BP Svanberg re: ‘small people’ comment

June 16, 2010

Day 58

BP posts

LIVE feed

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POTUS re: BP meeting (video/text)

Not sure why the hoopla. Mr Svanberg is Swedish. What he said was not meant as an insult. He meant it in reference to the small business owners and people affected by the oil disaster as opposed to big government and big oil companies. You want someone to go after – watch Mr Dudley.

Here’s what Svanberg said. [full text/video]

Q: How long did you spend with the president himself?

SVANBERG: I spent a fair amount of time. And I must say that he is — he comes across as a — he is frustrated, because he cares about the small people. And we care about the small people. I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don’t care – But that is not the case in BP. We care about the small people.

Still find it malicious?

BP spokesman Toby Odone:

What he means is that he cares about local businesses and local people. This was a slip in translation.

Mr Svanberg:

I spoke clumsily this afternoon, and for that, I am very sorry. What I was trying to say — that BP understands how deeply this affects the lives of people who live along the Gulf and depend on it for their livelihood — will best be conveyed not by any words but by the work we do to put things right for the families and businesses who’ve been hurt. Like President Obama, I believe we made some good progress toward that goal today.

No dummy. He made sure to mention barry again.

Orange Beach, AL Mayor Tony Kennon:

They can call me small, miniature, they can call me anything they want. Just write the check and send it to us.

As for the $20B escrow fund:

They better be lucky I called off the invasion of 10,000 rednecks with their rifles headed toward England anyway.

And the ones heading for DC?