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The Campaign Spot

Election-driven news and views . . . by Jim Geraghty.


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Obama’s Favorite Companies Hitting Hard Times, Again and Again

The RNC notices that another one of Obama’s favorite companies, solar-panel manufacturer Amonix, is hitting hard times. The company only officially “opened” its plant in North Las Vegas in May of 2011. The company got a $6 million tax credit to build the facility in 2009, and Obama touted the company in 2010. This week, 200 of the plant’s 300 employees got pink slips.

Oh, and in other news:

An Indiana-based energy-storage company that received a $118.5 million stimulus grant from the Energy Department filed for bankruptcy Thursday…

President Obama touted the program in his State of the Union address this year.

“In three years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the world’s leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries,” he said.

At the time, EnerDel said the grant would help the company double its production capacity and create 1,700 jobs. But the company has faced major financial problems in recent months.

This is all separate from Solyndra. And SunPower. And BrightSource. And Tonopah Solar Energy.

What’s the record for most presidential-touted companies going bankrupt in one term?

Lesson: Don’t let President Obama notice you!

Tags: Barack Obama, RNC, Solyndra

New on The Campaign Spot. . .


COMMENTS   3

EXPAND  

Bill Wilde
   01/26/12 20:02

Think trying to pick winners in the solar energy field is crazy, Wait till Newt is throwing away billions resettling illegal immigrants on the moon. Cordially, Bill

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   01/27/12 10:50

Crony Capitalism ain't just Democrats, though Republican cronies seem to do better at actually turning a profit.

Newt throwing money around to get his name on the front page... I'm with Mr. Wilde here. Insanity, we never newt ye.

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misie
   01/27/12 15:24

In the government's defense there is a reason so many government backed companies fail. The companies with good business prospects can easily attract private money with better terms. Companies with only mediocre prospects can get private money on somewhat harsher terms but without the fear of running afoul of politics. This limits the pool of companies the government invests in to the losers which cannot attract private investment on reasonable terms.

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