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The Spectacle Blog
The death toll in the West Virginia mining accident has now reached 25, with the recovery efforts suspended for now because the area is not safe for rescue workers. At this time, our hearts all go out to the families of the workers who perished in this horrible tragedy.
Reading news accounts of the event, it strikes me that during the Bush administration, disasters like this were immediately seized upon to score political points. Specifically, when the Sago mine disaster happened in 2006, it was used as yet another example of Bush rewarding oversight positions to corporate allies who would allow lax standards to prevail.
For instance, in the wake of the Sago tragedy, Scott Lilly of the Center for American Progress wrote a column entitled, “How Many Brownies are there in this Administration?” He wrote that, “The terrible story from West Virginia that blanketed the nation’s television screens this week should be a further reminder of the cost of corrupt and incompetent government.” Noting that the Sago mine had a horrible safety record, Llly asked rhetorically why nothing was done. “The answer to that is directly attributable to the individuals in whose hands the safety of miners and other workers has been placed by this administration and the prevailing mind set within the administration on any issue in which business interests differs from those of workers,” he wrote.
The New York Times editorialized that, “As inspectors delve into the deadly mine disaster in Sago, W.Va., their starting premise must be that the explosion that choked off 12 workers’ lives would never have happened if all the safety rules now on the books had been properly enforced.” The editorial recommended that, “in accounting for the deaths, inspectors should look as well into the budget cutbacks and staff attrition that have marked the Bush administration’s management of its own ranks in the Mine Safety and Health Administration.” And went on to blast “government laxity” and to argue that “the Bush administration’s main attention to the coal industry has been to appoint a raft of political appointees directly from energy corporations to critical regulatory posts.”
If, like me, you went to a lot of liberal events during the Bush years, there was a drumbeat of criticism about how Bush’s Department of Labor (which oversees the Mine Safety and Health Administration) consistently put business interests ahead of worker safety. President Obama was supposed to put an end to all of that by appointing more “pro labor” officials. Yet this week’s mine tragedy — sadly, even worse than Sago — also occured at a mine that had racked up a litinany of safety citations and fines leading up to the disaster.
Now, to be clear, I don’t want to follow the liberal playbook and immediately seize on a tragedy to attack the president, and I’m not trying to pin the blame on Obama for this event when a lot still remains unknown and rescue operations have not ended. But I do think it’s worth remembering how the blame game worked when Bush was president.
View all comments (46) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Philip Klein
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/04/06/will-obama-get-blamed-for-mini
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Hesiod| 4.6.10 @ 1:36PM
There was a legitimate factual basis for blaming the Bush admin for lax mine safety. They appointed -- ironically -- the very same mining industry officials responsible for the mine that just killed 29 people to head the mine safety organization.
And, moreover, the Obama admin was actively fining this particular mine for not ventilating properly -- the very reason this mine killed 29 people.
Not to mention they appointed a recognized mine saety expert to head the relevant agency (and he was only confirmed last October).
Blaming Obama for this disaster would be dishonest. Blaming Bush was legitimate.
Interested Conservative| 4.6.10 @ 2:33PM
Nice Try. Play again soon!
sandy howard| 4.6.10 @ 7:53PM
who cares if obama gets the blame, who cares if bush got the blame? you should be focusing on the miners, and their families, not being able to make a news story about the pres. being blamed.
Kevin| 4.7.10 @ 11:39AM
Nice try, Hesiod, but you will have try harder to make your point. You point out that Obama was actively fining this mine for not ventilating properly. That is true. But it is also true that the Sago mine was actively being fined:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.....on_history
If "actively fining" a mine mitigates Obama's responsibility, then why wouldn't it mitigate Bush's? Also, you point out that head of the MSA was appointed in October. That is five months prior to the accident. Obviously he was aware of the mine's problems (his office was fining them), so the he-is-new-to-the-ob defense isn't plausible.
I think it is foolish to blame any president for any particular mine disaster. It is just funny to watch liberals twist their logic to alleviate their cognitive dissonance.
Hesiod| 4.7.10 @ 1:47PM
Sorry, Kevin.
But, the Sago mine disaster was precipiated by an explosion. The major safety violations the mine was cited for were for thing like the risk for cave-ins.
"17 [MSHA] standards to improve safety and health for miners [were] withdrawn since President Bush took office, including air quality, chemical substances and respiratory standards.”
http://webcache.googleusercont.....&gl=us
The Bush administration weakened health and safety regualations. That is a fact.
ZerObama| 4.7.10 @ 1:58PM
Obama's had 15 months to strengthen health and safety regulations--why hasn't he done so?
25 miners died because of Obama's lies.
Henry| 4.12.10 @ 5:28AM
Obama lied minors died
Kevin| 4.7.10 @ 5:36PM
Cave-ins can cause explosions, as a spark from a cave-in can ignite methane. The two are not mutually exclusive as you imply. Besides, the general trend over the last 100 hundred years is that mining has become safer. This has been consistent regardless of who the president is. If safety regulations were weakened, then there should have been a statistically significant increase in the amount of miner deaths and injuries between 2001 and 2009. There weren't, and this is can be easily verified on the MSHA website. Safety is a function of technology, not presidential party affiliation. I fully expect this safety trend to continue with Obama as president.
john gantz| 4.7.10 @ 12:26PM
what are you trying to say does not make sence
LMAO| 5.1.10 @ 11:14PM
^ The irony here is staggering!
Katherine L.| 4.6.10 @ 1:41PM
With all due respect, are you talking about a deck chair named Tiger on the Titanic. What does it really matter if that spoilt child wins anything anymore? He is an insult to humanity, manhood and family.
You know I say this many, many times - The Greatest Generation who died on Normandy Beach gave birth to the Spoilt Generation of
Baby Boomer Men who have alot of toys and waste alot of attention yelling and screaming over Superbowls and Golf Tournaments while the country their grandfathers built and their father's defended burns down around their ears. If the men of the country had descended onto Capital Hill with the Tea Partiers then maybe their 401Ks and House values would stand a rat's a** of a chance. So Quinn get your fiddle out and play a nice song while Rome burns. I wish we were all Spartacus as Michelle Malkin hopes for but this generation of men well .... We're All Nero.
Missy| 4.6.10 @ 2:18PM
Katherine, DB's got a point: Look in the mirror before you start blaming everything on men.
We women own this mess, too.
DB| 4.6.10 @ 2:03PM
Katherine L., maybe this generation of women ain't the greatest in history either, hmmm?
Twenty-seven or more poor souls go off to work in the morning and won't ever come home again and all Philip Klein really has to say is, "Yeah, well I hope we can blame Obama". Jerk.
Henry| 4.12.10 @ 5:29AM
Obama lied minors died
Smitty| 4.6.10 @ 2:14PM
Of course the deaths of these men are Obama's fault--the disaster happened on his watch.
Everything that goes wrong is Obama's fault.
Tish | 4.6.10 @ 2:22PM
No, Bush will be blamed again, since it's entirely his fault that we still have mining at all. No mention will be made of the fact that Obama's EPA is outlawing "mountaintop mining" which is very much safer for the miners than traditional underground mining.
Julie| 4.6.10 @ 3:11PM
Sorry, Tish--Obama should have kept his campaign promise and stopped mining altogether! He's had 15 months to do so and hasn't followed through--Obama's EPA has failed the American people.
These 25 men died because Obama lied.
DAC| 4.6.10 @ 3:45PM
Dear Manicured, Drooling Leftists:
Coal combustion (that's "burning") accounts for over 50% of electricity generation in this country. So, if you'd like to ban mining, which half of every 24 hour day would you like to go without power? Go ahead, you choose. But choose for yourself and not the rest of us, who appreciate that in the real world, extracting resources that power the modern world takes time, money, hard work, and unfortunately, sometimes blood as well. The most intrusive regulatory agencies in the world could not stop every industrial accident--note the sterling health, safety and environmental records of totalitarian countries (which Dear Leader Maobama would love to emulate). We are fortunate that there are still people willing to do the hard, dirty work necessary so that the rest of us can turn our lights on, power our refrigerators and (for you leftists) organic gardens, Priuses and iPods. It isn't free or easy to generate energy but someone has to do it, or we go back to pre-Industrial Revolution standards of living. Which, by the way, all of you are free to do on your own. But most Americans will revolt violently if you seek to impose your Luddite dictatorship on us. Pray for the loss of the miners and miners' families. It's a tragedy, an accident, and that's it. For those who want to blame Dear Leader for something, there are many, many other things more obvious, critical and destructive that he can, should, and is being blamed for.
Hesiod| 4.7.10 @ 1:33PM
No one is suggesting we ban mining outright. Only that, because it is an inherently unsafe professiona, that the decades old safety statutes and regulations should be updated and beefed up.
If you want to go to the mat defending the corrupt piece of crap who owne this mine -- good luck with that. It will only prove that conservatives are braindead idiots who care more about money than people.
ZerObama| 4.7.10 @ 1:56PM
You go to the mat defending the corrupt piece of crap who is Obama, so what are you bleating about, moron?
Obama lied and miners died.
Ellis Wyatt| 4.6.10 @ 4:20PM
Of course Obama will not get blamed, remember he inherited this coal mine from Bush.
Hesiod| 4.7.10 @ 1:35PM
Obama won't get blamed, because most people with functionaing brains will understand that he did not even get his head of mining safety confirmed until late October of 2009 -- and was just starting to ramp up enforcement of new safety regulations. The mine in question was cited for -- among other things -- poor ventilation 57 times just in the past month. So, the Obama administration was doing its job.
Unfortunately, the dirtbag Republican who owned the mine wasn't.
ZerObama| 4.7.10 @ 1:55PM
Of course Obama will get the blame! These miners died on his watch, so it's Obama's fault.
Siegfried X| 4.6.10 @ 5:04PM
That mine disaster site had 57 safety violations in the last month alone!
Doug| 4.6.10 @ 7:00PM
Which is about half that of Congress's!
Beth| 4.6.10 @ 5:24PM
Shame on Obama!
Irene| 4.6.10 @ 5:32PM
Let us not blame anyone. These men went to work to support their families and not they are gone. Let's just pray for their souls and for the families. Obama or Bush it does not matter . What matters is the safety of the men who risk their lives to make an honest living. God bless West Virginia and the families involved
Phoenix| 4.6.10 @ 6:31PM
Let us also pray for our country because Obama will surely destroy it.
God bless America.
Hesiod| 4.7.10 @ 1:39PM
Hey, Phone Chuck...
If you think its so important, why not quite your cushy job and go work in a coal mine? Its God's Work, after all.
And, its nice to see that you have the typical conservative mentality that people dying on the job is just another cost of doing business, and not a terrble tragedy that should be avoided if at all reasonably possible.
Here's the thing, dirtbag. If teh cost of keepiong miners safe and healthy increases the narginal value of coal production to the point where it is less cost effective than enegry produced through less deadly means -- than we should switch our energy production capabilities accordingly. The cost of coal, sadly, is subsidized by the health and lives of coal miners who are treated like cheap garbage by mine owners. If the true cost of mining was factored in -- Coal would not be so cheap.
ZerObama| 4.7.10 @ 1:48PM
Obama lied and miners died.
Obviously, you liberals don't give a damn about miners' lives; so STFU, Hesiod. Hypocrite.
ZerObama| 4.7.10 @ 2:03PM
Hesiod, you drooling idiot, you answered spam. Fool.
elixelx| 4.7.10 @ 6:59AM
Barry not to blame! Mine opened before Barry born!
Shaft dug before Barry circumcised at age 10! Gas build up before Barry become Barack! Miners died before Barry become POTUS! Barry's hot air and global warming not responsible!
LibsAreCommies| 4.7.10 @ 1:09PM
The Lying Liberal Media is thoroughly corrupt.
Hesiod| 4.7.10 @ 1:30PM
OK. Here's my proof.
Look who is currently on Massey's Board of Directors: Stanley C. Suboleski, former commissioner, Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (under George W. Bush).
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/ph.....;ID=178598
Before that: "From December 2001 through May 2003, Mr. Suboleski came out of retirement to serve as Executive Vice President and Interim Chief Operating Officer of Massey."
IOW, The Budh administration hired an Executive VP of one of the most cited mining operations in the United States to head up its mine safety agency.
Then, after he spent time serving as the mine "safety" head under Bush -- he became a member of Massey's board of directors.
ZerObama| 4.7.10 @ 1:52PM
25 miners died on Obama's watch; the heartless bast@rd doesn't give a r@t's @ss about the people.
Obama's had 15 months to change Massey's board of directors. Stop blaming Obama's screw-ups on Bush, liberal puke.
Hesiod| 4.7.10 @ 1:51PM
More evidence from the "reality-based" community.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories.....9889.shtml
ZerObama| 4.7.10 @ 1:53PM
It's Obama's watch now, moron. Own it!
LaplacesDemon| 4.7.10 @ 11:30PM
I guess its too much to expect conservatives to understand that if Bush cuts safety standards and Obama increases safety standards then Bush is more responsible than Obama if an accident happens.
You do realize that by this stage of the Bush admin we'd already been hit with 9/11. Of course the right wing extremists blamed that on Clinton despite more than 50 warnings to the Bush admin. And how did Bush respond to those warnings? He took the month of September off to go pull brush for photo ops at Crawford. But they want to hold Obama responsible because he hasn't fixed 35 years of conservative ignorance in the first 15 months of his administration.
LIBS R LOSERS| 4.8.10 @ 3:05AM
Will you ball-less liberals EVER take responsibility for your screw-ups? You Beta Male weenies make me sick.
Stupid fool, you conveniently omitted EIGHT YEARS (9/11 was the horn-dog's fault, too!) of Clinton in your '35' years. You dumbass pukes make me sick.
Crawl back under the slimy rock you call home.
Pingback| 4.8.10 @ 12:13AM
"The West Virginia mining disaster: What happened?" - Politics and Other Controversie links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 4.8.10 @ 2:00AM
"The West Virginia mining disaster: What happened?" - Politics and Other Controversie links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 4.8.10 @ 4:26PM
Progresive liberals reach a new low! They play politics with West Virginia Mine Trag links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Maynar39| 4.15.10 @ 10:19AM
Take the time to review the blatant conflict of interest here in Bush's appointments:
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/.....0601080033
http://sundaygazettemail.com/N.....0601290011
Safety was NOT his concern at all. So yes, he was blamed and rightly so.