Amidst allegations that he has been less than forceful in several areas, President Obama’s decision to put pressure on BP and demand the creation of a $20 billion fund has shown real strength in light of the BP oil disaster. Money from the fund will be used to pay victims of the massive Gulf oil spill that has caused billions in damage, and jeopardized the ecosystem of communities along the Gulf Coast, putting the lives of residents in danger. With this move, the President has proven he can indeed play hardball and that, despite critic’s claims to the contrary, he is focused on managing this disaster and minimizing its impact.
It wasn’t too long after the spill that critics began to proclaim that Obama was falling short when it came to handling this disaster. He was criticizing for being too cool, for not being forceful enough and for not showing emotion. This reaction was expected from Republicans. After all, they look for any opportunity to portray the President in a negative light and, hopefully, gain momentum for their party. But Democrats joined in as well. Everyone was faulting the President for being the exact person the public elected: calm, thoughtful and intellectual in approach. Indeed, Obama is a passionate person – that comes across in his speeches. But, he thinks before he acts, he discusses the issue at hand, with everyone involved, so that he can make the best possible decision. These are the traits, among others, that got him elected.
So, it was surprising that so many jumped on the bandwagon and criticized him for being himself in the weeks immediately following the oil spill. Though he has remained true to his character, the President’s call for the fund put everyone on notice: he does hold BP accountable for the spill and expects the company to put their money where their mouths are. The move is both tough and calculated; there is no doubt that the idea for the fund was created after some thought and several conversations. It is a perfect combination of the cool intellectual we voted into office and the hardball President so many desire to see.
The Gulf Coast is suffering and we still don’t know what the long term effects of the spill will be; the public still can’t get an accurate measure of how much oil has actually been spilled. Now that the President has shown he can be the tough guy everyone wants him to be, it’s time we all put our energy into the important things: fully stopping the leak, protecting wildlife and the land areas near the spill and cleaning up the damage.
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