GOP wields report on Solyndra as cudgel against Obama

[No Elephants]

GOP wields report on Solyndra as cudgel against Obama
By Michael O'Brien, NBC News



Republicans have latched onto a new report about the defunct solar panel maker Solyndra, in an attempt to ding the Obama White House for embarking on a fool's errand with its green energy initiatives and engaging in cronyism when one of its biggest investments took a turn for the worse.

Solyndra has been on the tongues of conservatives -- including Mitt Romney, who staged a surprise press conference out of the company's former headquaters in May -- for months. And they feel that a new report released this week by Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee only strengthens their case against the incumbent administration.


Republicans' central narrative is this: the White House anxiously approved $535 million in loan guarantees for Solyndra -- a company with a principal investor who was a major fundraiser for President Barack Obama -- as part of its green energy program. And, the GOP contends, when Solyndra started to struggle, the Department of Energy restructured its loans despite misgivings from the Office of Management and Budget.

In a series of emails obtained and published by the committee and written during the initial approval process for the loans, one OMB staff member writes of the pressure to finish its review of the Solyndra loan.

"It's based on pressure from the VP's office," another OMB staffer wrote in response. " would like to schedule the closing for tomorrow, and Chu will be in CA and by video link for Friday announcement."

A Democratic report issued Thursday by the minority staff of the Energy and Commerce Committee acknowledged that the White House was certainly interested in an "expeditious decision" on the loans -- but mostly because Solyndra was the first major loan guarantee of the program.

http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/04/13118749-gop-wields-report-on-solyndra-as-cudgel-against-obama?lite

I was upset about Solyndra. Not only was it cronyism, but it was cronyism despite warnings, so it was stupid and/or arrogant as well.

However, I don't think harping on it is going to change a single voter's mind.

I think voters are so much more cynical than politicians realize because they think we are dumb. Presidents have practiced cronyism since day one. Their donors, bundlers, friends and political allies end up with top administration positions (Gonzo, Harriet Meiers), ambassadorships (almost all of them), judgeships (Bybee), etc. It is a huge chunk of taxpayer money.

It is not right, but it is the way of the world and pretty much always has been. (I am guessing the friend of the Pharohs did okay, too.) It will not change if Romney gets elected, either. And I think most voters know that.

In fact, in Massachusetts, Romney donors got jobs on the Big Dig, including work that killed a woman.