Rep Joe Barton R- Big Oil says he is Ashamed of Whitehouse Shakedown of BP

[fezzyfestoon]

A.  In a country where the rule of law matters, being forced to pay every single last dime only comes after a determination of guilt in a court of law, not a politically motivated and forced "settlement" due to the thuggish actions of the White House.  People are innocent until proven guilty.

B. Comparisons to Venezuela are valid.  This isn't the first time the Chicago Way was used to shake down corporations that fall out of favor with the Obama administration.  Toyota got its taste of the Chicago Way during the overblown brake acceleration problem - all for the benefit of Obama's pals at Government Motors.  Such tactics make this country an awful place for those without political connections to do business.  Heck, it's even terrible for BP, which has donated MUCH more money to Obama and the Democrats in the past few cycles than Republicans.  DEMOCRATS are the party of BIG OIL.

C. BP, by and large, is doing its best to clean up the Gulf.  The Obama administration, on the other hand, has been dragging its feet from day one.  It refused help from the Netherlands immediately after the spill, kept boom that could be used to clean up the spill in warehouses, was slow to mobilize federal resources to help BP, drug its feet in approving Louisiana's plan to create barrier islands to stop the spill and has done nothing but demagogue BP in its vain attempt to defect political blame from being placed where it belongs.  Their reaction has been a disgrace - and the polling shows that American people see that.

Alright, this is getting more and more wild.  They are guilty, there's no denying that.  That's why they're just paying now.  You can't have it both ways, the oil companies have to be in the government's back pocket or the reverse.  They can't be in each others.  You know they are doing their best?  Throwing garbage at something doesn't inspire much confidence.  And it wouldn't be thuggish and overbearing for the Obama administration to butt BP out of the way and take control of their business, but it is to demand they pay for their mess?

[Smash255]

Firstly, BP agreead to it, so it's not a "shakedown".  And secondly how could someone have a problem with holding a powerful corporation accountable for the actions wholly faulted to them that have caused and continue to cause economic, environmental, and person devastation across an entire region of our nation?  Really?

Exxon was sued and managed to finagle their way out of almost all their settlements thanks to the state of Alaska.

What's really embarrassing is seeing people "agree" with people who have only taken a position because it personally benefits them.  Talk about a blind allegiance.

That's a really nice house you have there.  It would be a shame if anything happened to it.  But if you set aside $100,000 in escrow, you won't have to worry.  What, you said OK!  Well, this clearly isn't a shakedown, because you agreed to it.

A. Where does it say that happened?
B. The only thing they could threaten them with is a completely just lawsuit.
C. What you said is completely different than forcing a multinational corporation to pay for the damages they caused.

A. Sources told the Daily News that Biden leaned forward and bluntly informed the Blight Brigade they had no choice: If they didn't do the right thing and put the cash in escrow, it would be done to them.

B. I'm sure they threatened them with worse.  The Obama administration is known for its thuggish threats to those with whom it disagrees.  It's the Chicago (and Venezuela) way.

C.  BP has said it would pay - even though their damages may legally be capped by statute.  This is just thuggish piling on by scumbagger politicians who have done little but get in the way of cleaning up the Gulf, causing problems, not solving them.  The Obama administration has no legal authority to create any escrow account.

A.  Good and they should have.  BP should be forced to pay for every single last dime of destruction they have caused.

B.  Ahh nice asinine comparisons to Venezuela.

C.  Ahh yes because we should just trust BP to do the right thing.  Nothing better than letting Big Corporations Police themselves.  Afterall BP has shown exactly how trustworthy they really are....

A.  In a country where the rule of law matters, being forced to pay every single last dime only comes after a determination of guilt in a court of law, not a politically motivated and forced "settlement" due to the thuggish actions of the White House.  People are innocent until proven guilty.

B. Comparisons to Venezuela are valid.  This isn't the first time the Chicago Way was used to shake down corporations that fall out of favor with the Obama administration.  Toyota got its taste of the Chicago Way during the overblown brake acceleration problem - all for the benefit of Obama's pals at Government Motors.  Such tactics make this country an awful place for those without political connections to do business.  Heck, it's even terrible for BP, which has donated more money to Obama and Landrieu than their Republican counterparts.  DEMOCRATS are the party of BIG OIL.

C. BP, by and large, is doing its best to clean up the Gulf.  The Obama administration, on the other hand, has been dragging its feet from day one.  It refused help from the Netherlands immediately after the spill, kept boom that could be used to clean up the spill in warehouses, was slow to mobilize federal resources to help BP, drug its feet in approving Louisiana's plan to create barrier islands to stop the spill and has done nothing but demagogue BP in its vain attempt to defect political blame from being placed where it belongs.  Their reaction has been a disgrace - and the polling shows that American people see that.

A.  They are guilty we know that.  Those who have been damaged by this spill shouldn't have to wait more than a decade to get the compensation (like many of those had to wait for in the Exxon spill.

B.  The comparisons are asinine.  Big Corporations should not be allowed to do whatever they feel like, cause as much damage as possible and not have to pay for it.  Their asses should be held to the fire for what they cause, they should pay every single dime of destruction in what they cause and every single possible legal avenue should be applied to make sure they do so.  Btw, BP has contributed more $$ to the GOP than the Dems in every single election cycle.  Barton's top contributor is the oil Industry, and he has received more $$ than anyone in the House from the industry.

C.  We have seen time and time again BP being dishonest or trying to take the easy way out.  The reactions in management by BP that we have seen in the internal e-mails to some of the potential problems regarding the wells prior to the spill.  The fact we know that BP was being dishonest about the size of the spill, and they knew the spill was in excess of 60,000 barrels a day well before they admitted it.  They have proven themselves to be not trustworthy.

[cinyc]

A.  In a country where the rule of law matters, being forced to pay every single last dime only comes after a determination of guilt in a court of law, not a politically motivated and forced "settlement" due to the thuggish actions of the White House.  People are innocent until proven guilty.

B. Comparisons to Venezuela are valid.  This isn't the first time the Chicago Way was used to shake down corporations that fall out of favor with the Obama administration.  Toyota got its taste of the Chicago Way during the overblown brake acceleration problem - all for the benefit of Obama's pals at Government Motors.  Such tactics make this country an awful place for those without political connections to do business.  Heck, it's even terrible for BP, which has donated MUCH more money to Obama and the Democrats in the past few cycles than Republicans.  DEMOCRATS are the party of BIG OIL.

C. BP, by and large, is doing its best to clean up the Gulf.  The Obama administration, on the other hand, has been dragging its feet from day one.  It refused help from the Netherlands immediately after the spill, kept boom that could be used to clean up the spill in warehouses, was slow to mobilize federal resources to help BP, drug its feet in approving Louisiana's plan to create barrier islands to stop the spill and has done nothing but demagogue BP in its vain attempt to defect political blame from being placed where it belongs.  Their reaction has been a disgrace - and the polling shows that American people see that.

Alright, this is getting more and more wild.  They are guilty, there's no denying that.  That's why they're just paying now.  You can't have it both ways, the oil companies have to be in the government's back pocket or the reverse.  They can't be in each others.  You know they are doing their best?  Throwing garbage at something doesn't inspire much confidence.  And it wouldn't be thuggish and overbearing for the Obama administration to butt BP out of the way and take control of their business, but it is to demand they pay for their mess?

Why don't we have no trial and just convict them?  Because they're a no-good oil company.  They MUST be guilty.  According to the Obama administration, terrorists deserve a trial in Lower Manhattan.  BP should just be tarred and feathered.  Who cares if damages are limited by federal staute?  They must pay!  Because they're guilty!   Fez-bomb says so!  Obama says so!  Get out the pitchforks!  BURN THE WITCHES!!  Screw the rule of law!

Of course, only the GOVERNMENT can pay claims.  BP can't do it on their own - as they have been doing.  We need the GOVERNMENT to get involved so that they can hire more overpaid bureaucrats and people can wait years to get paid due to red tape.    And of course, the Obama administration can set up an escrow on their own, with no rules whatsoever about how moneys will be spent.  How could giving money to the government with no rules or oversight POSSIBLY go wrong?  Congress doesn't matter!  The courts don't matter!  All hail Obama, dictator of the USA!  Shake down Toyota!  Shake down the banks!  Shake down BP!  Protect Government Motors!  

BP has largely contained the spill to deeper waters, where the environmental damage will be limited.  It has largely NOT washed up on shore - not that the media will tell you that.  Hysteria and fearmongering sell.  Ban drilling!  Who cares if historically, it's 3 times more risky to tanker the oil that isn't being drilled?  

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

cinyc...don't you think Barton is a hero back in his District today?

[Marokai Backbeat]

And secondly how could someone have a problem with holding a powerful corporation accountable for the actions wholly faulted to them that have caused and continue to cause economic, environmental, and person devastation across an entire region of our nation?  Really?

This is why I find it hard sometimes to muster the strength to respond to certain things. It's mind blowing that we've arrived at the point where people actually have the balls to openly, blatantly, obviously, clearly, bluntly, side with an industry that has crafted itself as one of the most irresponsible and the most profitable industry in the world.

I lose alot of my faith in humanity by reading a certain someone's posts here. I honestly, truly, genuinely get scared when I imagine this attitude even being shared by a small minority of people as if it's now cool to openly being nothing short or sadistic. (And I can think of no other word for this.)

Some people have become so utterly blinded by their hysterical rantings and fervent partisanship that they've actually become willing to take entirely self-destructive positions such as defending a country-crippling, life-destroying, environment-raping, regulation-evading, money-obsessed industry. I just have no words.

[cinyc]

C.  We have seen time and time again BP being dishonest or trying to take the easy way out.  The reactions in management by BP that we have seen in the internal e-mails to some of the potential problems regarding the wells prior to the spill.  The fact we know that BP was being dishonest about the size of the spill, and they knew the spill was in excess of 60,000 barrels a day well before they admitted it.  They have proven themselves to be not trustworthy.

BP estimated the spill based on the information they had at the time.  You seem to think that there's always perfect information and all estimates are accurate.  There isn't and they are not - that's what they are called ESTIMATES.

There will ALWAYS be e-mails from some doubter that scumbagger lawyers and politicians will distort and take out of context to claim something was previously known.  EVERY project has its issues.   Good engineers and employees try to work around them.  Scumbag demagogues DISTORT this reality to paint malice where there isn't.  Those scumbag demagogues are the real problem - they OVERREACT, stifle innovation, and ultimately cause MORE SYSTEMIC RISK, not less.   Offshore drilling is safer than transporting oil by tanker.  That's a FACT.

[Beet]

Just one question... how does the $75 million civil suit liability cap affect the ability of those hurt by the oil spill to sue BP in lieu of the $20 billion fund? While it's true there are loopholes to the cap. I can't think of any good argument in its favor for a company such a BP. Yes, it might discourage drilling in riskier areas, but it seems the entire point of this mess is that it has shown us that drilling in these areas does pose a risk.

cinyc: Can your prove incontrovertible proof that the incentives of the 'good engineers and employees' inside BP were pure of heart and were not influenced in any way in their estimates of the spill? Then why were they estimates consistently lower than those of outside observers? If you can't provide such proof, you should look inside your own rage and see that maybe you don't have all the answers. If you can provide such proof, please let the world know.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Cinyc, how can you be so utterly naive to believe anything these people say? I don't mean to sound like Libertas here in saying this, but this is an industry that relies on lies to evade as much responsibility as possible, and you expect anyone here to believe that "Oh, BP, they were just mistaken, they would never lie over how big the spill is"?

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I second everything Fez is saying.

Reading threads like these sometimes makes me think that there is a plurality of folks in my own Party who - though they themselves are not evil - seem to revel in advocating for whatever policy does the most harm to the most people.

[Beet]

Cinyc, how can you be so utterly naive to believe anything these people say? I don't mean to sound like Libertas here in saying this, but this is an industry that relies on lies to evade as much responsibility as possible, and you expect anyone here to believe that "Oh, BP, they were just mistaken, they would never lie over how big the spill is"?

Perhaps he knows something we don't. But I doubt it. The point is, we don't know, but the employees of BP have an interest to put their own company ahead of the public good when the two collide, and a basic knowledge of human nature would indicate that such a conflict of interest means they will likely put the company first. As Ronald Reagan said, trust by verify. The problem is, the verification in this case didn't bear out the trust.

[cinyc]

Cinyc, how can you be so utterly naive to believe anything these people say? I don't mean to sound like Libertas here in saying this, but this is an industry that relies on lies to evade as much responsibility as possible, and you expect anyone here to believe that "Oh, BP, they were just mistaken, they would never lie over how big the spill is"?

How can you be so utterly cynical to discount everything that BP says just because they are an oil company?  As much as the "progressive" demagogues want them to be, oil companies aren't inherently evil.  They extract something we need for modern life.

[cinyc]

I second everything Fez is saying.

Reading threads like these sometimes makes me think that there is a plurality of folks in my own Party who - though they themselves are not evil - seem to revel in advocating for whatever policy does the most harm to the most people.

You know what policy does the most harm to the most people in the long run?  Abandoning the rule of law in favor of politically motivated shakedowns.

[Smash255]

C.  We have seen time and time again BP being dishonest or trying to take the easy way out.  The reactions in management by BP that we have seen in the internal e-mails to some of the potential problems regarding the wells prior to the spill.  The fact we know that BP was being dishonest about the size of the spill, and they knew the spill was in excess of 60,000 barrels a day well before they admitted it.  They have proven themselves to be not trustworthy.

BP estimated the spill based on the information they had at the time.  You seem to think that there's always perfect information and all estimates are accurate.  There isn't and they are not - that's what they are called ESTIMATES.

There will ALWAYS be e-mails from some doubter that scumbagger lawyers and politicians will distort and take out of context to claim something was previously known.  EVERY project has its issues.   Good engineers and employees try to work around them.  Scumbag demagogues DISTORT this reality to paint malice where there isn't.  Those scumbag demagogues are the real problem - they OVERREACT, stifle innovation, and ultimately cause MORE SYSTEMIC RISK, not less.   Offshore drilling is safer than transporting oil by tanker.  That's a FACT.

Simply Wrong.  BP knew the estimates they were releasing to the public were too low.  They were made aware of the size of the spill much earlier than they admitted it.

Ahh yes lets ignore these e-mails.  Jesus f******* Christ.  The BP Exec and Management were made aware of the problems, they IGNORED it they chose to take shortcuts, $$$ wise and time wise.  They are the scumbags,

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I second everything Fez is saying.

Reading threads like these sometimes makes me think that there is a plurality of folks in my own Party who - though they themselves are not evil - seem to revel in advocating for whatever policy does the most harm to the most people.

You know what policy does the most harm to the most people in the long run?  Abandoning the rule of law in favor of politically motivated shakedowns.

Please do not mistake your supposed rule of law for the rule of Corporate slaveholders, entities that hold the rights of an individual without the responsibilities of an individual.

[Smash255]

I second everything Fez is saying.

Reading threads like these sometimes makes me think that there is a plurality of folks in my own Party who - though they themselves are not evil - seem to revel in advocating for whatever policy does the most harm to the most people.

Much bigger than you think.  while the GOP leadership has come out and blasted Barton for these comments and forced him to issue an apology, the House Republican Study Committee (which is made up of about 2/3 of the Republicans in Congress) issued a very similar statement with the 'shakedown' term yesterday.

[fezzyfestoon]

There's just so much and yet so little to say at this point.  Really amazing.  I simply don't have the will, the argument is just so far gone.  I will say that corporations are not people and that oil companies illegally collude to gauge consumers and actively corrupt the government.  How are we being dramatic when every other sentence you type is a half-bolded attack on people for being more concerned for all the "little people" banking their entire livelihoods along the coast of four states that are continuously being affected by objectively devastating factors entirely caused by one particular company than that one particular company?  Oh, and the other half?  Defense of a comment attacking the government he serves in for trying to protect those people from the extreme damage being done to their entire lives.

[cinyc]

Simply Wrong.  BP knew the estimates they were releasing to the public were too low.  They were made aware of the size of the spill much earlier than they admitted it.

Ahh yes lets ignore these e-mails.  Jesus f******* Christ.  The BP Exec and Management were made aware of the problems, they IGNORED it they chose to take shortcuts, $$$ wise and time wise.  They are the scumbags,

Who is this "BP" that "knew" the estimates were "too low"?  One person who works for the company who sent an e-mail that nobody read?  The fact is that until the spill was brought under control, it was extremely difficult to estimate the extent of the spill.  There's no gauge measuring the amount of oil seeping from an uncontrolled spill.  Measuring something based on grainy video isn't as simple as it may seem.  And in any event, the extent of the spill was pretty much irrelevant as long as it was properly contained and burned off in deeper waters.  Not  much oil has washed onshore.  In that, BP has been pretty successful.

You entirely missed my point.  Scumbagger lawyers and politicians simply don't live in the real world.  On complex projects, there will ALWAYS be e-mails discussing problems that arise during the project.  Nothing ever goes quite as planned.  Issues come up that need to be addressed.  Risk assessments are made.  Solutions are arrived at, often by consensus.  Time and money factor into the solution agreed to - as they should be.

Acting as if this is extraordinary or the company is always "cutting corners" is simply nonsense.  Accidents happen.  If the demagoguing scumbagger lawyers and politicians had their way, nothing would ever get built.   Building stuff is hard.  Casting blame is easy because hindsight is 20/20.  Acting like a bunch of preening, grandstanding morons is even easier.  I have nothing but contempt for the way Congress conducts show trials under the guise of "oversight hearings".

[Smash255]

Simply Wrong.  BP knew the estimates they were releasing to the public were too low.  They were made aware of the size of the spill much earlier than they admitted it.

Ahh yes lets ignore these e-mails.  Jesus f******* Christ.  The BP Exec and Management were made aware of the problems, they IGNORED it they chose to take shortcuts, $$$ wise and time wise.  They are the scumbags,

Who is this "BP" that "knew" the estimates were "too low"?  One person who works for the company who sent an e-mail that nobody read?  The fact is that until the spill was brought under control, it was extremely difficult to estimate the extent of the spill.  There's no gauge measuring the amount of oil seeping from an uncontrolled spill.  Measuring something based on grainy video isn't as simple as it may seem.  And in any event, the extent of the spill was pretty much irrelevant as long as it was properly contained and burned off in deeper waters.  Not  much oil has washed onshore.  In that, BP has been pretty successful.

You entirely missed my point.  Scumbagger lawyers and politicians simply don't live in the real world.  On complex projects, there will ALWAYS be e-mails discussing problems that arise during the project.  Nothing ever goes quite as planned.  Issues come up that need to be addressed.  Risk assessments are made.  Solutions are arrived at, often by consensus.  Time and money factor into the solution agreed to - as they should be.

Acting as if this is extraordinary or the company is always "cutting corners" is simply nonsense.  Accidents happen.  If the demagoguing scumbagger lawyers and politicians had their way, nothing would ever get built.   Building stuff is hard.  Casting blame is easy because hindsight is 20/20.  Acting like a bunch of preening, grandstanding morons is even easier.  I have nothing but contempt for the way Congress conducts show trials under the guise of "oversight hearings".

If they are given estimates that the size of the spill is bigger than they are reporting they should be upfront about it RIGHT AWAY, not after the fact. 

Of course things do not always go as planned, but to blame 'scumbagger' lawyers is absolutely asinine.  When something comes up, you need to address the issue, especially when safety is at stake, BP and its executives chose to nickel and dime it instead.    To defend absolute corporate greed is completely absurd.  BP caused this disaster, they should pay every single dime period.  They need  to be held accountable for everything they cause, and they have simply proven they can't be trusted to do so themselves.  Every single possible legal recourse should be taken to make sure they comply.

[cinyc]

If they are given estimates that the size of the spill is bigger than they are reporting they should be upfront about it RIGHT AWAY, not after the fact. 

Of course things do not always go as planned, but to blame 'scumbagger' lawyers is absolutely asinine.  When something comes up, you need to address the issue, especially when safety is at stake, BP and its executives chose to nickel and dime it instead.    To defend absolute corporate greed is completely absurd.  BP caused this disaster, they should pay every single dime period.  They need  to be held accountable for everything they cause, and they have simply proven they can't be trusted to do so themselves.  Every single possible legal recourse should be taken to make sure they comply.

It's not that simple.  Estimates by whom?  Known to whom in the company?  How reliable are these new estimates?  Why was the old estimate wrong?  Do you give those engineers the right to defend their work or just jump the gun?  And, at the end of the day, does it really matter how big the spill is anyway as long as it is properly contained?

I am not defending "corporate greed."  BP is already paying claims.  They are already paying to contain the spill.  They are already paying - and will continue to pay - to clean up the spill.  All the demagoguery of the big, evil *omg* British *omg* oil company solves absolutely nothing.  It might deflect blame from the Obama administration's inept initial response, but doesn't pay claims.  It doesn't help contain the spill.  It doesn't clean up the spill.

Scumbagger politicians and tort lawyers are fair game.  Why?  They don't understand economics or risk analysis, point out the costs but not the benefits, and distort the riskiness of offshore drilling.  We'd be less reliant on oil to generate electricity in the first place had we not listened to the demagogues who told us nuclear power was so, so unsafe after the Three Mile Island non-disaster.

[Smash255]

If they are given estimates that the size of the spill is bigger than they are reporting they should be upfront about it RIGHT AWAY, not after the fact. 

Of course things do not always go as planned, but to blame 'scumbagger' lawyers is absolutely asinine.  When something comes up, you need to address the issue, especially when safety is at stake, BP and its executives chose to nickel and dime it instead.    To defend absolute corporate greed is completely absurd.  BP caused this disaster, they should pay every single dime period.  They need  to be held accountable for everything they cause, and they have simply proven they can't be trusted to do so themselves.  Every single possible legal recourse should be taken to make sure they comply.

It's not that simple.  Estimates by whom?  Known to whom in the company?  How reliable are these new estimates?  Why was the old estimate wrong?  Do you give those engineers the right to defend their work or just jump the gun?  And, at the end of the day, does it really matter how big the spill is anyway as long as it is properly contained?

I am not defending "corporate greed."  BP is already paying claims.  They are already paying to contain the spill.  They are already paying - and will continue to pay - to clean up the spill.  All the demagoguery of the big, evil *omg* British *omg* oil company solves absolutely nothing.  It might deflect blame from the Obama administration's inept initial response, but doesn't pay claims.  It doesn't help contain the spill.  It doesn't clean up the spill.

Scumbagger politicians and tort lawyers are fair game.  Why?  They don't understand economics or risk analysis, point out the costs but not the benefits, and distort the riskiness of offshore drilling.  We'd be less reliant on oil to generate electricity in the first place had we not listened to the demagogues who told us nuclear power was so, so unsafe after the Three Mile Island non-disaster.

Internal e-mails within the company showing that the estimates with the spill were larger than what they were admitting to the press.  Showing that BP was being upfront about everything they knew about how much was being spilled. 

As far as the claims go, yes BP has said they would pay all claims and have paid for them so far.  That doesn't mean they should be trusted to continue to do so.  Their actions and in actions have proven they can't be trusted.  We also have seen cases such as the Exxon spill in which it took over a decade for some of these court battles to take place and the victims to be compensated.  The government should do everything in their power to make sure every last cent is paid.

The lawyers don't understand the economic impact??  That attitude right there is why we have the problem.  Big Corporations such as BP are going to nickel and dime everything to death if they are allowed to get away with it.  These companies are making billions upon billions in profit, but if they can save an extra couple thousand $$$ by taking shortcuts they will do so even if it puts peoples lives and risk and is dangerous, and this is exactly what has happened here.  Big Corporations need to be responsible for their actions, and when they have proven time and time again that they aren't going to act responsible they need to be forced to do so.

[??????????]

Keep up the good fight cynic, you're 100% on the money calling out this scumbag we have as president.

[Smash255]

Keep up the good fight cynic, you're 100% on the money calling out this scumbag we have as president.

Ahh yes because we should all bow down to Big Oil and trust BP is going to do what is right out of the goodness of their heart.  Afterall BP has given us oh so many reasons to believe they wont try and take shortcuts or the quick way out....

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Keep up the good fight cynic, you're 100% on the money calling out this scumbag we have as president.

Ahh yes because we should all bow down to Big Oil and trust BP is going to do what is right out of the goodness of their heart.  Afterall BP has given us oh so many reasons to believe they wont try and take shortcuts or the quick way out....

These reactions are starting to seriously contradict what conservatives and libertarians have been saying before about not being shills for BP or Big Oil.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Guys the bottom line is Barton is a hero now in his home district, and every time the White House or the DNC, or the other libs call on him to resign, he's further sealing the deal on being re-elected for as many terms as he chooses to serve.

[Lunar]

Guys the bottom line is Barton is a hero now in his home district, and every time the White House or the DNC, or the other libs call on him to resign, he's further sealing the deal on being re-elected for as many terms as he chooses to serve.

No one thinks he'll lose reelection.  However he is thisclose to losing his ranking member status on his committee.  Cantor & Boehner have explicitly told him thus.