No, I’m not embellishing, he actually said that.
Yes, but what does Obama himself believe? “I think oil companies are amoral. They want to make as much money as they can for their shareholders, which is what corporations do,” he says. “The difference is the nature of the kind of outsized profits they make that may have no relationship to their investments or their production. The fact, for example, [that] the shortage of refinery capacity could actually increase their profits so the less they invest the more they make indicates that you are not dealing with someone making widgets out there.”
Obama circled back to our conversation when a questioner at yesterday’s town hall meeting asked why he singled out oil companies. This time his answer ventured beyond refinery capacity and widgets.
“So the question is, does it make more sense for the oil companies to pay for it or does it make more sense for the struggling waitress who is barely getting by to pay for it?” he said. “And the answer is, I’m going to fight for the waitress, not because I hate the oil companies but because I think it’s more fair.”
I can’t wait to hear the Team Obama spin on this one. Aside from the idiotic statement that oil companies haven’t built more refineries because they’re evil people (red tape and environmentalist, anyone?), that’s some awfully harsh language. It’s nice to see him return to the typical oil-bashing free market-hating populist that won him the nomination though. DKos will be pleased.
