Bachmann Calls Oil Spill Victim Escrow Account
‘a redistribution-of-wealth fund’

MnIndy file photo

By Patrick Caldwell
The Minnesota Independent
June 16, 2010

Excerpts

Hours before President Obama’s Oval Office address regarding the BP oil spill, Rep. Michele Bachmann had some choice words for the escrow account in the works — designed to aid spill victims — during a luncheon Tuesday held at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC. She called it a “redistribution-of-wealth fund.”

In her address to the group, Bachmann attacked the White House proposal for BP to arrange a $20 billion escrow account to pay for damages from the oil spill:

The president just called for creating a fund that would be administered by outsiders, which would be more of a redistribution-of-wealth fund. And now it appears like we’ll be looking at one more gateway for more government control, more money to government. If there is a disaster, why is it that government is the one who always seems to benefit after a disaster, and that’s of course what cap-and-trade would be.

Full details of how the escrow account would be operated are pending, but early reports describe the account as one run by an independent panel, and it is intended to hold BP liable for all damages accrued due to the oil spill. The account’s funds will go toward paying for both cleanup efforts and damages for individuals such as Gulf Coast fishermen whose livelihoods have been damaged by the sudden toxicity in the ocean and beaches. …

Bachmann had some words of advice for Obama, as well: Don’t demonize BP. …

They shouldn’t have to be fleeced and make chumps to have to pay for perpetual unemployment and all the rest — they’ve got to be legitimate claims.

The other thing we have to remember is that Obama loves to make evil whatever company it is that he wants to get more power from. He makes them evil, and what we’ve got to ask ourselves is: Do we really want to be paying $9 for a gallon of gas? Because that could be the final result of this.

———

Related reports

Bachmann backs off BP defense, as GOPers distance from Barton (Andy Birkey, Minnesota Independent, June 17, 2010) — Rep. Michele Bachmann on Wednesday appeared to back off her criticisms of the Obama administration’s plans to have BP pay for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, as other Republicans weighed in [on] the plan: Rep. Joe Barton apologized to BP for the escrow fund, while Republican Rep. Jeff Miller called for Barton to step down from his leadership post on the House energy committee. … Full story

Bachmann mentioned in new DNC video about Barton apology (Paul Schmelzer, Minnesota Independent, June 17, 2010) — Rep. Michele Bachmann gets a mention by a CNN figure who describes the Sixth District Republican as being among “tea party spokespeople” who oppose the fund. … Full story

National Dems highlight Bachmann race in Minnesota (The Examiner, June 14, 2010) – National Democrats are adding Republican Michele Bachmann’s Minnesota district to an expanded list of GOP seats Democrats are targeting in this year’s election. A spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said state Sen. Tarryl Clark has been added to its “Red to Blue” program. That’s a sign that the party may spend money on the race in Minnesota’s 6th District, the most conservative in the state. … Full story

———

 WCCO video

Pat Kessler reporting on WCCO

Michele Bachmann on BP, Obama (WCCO, June 16, 2010) – Pat Kessler interviews Rep. Michele Bachmann (13:20)

Michele Bachmann to BP: Don’t be a chump (WCCO, June 16, 2010) — Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann warned BP chairman not to be a chump. Political reporter Pat Kessler reports (03:38)

MSNBC video

———

6/21/10 Update

Bill O’Reilly Chastises Michele Bachmann over Obama Extortion Comments

FOX News commentator Bill O’Reilly takes Rep. Michele Bachmann to task over her comments accusing the Obama administration of extorting funds from BP. (Corey Anderson MinnPost, June 21, 2010)

———

6/22/10 Update

Clark Raises $30,000 to Air BP Commercial

By Paul Demko
Politics in Minnesota
June 21, 2010

Excerpts

Tarryl Clark raised $30,000 over the weekend from 800 donors in order to air a commercial attacking incumbent U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann over her comments about BP and the Gulf Coast oil spill, according to the Democratic challenger’s campaign.

Clark’s campaign released the spot on Friday, and also sent out a fundraising appeal to help pay for getting the ad up on the airwaves. …

Bachmann went on John King’s CNN program to discuss the BP fund. She warned that the oil company shouldn’t become a “piggy bank” or a “permanent ATM card” for the federal government.

That same day, in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio, the two-term incumbent also criticized the Obama administration’s dealings with BP. “It sounds like the federal government essentially wants to nationalize BP, and this could be pushing this company into bankruptcy,” Bachmann said. …

———

6/23/10 Update

Video of Michele Bachmann flying around the Gulf of Mexico out of New Orleans during her 2008 reelection campaign on a platform of “Drill, Baby, Drill!” — touring deep sea oil rigs and promoting a lift of the ban on deepwater oil exploration.

Photo collage posted by Avidor on the Dump Bachmann blog, June 23, 2010. The image of Michele Bachmann is from a junket to Alaska during her 2008 reelection campaign to promote oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR).

———

Related reports on this site

Bachmann Proposes Socialist Solution to Oil Spill (June 4, 2010)

Gulf Coast Oil Disaster (June 3, 2010)

Gulf Coast Oil Spill is ‘The Big One’ (April 30, 2010)

———

FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — June 18, 2009

Al-Qaida’s reach For nearly two decades, al-Qaida and groups it’s inspired have tried to attack U.S. and other Western targets across the world, with mixed results.

Terrorists Recruit for Cyberwar

One year ago today, I reported that intelligence reports indicated that terrorist groups that have long used the Internet to spread propaganda were increasingly tapping the Web to teach Islamic extremists how to be hackers, recruiting techies capable of breaching government or other sensitive network systems for cyberwarfare, and raising money through online fraud.