For Dems, 2012 is All About Political Payback, All the Time

January 13, 2011

Unwilling to Cooperate with GOP on Bipartisan Job Creation, Democrats Instead Double Down on Job-Destroying Political Favors for Their Washington Friends

Democrats kicked off 2012 by cozying up to their Washington friends and blocking immediate job creating projects like the Keystone pipeline in order to solidify support among their radical anti-economic growth base.
But it’s not just environmentalists on the receiving end of the Democrats’ political favors. In an apparent effort to placate key union supporters disappointed by efforts to block the Keystone pipeline, the Obama administration has issued unions a disproportionate share of the waivers from Democrats’ government takeover of healthcare.
These moves fit the pattern of political payback infamously illustrated by the Solyndra scandal in which campaign donors were rewarded with taxpayer-backed loans.

Democrats kicked off 2012 by cozying up to their Washington friends and blocking immediate job creating projects like the Keystone pipeline in order to solidify support among their their radical anti-economic growth base:

OBAMA GIVES “EMBATTLED” EPA A HUG WHILE GIVING WORKERS THE COLD SHOULDER: “On a day when Republican presidential candidates stumped for votes in New Hampshire, President Obama paid a visit Tuesday afternoon to the employees of the embattled Environmental Protection Agency, which has been the target of GOP disdain.” (David Nakamura, “Obama Gives Embattled EPA a Pep Talk,” The Washington Post, 1/10/2012)
HOW IS EPA “EMBATTLED” WHEN OBAMA LETS EPA BUREAUCRATS HAVE THE REGULATIONS THEY WANT, DESTROYING 183,000 JOBS A YEAR, 1.65 MILLION JOBS DESTROYED THROUGH 2020?: (“EPA Finalizes New Rule That Will Hurt American Economy,” American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, 12/21/2011)

LIKE CLOCKWORK: DEMOCRATS’ GREEN BASE REJOICES OVER EPA’S JOB-DESTROYING DECISION: “Environmentalists rallied so hard for the Obama administration on Wednesday, you’d think power plants were shooting cotton candy from their smokestacks.” (Erica Martinson, “EPA Power Plant Rule Has Greens Pro-Obama,” Politico, 12/22/2011)

WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF BILL DALEY, BROUGHT ON TO MEND FENCES WITH JOB CREATORS, RECENTLY ANNOUNCED HIS RESIGNATION: (Christi Parsons, “William Daley to Step Down as Obama’s Chief of Staff,” Los Angeles Times, 1/9/2012)

GREENS REJOICE, “SAY ‘GOOD RIDDANCE’ TO DALEY”: “Bill Daley left plenty of fingerprints on energy policy during his yearlong stint in the White House, but environmentalists will remember him most for undercutting EPA’s attempts to set tough new air pollution limits.

“The outgoing White House chief of staff, who announced his departure Monday, is seen as the person to blame for successfully urging President Barack Obama last summer to halt the ozone standards.

“Daley’s views became clear, greens say, during an August meeting with the American Lung Association and other public health officials. There, Obama’s top West Wing aide doubted the quality of their polling data and cited industry concerns about job losses connected to a tougher EPA rule.” (Darren Samuelsohn, “Greens Say ‘Good Riddance’ to Daley,” Politico, 1/9/2012)

OBAMA MIGHT SABOTAGE KEYSTONE PROJECT AGAIN FOR POLITICAL REASONS: “And he might ruin that by killing the pipeline to please his rich green supporters who think you can power a modern economy with windmills, solar cells and switchgrass. But at least now he’ll have to decide before the election, and if Mr. Obama kills the pipeline he might doom a Democratic Senator or two.”(Editorial, “A Payroll Tax Deal,” The Wall Street Journal, 12/23/2011)

GREEN GROUPS HAVE THREATENED TO ABANDON OBAMA IF HE APPROVESKEYSTONE: “Environmental groups have been protesting the pipeline that would run from Alberta oil sands to Texas refineries, and there have been rumblings that greens would abandon Obama next fall if he approved it.” (Dan Berman and Darren Goode, “Obama Punts Keystone XL Pipeline,” Politico, 11/10/2011)

But it’s not just environmentalists on the receiving end of the Democrats’ political favors. In an apparent effort to placate key union supporters disappointed by efforts to block the Keystone pipeline, the Obama administration has issued unions a disproportionate share of the waivers from Democrats’ government takeover of healthcare:

“LABOR UNIONS PRIMARY RECIPIENTS OF OBAMACARE WAIVERS”: “Labor unions continued to receive the overwhelming majority of waivers from the president’s health care reform law since the Obama administration tightened application rules last summer.” (Paul Conner, “Labor Unions Primary Recipients of ObamaCare Waivers,” The Daily Caller, 1/7/2012)

543,812 UNION LABORERS RECEIVED WAIVERS FROM DEMOCRATS’ GOVERNMENT HEALTHCARE TAKEOVER, ONLY 69,813 PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYEES ALSO RECEIVED SUCH WAIVERS: “Documents released in a classic Friday afternoon news dump show that labor unions representing 543,812 workers received waivers from President Barack Obama‘s signature legislation since June 17, 2011. By contrast, private employers with a total of 69,813 employees, many of whom work for small businesses, were granted waivers.” (Paul Conner, “Labor Unions Primary Recipients of ObamaCare Waivers,” The Daily Caller, 1/7/2012)

These moves fit the pattern of political payback infamously illustrated by the Solyndra scandal in which campaign donors were rewarded with taxpayer-backed loans:

OUTRAGE: “BANKRUPT SOLYNDRA SEEKING TO PAY BONUSES” AFTER LOSING $535 MILLION IN TAXPAYER FUNDS: (Jim McElhatton, “Bankrupt Solyndra Seeking to Pay Bonuses,” The Washington Times, 1/11/2012)

OBAMA’S “GREEN” PROGRAM “INFUSED WITH POLITICS AT EVERY LEVEL”:“Meant to create jobs and cut reliance on foreign oil, Obama’s green-technology program was infused with politics at every level, The Washington Post found in an analysis of thousands of memos, company records and internal e-mails. Political considerations were raised repeatedly by company investors, Energy Department bureaucrats and White House officials.

“The records, some previously unreported, show that when warned that financial disaster might lie ahead, the administration remained steadfast in its support for Solyndra.” (Joe Stephens and Carol D. Leonnig, “Solyndra: Politics Infused Obama Energy Programs,” The Washington Post, 12/25/2011)

OBAMA’S DOE “ALL BUT” TOLD SOLYNDRA THAT THEY WOULD BE FIRST IN LINE FOR A SECOND STIMULUS LOAN: (E-mail from Steve Mitchell to George Kaiser, U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, 3/5/2010, p. 3)

TOP OBAMA BUNDLER GEORGE KAISER “WEIGHED ASKING WHITE HOUSE TO SAVE SOLYNDRA” AS IT WAS FAILING: “A key investor in the failed solar power company Solyndra, who was also a political donor to Barack Obama, strategized with his top executives about whether and how they should use their contacts inside the White House to help their failing business venture, according to emails surfaced by Congressional investigators Wednesday.” (Matthew Mosk, “Emails: Obama Donor Weighed Asking White House to Save Solyndra,” ABC News, 11/9/2011)

SOLYNDRA OFFICIALS WHO GAVE TO OBAMA HAD EASY WHITE HOUSE ACCESS:“The administration, which excluded lobbyists from policymaking positions, gave easy access to venture capitalists with stakes in some of the companies backed by the administration, the records show. Many of those investors had given to Obama’s 2008 campaign. Some took jobs in the administration and helped manage the clean-energy program.” (Joe Stephens and Carol D. Leonnig, “Solyndra: Politics Infused Obama Energy Programs,” The Washington Post, 12/25/2011)

NOTHING TO SEE HERE, FOLKS: KAISER WAS SOLYNDRA’S BIGGEST INVESTOR AND PLOTTED TO GET WHITE HOUSE HELP TO GET SECOND STIMULUS LOAN AND GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS: “Solyndra’s biggest investor was a fund linked to the family foundation of George Kaiser, a Tulsa billionaire and bundler for Obama’s presidential campaign.

“Kaiser was involved in e-mail correspondence with his business colleagues about an upcoming White House meeting to get the administration’s help in selling its panels, and in seeking a second energy department loan, which if awarded would have been in addition to a $535 million loan the company received in 2009.” (Joe Stephens, “Solyndra E-mails Show Obama Fundraiser Discussed Lobbying White House,” The Washington Post, 11/9/2011)

“SOLYNDRA’S LAWYERS MAJOR OBAMA, DEMOCRATIC DONORS”: (Matthew Boyle, “Solyndra’s Lawyers Major Obama, Democratic Donors,” The Daily Caller, 9/30/2011)