All Obama Need is Gonads to Deal With GOP

The Solyndra debacle has shown us average Americans how buddy-buddy American politics really is in its relationship to wealth donors and big corporations. It has shown us that the democrats are no more concerned about the needs of the average citizen as well as the two-facedness of the GOP. Last week, republicans jumped all over the 2009 decision by the Obama administration to provide the solar energy corporation with a $535 billion dollar government loan and the subsequent fact that the company filed for bankruptcy. Republicans have used this platform to move further to criticize the administrations “clean energy” projects as a viable means to create jobs across the nation. However, they fail to mention that behind closed doors, the request and receive funds for their state from that very same program.
For example, although Republican Representative Lamar Smith of Texas recently requested the office of the Attorney General to appoint an investigator to determine how the department of Energy doles out clean energy funding, in 2009 he wrote the Secretary of the DOE to approve loan guarantees from stimulus money for the Texas based Tessera Solar. Then there is Senator Mitch McConnell, who called the clean energy program a bust. McConnell, of Kentucky, has worked tirelessly to get income for clean-energy projects in Kentucky, including writing Energy Secretary Steven Chu to approve $235 million in sovereign loans for a plant to build electric vehicles in Franklin in 2009.
In fact the more one looks the more hypocrisy that can be isolated. Another Republican, Sen.
David Vitter said that the Obama administration was "reckless" for subsidizing renewable-energy projects, but the Louisiana Republican wrote to the Energy Department at least seven times since 2009 for clean energy funding for projects that would benefit his home state. One of which for a company that makes activated carbon to reduce pollution at coal-fired power plants at a $245 million lick (loan guarantee). Specifically he wanted a loan approved for Red River Environmental Products of Coushatta, La. Vitter’s next door neighbor, Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., who heads the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee and chairs a subcommittee investigating the Solyndra deal, also has backed clean energy jobs. Sterns wanted money for the Saft America plant (makes lithium-ion battery cells for military hybrid vehicles and solar and wind energy storage) in Jacksonville. For his efforts they received a $95.5 million grant from the Energy Department. He was also able to obtain $125 million for New Planet BioEnergy, a biofuel refinery plant.

True, the Solyndra loan had been fast-tracked by the Obama administration to get it approved in time for a scheduled visit to the California plant by Vice President Biden. But if McConnell and other in the GOP leadership are upset at the Obama administration for wasting more than half a billion dollars on the California company, then he has to come to grips with what they sees in the mirror. I am sure I could have mentioned a few more, like Rep. Darrell Issa’s own involvement in clean energy loans or GOP Representative Fred Upton of Michigan. Funny, if I can find this in the public domain, I wonder why Obama can’t or better yet, why doesn’t he call them out on their hypocrisy. The only thing I can think is that either he is scared of white republicans or he just doesn’t have the testicular fortitude to stand his ground. It shouldn’t be too hard to point out that what they hammer him on regarding Department of Energy loan guarantee for Solyndra, Inc.; they are doing the exact same thing. Strange how politics work.

Obama More Regan-Like than the Tea Party

It may strike some as peculiar, at least it does me, as to how the Republican Party always profess to be the party of Regan while in the same voice recreate history saying he fought against a government that over-taxed. How quickly we forget that after Regan cut taxes in his first term, seeing the ballooning budget short-comings, he raised taxes; in fact eleven times during the remainder of his presidency. This point is either forgotten or overlooked by most.

Now I can take this from a person that doesn’t know any better like Sarah Palin – since she is spoon fed info and obviously couldn’t read an entire Dr. Seuss Book. Just like the claim that Republicans tend to be pro-trade or that they can all wily nilly like pick $100 million or billion dollars to cut from the budget by September of this year, out of the air without any forethought, examination or critical evaluation regarding its impact on jobs lost, gained, created or how it will impact our economic recovery. I mean they just pick it out of the air and I suspect just because it is an even number and 100 sounds good.

I could never see Reagan behaving like many of the Republicans currently in office. Like Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky fighting over sleeping bags. Session’s blocking the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) – which gives preferential treatment to $20 billion worth of imports annually from some developed countries and McConnell threatening to block the Trade Adjustment Assistant Program which provides training and income for Americans whose employers cannot compete with increasing foreign imports. Although such behavior is untoward in a period when we need jobs, these folk still proclaim to be what they are not – Regan Republicans. First, regardless of how Regan may have felt in his later years, he did sign into law that legalized abortion in the state of California in 1967 when he was governor. Not to mention that he assisted in getting 3 million plus undocumented workers legal status and was a firm proponent of amnesty for this segment of the population.

In plain speak, Regan was an optimist. An optimist in the same nature as the picture painted of America and its future by Obama in his recent State of the Union Address. Yes Obama too is an optimist. And in this time of a growing economic divide when more Americans are being left by the side of the road via rising unemployment and under employment; having little if any job security; schools and libraries closings and police and firemen being laid off across the nation – we need an optimist.

Yes Obama is more like Regan than the GOP, in particular and Tea party member of potential Presidential candidate. All they seem to do is play politics instead of dealing with and solving the problems confronting our great nation. It was Newt Gingrich who wrote of Obama as being “a threat to America as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union.” I do not know about you but such discourse is not helpful and untoward in general.

The GOP and their new flunkies the Tea Party are out of touch and self-centered. I guess one can say they are a perfect match for each. It is as Boileau stated, “un sot trouve toujours un plus sot, qui l’admire”… [a fool can always find a greater fool who admires him].