Obama Creates Chicago Solution to Chicago Problem at Solyndra

Townhall.com ^ | September 22, 2011 | John Ransom

[Kaslin]

True story:

Once while working at a hotel in Chicago many years ago, I checked in an alderman and his mistress in one room, a couple of union guys who asked about the alderman and his mistress in another room and some polite law enforcement officers in still another room within a few hours of each other. It was hard to know who was watching who.

But somebody was watching someone for sure. 

So let’s say I learned a few things growing up in Chicago watching politics and crime in real life. The ways of the Obama administration are something I’m used to. That’s partly why I dislike his administration so much.    

This much I know: When the Illinois Combine has a problem, they usually make it go away. Like either forever or at least until paroled for good behavior.

For the uninitiated, the Combine is a term used to describe the GOP and Dem insiders who run the state of Illinois with a little help from some ham-handed friends, like asphalt contractors, garbage collectors, teachers’ pension funds and Teamsters.

The Dems run Cook County and the GOP runs downstate.

They stage a few fights here and there just to keep it looking like politics. But really, in the words of Michael Corleone from the Godfather, “It's strictly business.”

That’s why Obama tapped Illinois Republican, former congressman Ray LaHood, long-time Combine member and benefactor of paving contractors everywhere as his Transportation Secretary. LaHood can probably over-estimate the amount of cement and labor on a given road project without even looking at a calculator. He knows the business.

Chicago veteran political columnist John Kass, who covers the Combine for the Chicago Tribune, wrote about LaHood as LaHood was being installed as US transport and asphalt vice regal:

As Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich plays the dancing monkey for America's journalists, another Illinois political story is being ignored:

Ray LaHood, the Republican Combine congressman from Peoria, has been smoothly installed as secretary of transportation in the reform administration of President Barack Obama.

In political terms, Blagojevich is a pimple compared with LaHood, who will have billions of federal dollars to dole out in state grants for contracts for roads, bridges, airport modernization -- all the sugarplums the guys behind the guys dream about.

One such guy is the indicted Republican boss of Springfield, William Cellini, a wealthy developer and executive director of the Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association. LaHood is a Cellini guy.

And Cellini is a Combine guy. He’s known as the “Pope” in the state capital of Springfield. He’s currently under indictment for asking a Hollywood producer to make a seven-figure contribution to Blagojevich’s campaign in return for a contract managing teachers’ pension funds. He’s the guy-behind-the-guy, in Kass’ phrase. And as Wikipedia reports, “He has been vetted and licensed by gaming regulatory bodies in Missouri, Indiana, Louisiana, Illinois and Iowa.”     

Shovel ready? LaHood and Cellini will give you shovel ready.   

That’s why I kind of feel bad for the Solyndra guys. Not the donors, but the executives.

It’s just about now that they have figured out who they were dealing with.

They thought they were dating the prom king when courting Obama and his government checkbook. But really, they were getting juice from a loan shark, Chicago-style, and they didn’t know it.

Maybe that’s why all of sudden the business guys who wear ties for a living and who were so ready to cooperate with the investigation into Solyndra are going to make like mobsters and invoke 5^th Amendment protection when testifying before Congress on Friday.

The Combine is pretty adept at government investigations that pin the blame on someone else; someone else who, in the best case scenario, ends up doing ten-to-twenty making small rocks out of large rocks.

Currently the Department of Justice, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Treasury and Congress all have open investigations into Solyndra and possible loan fraud by the executives. 

Political strategist James Carville recently recommended on TV that Obama “indict” someone as a way of saving his presidency.

This is the final image of hope and change? Scapegoat indictments?

The only hope the guys behind the donors at Solyndra have is for a change at prosecutor.

If I were them, I’d be crying out loud for a special prosecutor, independent of the Obama administration's Combine in this case.

True story:

It’s their only hope.

[Fixit]

[wayoverontheright]

There’s already enough information on Solyndra in the public domain to indict someone in the government. The crime here was the Obama administration signing off on placing the taxpayers behind the company stakeholders in the event of a demise.

For the executives to lobby for a loan, even for them to donate to grease the skids, is not a crime.

The administration can try all it wants to pin the blame on the executives, but the Solyndra executives didn’t have the power to sign off on the creditor repositioning.

The question is who within the government signed off?

[no-to-illegals]

It is rumored zer0 wanted to go for the ultimate solution. Remember Saint Valentine's Day was going to be zer0’s warning. The plan was later abandoned when a location large enough to hold the crowd could not be found. zer0 is now rumored to be calling up reserves, in his army, to do the unthinkable. Most calls placed have reached disconnect numbers or the calls were not answered. zer0 is rumored to have called the clintoons asking for help. Bill sent zer0 a bill for services. Hilliarity stated the bill was for media services. zer0, at last report, is going to take another vacation. zer0’s new motto ... When the goin’ gets tough, call somebody else.

[icanhasbailout]

The question is who within the government signed off?

DoE Secretary

[icanhasbailout]

This article is excuse-making for crooks. Solyndra’s business model was to steal from the government, as are so many “green” businesses. It sure wasn’t to make private profits on a business model where a $6 product gets sold for $3.

[Piranha]

Now this is a thread worth following.

[wayoverontheright]

If the DOE secretary is who signed off, then that’s who we should be bringing before the committee to testify. We could then attempt to identify if anyone of higher authority was involved, like..maybe....Obama.

My only problem with the comments on this thread is that the desire to punish the executives is perhaps squandering the opportunity here to reveal who the real culprits are, and for me it’s those within government who engineered bilking the tax payers by repositioning the creditors.

In knee-jerk fashion, we seem to be playing to what will be the left’s attempt to quash this-by blaming the private sector players involved.

[Ann Archy]

Man....Ray LaHood is a HOODLUM!