>> FORMER PRESIDENT OBAMA
SPEAKING AT RICE UNIVERSITY
BAKER INSTITUTE 25TH
ANNIVERSARY GALA IN HOUSTON
TAKING CREDIT IN THE HEART OF
OIL COUNTRY OF THE REVIVAL OF
AMERICA'S CARBON INDUSTRY.
>> I KNOW WE ARE IN OIL COUNTRY
AND WE NEED AMERICAN ENERGY AND
BY THE WAY, AMERICAN ENERGY
PRODUCTION WENT UP EVERY YEAR I
WAS PRESIDENT.
AND YOU KNOW THAT WHOLE
SUDDENLY AMERICA IS LIKE THE
BIGGEST OIL PRODUCER IN THE
BIGGEST, THAT WAS ME, PEOPLE.
I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW.
[LAUGHTER] DOES HE REALLY
DESERVE CREDIT AFTER HE IMPOSED
SOME OF THE BIGGEST REGULATIONS
THE INDUSTRY HAS EVER SEEN?
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> I WILL TELL YOU WHAT, I DO
NOT ENJOY THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY
BUT I'M THOROUGHLY ENJOYING THE
OBAMA POST-PRESIDENCY!
THIS GUY IS SHAMELESS!
I MEAN HE WILL SAY ANYTHING AND
YOU GOT TO LOVE HIM FOR IT.
I MEAN, TALK ABOUT -- AND MAYBE
IT IS INSECURITY OR WHATEVER
THE FACT IS OIL PRODUCTION DID
GO UP WHEN HE WAS PRESIDENT.
BUT ALL ON PRIVATE LAND!
IN FACT, HE SHUT DOWN THE OIL
PRODUCTION ON THE PUBLIC LAND,
WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT, THE
OTHER PART OF HIS COMMENT THAT
I DO NOT THINK WE AIRED IT, HE
TALKED ABOUT POLITICIANS BEING
SMUG AS IF SOMEHOW, POLITICIANS
SHOULD AGAIN, THIS ONE MY PET
PEEVES, BE INVOLVED IN THE
ECONOMY.
WE SAT BACK TO LONG SO AGAIN,
HE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE
OIL BUT HE WANTS POLITICIANS TO
BE INVOLVED WITH SOMETHING THEY
SHOULD NOT EVEN HAVE THEIR
HANDS IN.
>> YOU KNOW, IT IS FUNNY,
POST-PRESIDENCY OF BARACK OBAMA
HAS BEEN FABULOUS!
AND HE WAS THE PRESIDENT OF
REGULATIONS, REGULATIONS,
REGULATIONS.
BUT THE ISSUE WITH OIL, AND
YES, WE HAVE PLENTY OF IT HERE
IN
THE US.
ONE OF THE LEGS OF HIS ECONOMY
AS HE WILL CALL IT, OF COURSE
EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT HIMSELF
WHEN THEIR PRESIDENT IS BEING
RESPONSIBLE OUT OF EVERYTHING.
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS OR PRESIDENT
OBAMA IS NO EXCEPTION.
HE SAYS THE SAME BUT I SEE HE
SAYS THE ENERGY POLICY IS ONE
OF THE LEGS.
IS THAT TRUE, IS IT ONE OF THE
REASONS THE ECONOMY IS GROWING
SO WELL?
>> THEY TALKED ABOUT THE
PRIVATE ISSUE, THAT WAS
SOMETHING PRESIDENT OBAMA WOULD
NOT ALLOW DRILLING OR
EXPLORATION.
LISTEN, THE REGULATION, THE
REGULATORY ROADBLOCKS AGAIN,
YOU KNOW -- THE USE OF THE
CLIMATE, THE CLEAN AIR ACT AND
THE EPA AS A WEAPON AGAINST
INDUSTRY, PARTICULARLY THE OIL
INDUSTRY, YOU REMOVE THAT AND
THAT IS WHY CRUDE OIL -- ONE OF
THE REASONS CRUDE OIL IS COMING
DOWN SO MUCH.
>> YEAH, BUT I WANT TO GET BACK
TO TWO QUICK POINTS.
CHARLES FINDS IT DISINGENUOUS.
I AGREE WITH ALL OF THAT BUT
HERE IS THE, JUST ON A SIDE
NOTE.
OBAMA IS OWNING THIS WHOLE
POLITICIAN THING.
DAVID, YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT.
THIS IS WHAT ALL THE
POLITICIANS DO.HE DOES IT
WITH A SMILE!
[LAUGHTER] AND SUCH JOY!
I MEAN, YOU ARE RIGHT.
YOU SCRATCH YOUR HEAD BUT I
GUESS, MAYBE I AM LIKE I JUST
HAVE TO LAUGH.
THE OTHER PART THAT TRUMP IS
DOING, ALL POLITICIANS WANT TO
SEEM TO DO SOMETHING.
THEY SEEM TO WANT TO MANAGE AND
TRUMP IS ALMOST, OTHER THAN THE
TRADE STUFF WHICH I THINK IS
TOTALLY SCORING UP BUT ON THE
FLIPSIDE, ABOUT THE ONLY THING
THEY CAN DO REGARDING THE
ECONOMY IS GET OUT OF THE WAY.
HE HAS CUT MORE REGULATIONS
THAN ALMOST ANY OR PROBABLY ANY
PRESIDENT THAT WE HAVE HAD.
THAT IS WHAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD
BE DOING.
GETTING OUT OF THE WAY.
THAT IS WHAT OBAMA DID NOT DO.
HE IMPOSED MORE REGULATIONS,
WOULD PUT A CHOKEHOLD ON THE
ECONOMY.
THAT IS WHY WE WENT THROUGH
EIGHT YEARS OF THE OBAMA
MALAISE ECONOMY.
>> WHAT TO MAKE OF THE
PRESIDENT'S TWITTER ACCOUNT?
I THINK HE INFLUENCES THE
ECONOMY IN MANY DIFFERENT
RESPECTS, PARTICULARLY GASOLINE
THAT COMES TOMORROW WITH TWEETS
HE SENDS.
>> HE DEFINITELY, WITH SAUDI
ARABIA IT WAS DIFFERENT AFTER
JAMAL KHASHOGGI.
THEY SAY THIS CAME DOWN TO
CANCELING PRICES MAYBE OIL
STARTED COMING DOWN TOO LATE