. Punish all the crooks. You go, Dr. Kagen! So now the massive oil spill is all because the welders in Kagen’s district lost jobs to Korea. Yeah, right.
It couldn’t have anything to do with U.S. policies that have pushed drilling vessels (the rigs Kagen refers to as "the ship") so far out as to require mile-deep wells. It couldn’t have anything to do with lax oversight over at the Department of Interior. Or shoddy practices at BP. I surely don’t know the causes – researchers and investigators will be sorting that out for years. But I do know Kagen’s diatribe is a complete non sequitur and blatant politicking – and I can’t stand it.
Jo Egelhoff, FoxPolitics.net
COMMENTS
Jo,
What ever happened to "drill baby drill"? So Kagen has a "diatribe" because he's angry? But the "drill baby drill" people can mouth off all they want about the glorious benefits of drilling everywhere and anytime? BTW deepwater rigs are "ships" and called so within the industry . The Deepwater Horizon was registered under a flag of convenience in the Marshall Islands. They're out there because that's where the oil is not because of regulation affecting on-shore production. Our addiction to low oil prices will destroy our economy and environment. Unfortunately it takes disasters like this to cause recent generations of Americans to realize the risks that oil production bring.
dave allen (Thu May 20 07:03:20 2010)
Yes, Kagen has a diatribe because he's angry. And because he uses the opportunity unproductively, unconstructively and opportunistically. Use the oil spill to score points at home about the global economy? Fawning, opportunistic diatribe.
Jo (Thu May 20 07:07:07 2010)
Since when is one side only allowed the opportunity to get angry? It seems like when big problems need to be solved (and we have had lots of big problem recently) the problem solvers have to be cool, rational, patient, willing to endure constant lies from their political opponents(death panels and such). But the second there is anything with a bit of emotion (not lies mind you, emotion) They're being called opportunistic? You have a standard of perfection required from Kagen that you never apply to anyone else. You rejected his bill for pricing clarity in health care because it did not force health insurers to publicly disclose the discounts they get from hospitals for each separate (private) contract yet heath care clarity is something you (and I ) care very much about. In short there isn't anything Kagen has done or could possibly do that you will approve. Because he's a Democrat.
dave allen (Thu May 20 08:17:51 2010)
Deep breath, everyone.
Kagen will be gone in November anyway...
Tom Sladek (Thu May 20 10:46:14 2010)
Don't bet on it.
dave allen (Thu May 20 11:22:16 2010)
Dave, Once again you're full of crappy, crap,crap!
guido (Thu May 20 17:30:14 2010)
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