Republicans hate Robin Hood

President Obama's insistence that BP pay for all damages has resulted in the high positive step of BP to set up an escrow account of $20 billion. Do Republicans see it that way too?

Representative Michele Bachmann on the idea of an escrow just before the deal:

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.

But if I was the head of BP, I would let the signal get out there -- 'We're not going to be chumps, and we're not going to be fleeced.' And they shouldn't be. 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.

Governor Haley Barbour, Mississippi on Fox thinks making BP pay makes them unable to pay:

I do worry that this idea of making them make a huge escrow fund is going to make it less likely that they'll pay for everything. They need their capital to drill wells. They need their capital to produce income so that they can pay that income to our citizens in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana, and to pay for all the damages done. BP needs to pay, is supposed to pay, must pay every penny. But this escrow bothers me that it's going to make them less able to pay us what they owe us.

Representative Tom Price of the Republican Study Committee apparently sees the escrow as stealing from BP:

BP’s reported willingness to go along with the White House’s new fund suggests that the Obama Administration is hard at work exerting its brand of Chicago-style shakedown politics.

And Rep. Joe Barton R-TX even apologizes to BP!

Puerto Rico, Texas, Apples and Grapes

We're just learned that Puerto Rico, which had been going to caucus on June 7, will now hold a primary instead, moved up to June 1. I guess they took a hint from Texas' caucus woes.

And what about Texas? Media reported a Clinton win, based on the primary, which went for her by a close margin, but the cold molasses that passes for an information stream this week projects Obama as a big winner in the caucues, which are the second part of the Texas two-step. According to NPR, he is likely to net three delegates from Texas when all is said and done.

Here's my only other insight today, and for this, put on your mathematical thinking cap. We saw a figure showing the "popular vote" between the two having only a three thousand vote difference in the race taken as a whole, thus far. If that number was a combination of caucus and primary results, it's an apples/grapes problem.
Obama does better in caucus states, Clinton does better in primary states.
Good so far? Think of an apple as a caucus vote. It's bigger, and while being only one piece of food, is MORE food. Think of a grape as a primary vote. While being one piece of food, it is LESS food than an apple.
Still good? If Obama has ten apples and five grapes on his table, and Clinton has has twelve grapes and four apples on her table, she has more pieces of food, but less food. Of course, they're both out in the yard picking fruit, so who knows?
Well, enough about food, I'm off to lunch now.

Andy