When Republicans criticize Solyndra's loan guarantees, they tend to focus on the specifics of this company. The Romney campaign, for example, likes to pretend the federal assistance was an example of "cronyism."
The GOP, however, tends to shy away from condemning loan guarantees themselves, and with good reason -- they've enjoyed bipartisan support for years. Indeed, Mitt Romney backed identical efforts in Massachusetts and the Bush administration supported Solyndra loans, too.
But Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) brings a very different perspective to the table. Igor Volsky flagged this exchange from CNN this week.
As Johnson, the right-wing freshman sees it, federal officials investing in alternative energy companies is roughly the same thing as "the Soviet Union and other socialist nations." When Soledad O'Brien asked, "You're surely not suggesting that the idea and the concept behind Solyndra and other green energies like Solyndra is comparable to the Soviet Union and Cuba, right?" the Republican senator replied, "No, I am suggesting that."
O'Brien noted that Mitt Romney backed the same loan guarantees, at which point Johnson changed the subject.
I don't expect much from Johnson -- he's the one who seems to think the Internet is a contraception-dispensing machine -- but for him to equate federal aid to American energy companies with the Soviet Union is pretty twisted. This is, after all, the same senator who supports federal aid to oil companies and even accepted government aid for his own business in Wisconsin.
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Republicans are driving the short bus of Useful Idiots, and somebody's simply going to have to crash it. Who in the hell is going to crash the short bus?
That tool, Ron Johnson, is a total embarrassment to the state of Wisconsin. I shudder to think that we (well, not me) voted for this bozo instead of the great progressive Russ Feingold.
Got you beat. Kentucky has Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul for Senators. I can barely walk in public with this shame.
Got you both beat. I'm down here in sunny Florida with Allen West, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott or, as I call them, Larry, Moe and Curly.
Well, I'm going to have to take up for My Old Kentucky Home here. Nobody is more responsible for nearly four years of obstruction than Kentucky and McConnell. If there's evil in politics, it's really difficult to beat McConnell.
I win! Kentucky sucks more! (At least in this respect. In other respects, I would agree Florida is a world beater sucking eggs.)
We have a Heck and a Heller here in Nevada. Guess where they're leading us straight to?
Why is it that when people hear politicians say these sorts of things they believe them. They say "what an idiot" or "his ideas are twisted".....no, he's lying. His actions show he has no problem with federal assistance to companies, he simply doesn't want alternative energies getting any money and wants to score political points - so he is lying in a way that strikes a chord with his base and ensures he attracts more donations from fossil fuel companies.
The question to ask is always "what's in it for the politician" - and the confusion resolves itself.
Azreal
Did you mean to say?, "They don't say what an idot ....".
I think Romney successfully has changed the subject from tax and out sourcing the Solyndra and cronyism. It seams Polls are moving toward him http://www.pollheadlines.com/poll-category.php?category=virginia
Yep. And a competent Democratic campaign would see that that didn't happen, especially on such specious and flimsy grounds.
The people over at www.electoral-vote.com still have Obama leading by several points in Virginia.
Anne Romney is getting plenty of practice at being a hypocrite and deceiver. Anne Romney is just as worried about Willard releasing those income taxes, since it will show that she has been just as guilty as Willard when it came to screwing over people that put people into misery and despair for their personal self-gain. Anne and Willard want to keep pretending they are nice people and they would not do anything terrible to anybody and laugh with glee about it. Arrogance is hardly the word for these people, except on how they can get away with their corruption. Anne knows too well on how Willard was just like the other extreme rich people manipulating the laws to suit and benefit themselves only and to hell with anybody else. Anne is just as sneaky and untrustworthy as Willard is. Both are like two peas in a pod. More sympathy to a poor person who would be sick is more deserving than it would be for the likes of Anne Romney.
The great socialist reagan strikes again, allowing companies like Pacur to secure below market rates on loans in the 80s.
And naturally God told him green energy is wrong, planting the soviet idea in a brain without sufficient capability to operate on its own.
The US invested in a railroad system that built our nation. The US continues to to invest in most (or all) corporations through tax breaks or subsidies. Suddenly, to label this investment as communistic, is just one more assault on the character of PBO as a foriegner.
The critical issue here is defined by the fact that this so called "dirty money" actually stayed in the United States.