Morning Joe Sloughs Off Solyndra: 'No There, There'
By Mark Finkelstein | September 23, 2011 | 09:33
What a curiously incurious Morning Joe bunch! Joe Scarborough says Solyndra "is just not a story I have focused on" and John Heilemann similarly admits to not having "drilled down" on the matter. Meanwhile, Harold Ford, Jr. assures us that when it comes to any potential Solyndra scandal, "there's no there, there" and that no one "has done anything illicit here at all."
A blasé Joe Scarborough grudgingly introduced "this Solyndra thing," citing those pesky "conservatives on Twitter" who keep raising it. The show deigned to devote under two minutes to the story, with nary a mention of the facts that the main driver behind Solyndra was a major Obama fundraiser, that the Bush admin blew off funding for Solyndra after concluding their products weren't competitive and that Solyndra execs are now taking the Fifth. View the video after the jump.
Watch how Scarborough, Ford and Heilemann slough Solyndra off.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: John, tell me about this Solyndra thing. Because every time I go on Twitter, conservatives are accusing us of covering up this story which I, I, from what I understand the president pushed to get money to them --
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: A lot of money.
SCARBOROUGH: -- a lot of money to them, and they went bankrupt. So are we--I mean, it's just not a story I have focused on. Is this a big story? Has the White House done anything wrong?
JOHN HEILEMANN: I think that is the question that is in dispute. The White House was obviously in favor--in the first stimulus bill they were in favor of putting money into some degree, into green energy projects. This was one of the projects that got money. Part of the question is whether the White House was in some way improperly fighting for this particular company.
SCARBOROUGH: What does the evidence look like?
HEILEMANN: Well I, I, I, I'm like you: I have not really drilled down very far into it. But there are many accusations out there that [mumbles], there are many accusations that they behaved inappropriately and that they should have known in some way that Solyndra was in more financial trouble than --
SCARBOROUGH: Harold, there's a hearing today on Capitol Hill, and I guess executives are coming. Do you think there's a there, there?
HAROLD FORD, JR.: No. I think this was a case of a company --
SCARBOROUGH: You're not saying that as a supporter of the president.
FORD, JR.: I think it's a bad set of facts, but is there any there, there? No. I think if you look at where a lot of this alternative [energy] money went, it went for batteries in the Michigan area where jobs were being created. This was a bad case and the administration has owned up to it and said look, we might have missed some things here. And I think the political question is whether or not the White House was trying to rush to get Vice-President Biden there before the company to make a big case and make a big splash. But I don't think there's a there there. I don't think anybody's done anything illicit here at all.
HEILEMANN: Right.
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Comments
Yes, just keep your liberal
Submitted by Beukeboom on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 9:37am.
Yes, just keep your liberal heads buried in the sand and conservatives will come along and kick your a$$ each and every time.
Same thing goes for MSDNC...
Submitted by USMC8411 on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 1:16pm.
There never has been and never will be any "there, there!"
It's not Illegal just
Submitted by shirtsbyeric on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 9:42am.
It's not Illegal just Incompetent.......Good strategy!
Nothing to see here, folks! Let's move on!
Submitted by Mary Louise Turner on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 9:44am.
The make believe media's handling of the Solyndra mess is disturbingly similar to its treatment of Clinton scandals. "There's nothing to see here, folks! Let's move on!" Scandals involving Democratic Presidents are small potatoes to the MBM. That's because the reporters have so much invested in the Presidents involved (Clinton and Ears). However, you know if these scandals had Republican names attached, the stories would be "front page" for months and months...
Hey look, Meeeeka's daddy is coming on for half an hour again
Submitted by Tomorama on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 9:52am.
To me, this speaks volumes of the way the media picks and chooses sides and picks and chooses what to cover, they AGAIN are kicked dragging and screaming on reporting on a story that sheds bad light on Obambi (see rev Wright, Rezco, fast and furious, LightSquared etc, etc, etc, etc).
These ass clowns here just like UP with Chris Hayes this weekend, GIVE NO FACTS and fluff it off as not that big a deal and a mistake of minor proportions.
I'll be a good guy and give the ineptitude part of the story a pass, BUT, the biggest part of this bullsh** to me is they went in AFTER knowing that this company was in trouble and REWROTE the loan so we GET SCREWED and the Obama fundraiser GET'S PAID FIRST.
THAT is the worst part of this story, they can't fluff that off, so don't report it at all.
That is not ineptitude, THAT IS A CRIMINAL, IMPEACHABLE NO SECOND TERM ACT.
Fox rightfully reported on the story that there was wiretapping going on etc, etc in regards to the Europe mess, THEY REPORT everything and yep - THEY REPORT and WE DECIDE.
The Boston globe still has not reported on Fast and furious OR LIGHTSQUARED and barely mentioned Soylyndra and when they did it was a soft story, again, a simple mistake.
Back to Obama sucking up
Submitted by Texndoc on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:10am.
I tuned in for a moment and Joe, Mika, and the bald no-lips were all sucking up to Obama and his bridge speech. His numbers are in the toilet but to this trio of geniuses: "He's back!". Pure White house spin, grade A bs.
I read that that bridge is
Submitted by ricklail on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 11:05am.
I read that that bridge is not even in the Save Obama's Job Act.
The executives of Solyndra may not be talking but the employees are.
The importance of THAT bridge, rick
Submitted by Blonde on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 11:45am.
....was the "optics" (the WH's favorite new word).
That bridge connects the republican leadership....John Boehner's district, and Mitch McConnell's Kentucky.
Clever more, they are not.
For the life of me, I can't figure out why Obama doesn't do all of his speeches from in front of the Kremlin.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 138 (and Counting)
Blonde
Submitted by antiObamunist on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 2:00pm.
Speaking of "optics" baldy, I, I, I, I, I would like to drill down into your skull to see if I can find anything but my morning oatmeal.
Joe, you would have to dig up his journolistic reputation to find it had he not mentioned this "solyndra thingy" before the kleptocrats pleaded the 5th
How many bridges in Illinois..
Submitted by USMC8411 on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 2:31pm.
Are crumbling under democrat rule? How about Pennsylvania? How about Michigan? How about any state that "went" for obama in 2008? What has he done for them lately?
Back to Obama sucking up
Submitted by Texndoc on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:10am.
I tuned in for a moment and Joe, Mika, and the bald no-lips were all sucking up to Obama and his bridge speech. His numbers are in the toilet but to this trio of geniuses: "He's back!". Pure White house spin, grade A bs.
Isn't there an investigation going on?...
Submitted by USMC8411 on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:13am.
"Harold Ford, Jr. assures us that when it comes to any potential Solyndra scandal, "there's no there, there" and that no one "has done anything illicit here at all."
How about we let the FBI make that determination of what is there or not, let congress look into it, and then take the appropriate legal action.
The White House has owned up to to Harold? When did they do that, and why is MSNBC just reporting it now? Damn twitter-ers bothering poor ol' Joe!
Funny how Joe has no "facts" and he lazily says "Solyndra thing" and then the mocking ...the president pushed... for some money.... a lot of money... and they went bankrupt.... $535,000.00!!!!! WASTED dollars!
Solyndra... obama's Enron!
What really pisses off the
Submitted by ricklail on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 11:07am.
What really pisses off the left is they can't blame it on Bush. They tried. That much has been cleared up.
Solyndra is a symptom
Submitted by richb313 on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:16am.
Solyndra is a symptom of a broken system. This is the natural result of an unholy alliance between business and government. Solyndra is just the liberal version of that problem and it is really why most networks simply cannot understand the story. All reporters in Washington have to do the Beltway two step to have any access. They pony up the the social bar and try and make friends of the people they are supposed to be watching.
I wonder how many sweetheart deals Washington has done over the years with similar results that we do not know about. One side always blames the other yet they both do the same thing. Sure GW Bush did not approve the Solyndra loan to thier benifit but we do not really know the whole story of institutionalized theft and corruption because reporters cannot see the forrest for the trees.
Solyndra is a forseen consequence
Submitted by c5then on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:34am.
It is EXACTLY what happens when government tries to designate winners in a particualr industry. Solyndra's business model was economically unsupportable but is was ideologically appealing to the administration. No government group is capable of making all the right decisions on how to run an economy. There will always be mistakes and in this case, in my opinion, corruption.
When solar power is econmically superior to the available alternatives, it will win all by itself with no assistance. The fact that it needs assistance (like wind and geothermal, etc) means that it is not there yet.
Think about the macro-economics of this situation..government gets it's money from taxing citizens and businesses. It then gives some of that money (which the businesses and people do not have to spend themselves anymore) to a struggling business. That struggling business then goes backrupt, thus losing all of that money. It is as if half a billion dollars was simply stripped out of the GDP and burned.
Part time Congress with term limits! - No more professional politicians. Let's start rebuilding the Republic!
Solyndra is an example of a broken obama regime...
Submitted by USMC8411 on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 2:11pm.
And more scandals are coming to light. Liberals like you, rich, believe that the only business is the business of government.
"Solyndra is just the liberal version of that problem and it is really why most networks simply cannot understand the story." Keep trying to spread that liberal BS. LIBERAL NETWORKS understand the SCANDAL perfectly and the LIBERAL NETWORKS are jumping on grenades to cover up the SCANDAL and to protect their me-ssiah!
FOX does no "beltway two step" to report, as they have been reporting for weeks, on Solyndra, Lightsquared, and Fast and Furious. The SCANDALS your liberal media will not touch, yet they are fully aware of! Except Scarborough, of course, who had no idea until the evil conservatives (Probably TEA Party terrorists!) kept bothering him with tweets asking why he was blowing off the story....
Your hero promoted Solyndra to push his green agenda, and he is now in deep doo-doo up to his big ears.
And, Forrest "richb313" Gump, any liberal tree hugger like you should be able to spell the word FOREST correctly. How dare you call the MSM reporters! (I'm reporting you to attackwatch for that!) They are journalists that tell liberal obama-nauts like you, which talking points to post on NB.
As you wrote, Bush refused Solyndra. The system seemed to work then, didn't it? Bush had no unholy alliance with Solyndra, right? But obama jumped in with our $535,000.00 wasted dollars! The media wouldn't be so confused if they could, in the faintest way, attach Bush to this OBAMA SCANDAL.
Mediaite misses you pal... get back over there with your liberal "they all do it" drivel!
Ahhh....The "everybody does it" argument.
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 1:51pm.
The only problem with the "everybody does it" argument is that IF this deal had been approved by a Republican administration, the MSM, (and I'm guessing people like richb313, too), would be screaming from the rafters to investigate as vigorously as possible until the bottom was gotten to. I don't care who is responsible for this travesty. If we can appoint an independent investigator to go after the Valery Plame "leak", then surely Solyndra rises to the same level of scandal.
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
Just like Katrina...
Submitted by USMC8411 on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 2:25pm.
Bush and Cheney were dropping bombs on the levees from the Halliburton hurricane machine because Bush hates black people.
I do happen to care who is responsible. The answer may lead to more questions about other scandals and will expose the obama agenda for what it is, anti-American.
Patrick Fitzgerald was by no means, an "independent prosecutor." He lost that title when he buried the fact that he KNEW Armitage was the leak of the non-covert "agent" at the CIA. (Whose husband is a scumbag BTW). The whole investigation was a waste of time, politically motivated, and ended up with Scooter being charged with a "process crime" and not for the original offense he was charged with because the "independent prosecutor" knew he would be sued for damages.
Why would liberals agree with an independent prosecutor looking into a democrat scandal? Do the names Kenneth Starr and Robert Ray ring a bell? The MSM demonized them for investigating the suicide of Vince Foster, the Whitewater scandal, Travelgate, Filegate, and later the Lewinsky scandal!
I don't care which side is responsible.
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 4:34pm.
I don't care which side is responsible when it comes to the need for an investigation. If this happened under a Republican, investigate. If it happens under a Democrat, investigate. If it happens under a Communist/Redistributionist, investigate.
Am I being redundant?
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
Appoint...
Submitted by USMC8411 on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 2:26pm.
Kenneth Starr to look into the obama scandals....
mr. ford
Submitted by D'saredumbpeople on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:17am.
how did mr. Ford know......was he told by the lying white house to say that....and then the Bobblehead twins gave each other the rolling eyes treatment......Is there a dumber looking duo on TV...
"dumber looking duo?"
Submitted by Newsbubba on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:58am.
How about just DUMBER? Forget the "looking."
Here is a question to ask the liberal media...
Submitted by c5then on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:20am.
Would you think there is a "there" there if we replaced the Obama administration with the Bush administration and replaced Solyndra with Halliburton?
It is obvious to most of America that their liberal knickers are showing in their trying to make excuses and manufacture reasons why they should not look into any further.
Part time Congress with term limits! - No more professional politicians. Let's start rebuilding the Republic!
An AMAZING dismissal of the Solyndra story
Submitted by Galvanic on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:32am.
Even the NY Times is reluctantly covering this story. We don't even know where the $535 million went; the FBI raided the homes of the company officers; and those company officers pleaded the Fifth before Rep. Issa's committee. How could anyone with common sense not acknowledge that there is a story here?!
A classic example of MSNBC partisanship.
I am all for using the Bi-Partisan Presidential tactics...
Submitted by USMC8411 on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 2:40pm.
Use Clinton's rendition program to send them to Gitmo, and then utilize the Bush policy of Waterboarding to obtain "voluntary" statements, followed by the obama strategy of sending in SEAL Team Six for the head shots... helicopter them out to sea, and recycle their mortal coils.
Then apply same to any and all guilty parties....
conspiracy theory
Submitted by antiObamunist on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:14pm.
Just thinking, but why would the Houlder and the FBI want to investigate this scandal so soon after the story broke? Perhaps they wanted to confiscate the Solyndra "evidence" so it could be buried or made available to those in the adminstration that will likely testify and want their story to sound consistent with the evidence. Didn't the DOJ investigator provide material evidence in the fast and furious case to the person being investigated?
Its time to drain the swamp of this administration, FBI, DOJ, ATF. I would love to hear that giant sucking sound.
MSNBC is in more of a partnership with this administration. As most lawyers could attest, partnerships are sinking ships.
time to summon the
Submitted by humanzee on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:18pm.
time to summon the independent prosecutor/investigator. Quick... to the JUDGE CAVE!
Well like most stories like
Submitted by inquiringmind on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:41am.
Well like most stories like this the MSM will be embarrased into finally covering it after this all starts to unravel for the Administration.
Their excuse will again be, sorry we were simply late to this story. Our bad, now lets move on.
it's so "business as usual"
Submitted by kata on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:57am.
that no one in the media cares. The only time this kind of crap gets noticed is when it needs to become a political tool to push an opponent out of office. Else it's just "wink wink nudge nudge"! We need to put people in office that will view this for what it really is and abolish it from the system. That will take some guts because who wants to be the first to cut the special interest purse strings and give up that kind of power? I've seen some long time Republicans flinch at this too. My congressman is one of them.
Don't you just hate "a bad set of facts"?
Submitted by SickofLibs on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 11:18am.
HEILEMANN, OFF CAMERA: "Wake up Harold. Did you have to use the word facts?"
Hey Joe,
Submitted by Ashrak on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 11:25am.
Is there any "there" there in
The GunWalker Scandal?
Hmmmmmm?
Morning Bigot
Submitted by zachlind on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 11:31am.
Ah, Morning Bigot and his trusty sidekick Lump, still on patrol,
The lying B*****D, he doesn't
Submitted by Semus on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 12:36pm.
The lying B*****D, he doesn't focus on it because he's been told not to. This falls right in line with stonewalling that's going on at all levels. Nothing to see here move along.
MSNBC gets their marching orders from the WH, probably on a daily basis.
Young Ford-must think
Submitted by JIMMY1660 on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 1:02pm.
Pissing away $500+million on apipe dream of Liberals is okay.
Most Americans do not.
Joe's right...
Submitted by bigdaddy on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 1:33pm.
...It's not like they found the body of a dead women in Solyndra's corporate offices...Move Along People....
Over-sustainability.
Submitted by upcountrywater on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 1:35pm.
Get the government out of picking the winners and losers the business world.
Just another place to cut spending.
O'bama 0% capital gains @4:58 and so much more.
I guess since they re-ordered
Submitted by amyshulk on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 3:56pm.
I guess since they re-ordered the normal payoff under GM and nobody squawked, doing it for Solyndra gets a meh???
Ronald Reagan
Just like Joe. He sloughed off the MYSTERIOUS DEATH...
Submitted by jmigyanka@msn.com on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 6:36pm.
of his political assistant (Lori Klausutis) in his Florida office - just prior to his resignation! Go figure! A cover-up waiting to be revealed. This will take him off the air for sure. For all the suspicious facts, try these for openers:
1. http://archive.democrats.com/preview.cfm?term=Joe%20Scarborough
2. http://www.americanpolitics.com/20010808Klausutis.html
3. http://flyingsnail.com/Dahbud/firejoescarborough.html
I think GE factors in MSNBC silence
Submitted by OffTheLows on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 7:10pm.
A big part of GE's govt subsidized biz is green energy, so avoiding the Solyndra talk is wise for the minority parent company (Comcast now majority parent).