Sen. Landrieu Reads Darrell Issa’s Letters Begging For Taxpayer Clean Energy Loans

[cal04]

Sen. Landrieu Reads Darrell Issa’s Letters Begging For Taxpayer Clean Energy Loans On The Senate Floor

House Oversight Committee chair Rep. Darrell Issa’s (R-CA) investigation of clean energy loan programs was undercut this week by a revelation, first reported by Bloomberg, that he had also requested money from the same program for companies in his district. A follow-up story by ThinkProgress found that an investor to the firm Issa had asked to subsidize had donated several times to Issa, including a check just shortly before Issa sent his letter to Secretary Chu.

Today on the Senate floor, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) mocked Issa’s hypocrisy. She carried with her copies of the letters signed by Issa, as well as other letters by Republicans asking for money for the clean energy program they had just voted to cut, and read them into the Congressional Record:

LANDRIEU: He’s a member from California, he’s a very powerful member of the House. I’m going to read his whole letter. And maybe the press even writes, ‘Darrell Issa, the Republican leader, is promoting manufacturing in California.’ Because this is what he says in his district. And this is the letter he sends to the Secretary. But when he’s in the floor of the House last night, he voted to gut this program. That’s what this debate is about!

Watch it:
http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/09/23/327733/landieu-darrell-issa/

"I'm going to do this all week. I hope the press just gets ready to ask these republican leaders, how can you possibly have the gall to hold press opportunities in your district promising people that you're helping them create jobs and then come back to Washington and cut the rug out from under their feet with a bogus excuse that you have to come up with a billion dollars while the real need is only 175 million".

(she goes on to read more. )

"This is the killer, this is the killer, in addition this funding will create more than 2,300 new and long term jobs nationwide and this is the program that Cantor decided to use as an offset so he can fool the American people into believing that we need to find an offset to offset a billion )

[malaise]

1. Get thee to the greatest page to expose

this freaking hypocrite

[backtomn]

26. Hypocrite? How?

I thought this is what we would want.........a person that supports "green" energy, but doesn't want us to be ripped off by a company lying about what they can do. We should probably appreciate that Issa supports alternative energy. I believe that it is also possible to believe in "green" energy, without thinking that the government should try to pick winners and losers. I have worked in this industry for years and know plenty of companies that don't want government money......because they don't want the strings attached....or they are apolitical.

Just because the government pours money into something, it doesn't mean that it is money well-spent. See the 2nd graph on this page.......... http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/2011/08/03/eia-releases-new-subsidy-report-subsidies-for-renewables-increase-186-percent/ The real question is......is there anyone in government that knows s**t about what is possible and what is not, in biofuels? I would say.....NO !!

Let Issa do what he is going to do. Companies that are doing things right, shouldn't be knocked out the market by an unworthy company with huge Federal money.

[separationcs]

32. Issa

is a slippery used car salesman.

[WCGreen]

2. Fuck these sleeze bags....

K and R

[Supersedeas]

3. we need more Senators to take these kind of stands on the floor

[backtomn]

27. So, you are saying.......

we should attack more Repubs that support alternative energies?? Nice.

[joeybee12]

4. I have issues with Mary L, but I have to say she's more of a populist

than a lot of them. knr

[Hippo_Tron]

6. You should see the trash that runs against her

Even though her voting record is about as centrist as they come, it's hard not to vote for somebody who the Republicans accuse of literally going around to public schools and handing out condoms.

[izquierdista]

5. Maybe she had a dream

And the Kingfish was in it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hphgHi6FD8k

[formercia]

9. All the King's Men

A prophet gunned down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbyMeMApC3U&feature=related

[PatSeg]

18. What a great clip

Long was one of the most fascinating, though scary characters in American history. I found one of the comments rather interesting (obviously a Tea Party member):

"long was right. today the enemy is out of control govt. longwould have been disgusted about how govt has gotten out of control. we need limited govt and small businesses. Too big in any area is dangerous."

Information-challenged voters are really frightening.

Of course, I had to respond!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbyMeMApC3U&feature=related

[EC]

7. What do you know?

A Blue Dog can act like a Democrat now and then I guess.

[dsharp88]

8. I don't always agree with Mary L, either, but she's tough as nails.

Make no mistake about it, they don't call her "Military Mary" for nothing.

[aggiesal]

10. Issa spelled backwards is ...

ASS I

Ironic!

[vanlassie]

14. Issa is an Asshat

[NBachers]

24. Great Investigative Reporting!

ass I - I love it

[Phaedrus76]

30. Issa

Should change his name to Tahssa.

[salin]

11. Good job - and courageous on several levels.

Sen. Landrieu has often acted (per votes) "scared" of the right and the center right. Understand to a point given the state she represents. Stepping out in an aggressive way against a fan fav or the right is big, and stepping out for a program promoting alt. energy sources coming from a "big oil" state is also courageous. She took a strong stand with this - on an issue that could bite her in the behind with her constituents - if they stay blind-sided by the fox news type propaganda. Big Kudos to her for taking this public stand - regardless of the risks. Hope she will stay bold and that others will note the risks - and the bigger gains (per echoing the message - which is spot on and which resonates) and follow this courage.

[glowing]

12. FEMA is a bigger deal to Louisiana than other states. They know they need

a funded and competent FEMA agency. They have seen the "heckava job" FEMA first hand. I'm a bit surprised by her sticking up for any clean energy, but maybe one day she wishes she didn't have to be beholden to the oil boys.

[nevergiveup]

13. She has her moments.

This is one of them. Kudos to Mary.

[TwilightGardener]

15. Is she a Democrat this week?

[AzDar]

16. Wonders never cease...

Go Mary! :thumbsup:

[WhiteTara]

17. The 2 Santa Claus' coming out of the same mouth!

We'll give you things and cut your taxes!

The Two Santa Claus Theory

The Two Santa Claus Theory is a political theory and strategy developed by Jude Wanniski in 1976, which he promoted within the U.S. Republican Party.

The theory states that, in democratic elections, if one party appeals to voters by proposing more spending, then a competing party cannot gain broader appeal by proposing less spending. The "Santa Claus" of the theory title refers to the political party that promises spending. Instead, "Two Santa Claus Theory" recommends that the competing party must assume the role of a second Santa Claus by offering other appealing options.

This theory is a response to the belief of monetarists, and especially Milton Friedman, that the government must be starved of revenue in order to control the growth of spending (since, in the view of the monetarists, spending cannot be reduced by elected bodies as the political pressure to spend is too great).

The "Two Santa Claus Theory" does not argue against this belief, but holds that such arguments cannot be espoused in an effort to win democratic elections. In Wanniski's view, the Laffer curve and supply-side economics provide an attractive alternative rationale for revenue reduction: that the economy will grow, not merely that the government will be starved of revenue. Wanniski argued that Republicans must become the tax-cutting Santa Claus to the Democrats' spending Santa Claus.
http://kkak.typepad.com/blog/2010/04/the-two-santa-claus-theory-understanding-republican-rhetoric.html

[SHRED]

19. Aptera company he backed

As if anyone would by these things...especially at $35K a pop.



Aptera has had a history of production delays. The original promised first shipment deadline by the end of 2008 was extended a year after new management brought on in 2008 forced a redesign to incorporate more consumer-friendly features, such as front-wheel drive and roll-down windows.<31> The revised deadline of October 2009 was missed due to continuing redesign and lack of funding. After stripping the company to a 30 person core team focussed entirely on 2e production, the target date for 2e delivery was moved to 2010, pending further funding, such as approval of Aptera's DOE loan resubmission. Other development programs, such as the 2h plugin hybrid version and future four-seat passenger version, are on hold.<32> It was also revealed in the December 2009 newsletter that the composite body manufacturing was outsourced to Energetx Composites of Holland, Michigan.<33>

The California-based company opened a pre-ordering process for residents of California, but stop taking deposits in July 2011, and on August 12, 2011, Aptera announced it will return all deposits from customers who had signed up to buy an Aptera 2e electric car or the planned 2h hybrid.<34>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptera_Motors#Financing_and_production



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[janet118]

20. Was this a set-up?

It makes the alternative energy subsidies look sketchy, it enriches a bunch of Republicans and they can try to pin it on Obama. Nice.

[backtomn]

29. I agree......what was she thinking?

This makes Issa look like a big "green" supporter, but more willing than "oil state Landrieu" look like she is protecting law-breakers. Not smart politics. She could have helped getting this off Obama's back.....but, alas...NO.

You might be able to see that I am not a Landrieu fan.

[druidity33]

33. your perspective is puzzling...

nobody in their right mind would believe Issa supports green initiatives, the only reason he had anything to do with this program is because he got money for his district from it. Period. He would deny it to any Republican that asked him, i bet. Truly, he's a "former" thief and used car salesman.

As for Landrieu, i've never liked her either... just another DLCer corporatist. This is just her looking for an angle and some publicity.

:shrug:

[kestrel91316]

21. Wow. Somebody loaned a Dem a spine, I suppose. But I'll take what I can get.

[bread_and_roses]

22. It doesn't matter how much good she does while she's promoting dirty energy subsidies

- this is the dilemma we are always presented with - some troglodyte like her does something good once in a blue moon - which is a big so-what compared to the harm they do. Kudos to her for showing up R hypocrisy, for sure - but it won't matter much when the earth is virtually uninhabitable and our children are eating each other in a last-ditch and futile effort to stave off a richly deserved extinction

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

23. Good one Senator.

Even if you are a blue dog.

[alp227]

25. and is Issa also dissing Obama over Solyndra? n/t

[bertman]

28. Thank you, Senator Landrieu. That's 'plus one' to offset 'negative 500'. You've got a long way to

go yet. REC.

[sfpcjock]

31. Thank you!

Once a car thief, always a car thief.

[SoapBox]

34. Issa...THE poster child of CORRUPTION!

...total skeeze bag...this guy is dirty as the day is long.

EVERYONE should keep their eyes on him and drag him from any dark shadows.