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NEWS FLASH

Biden Bashes Romney In Des Moines Register Op-Ed | Vice President Biden attacked GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney in an op-ed in the Des Moines Register today, less than two weeks before the Iowa caucuses. The Obama re-election campaign has focused on Romney as the most likely GOP nominee, but Biden is the highest-profile member of the president’s team to directly attack the former Massachusetts governor. “How can anyone forget the economic catastrophe brought about by the same policies Mr. Romney’s proposing? His are the same policies that deregulated Wall Street and turned it into a casino that gambled recklessly with hardworking Americans’ money,” Biden wrote. The vice president did not mention any other presidential candidates in the op-ed, even though former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (GA) recently had been seen as a frontrunner.

Climate Progress

Fisker Automotive: Breaking Down the Media’s Latest Faux Cleantech Scandal

By Climate Guest Blogger on Oct 24, 2011 at 12:40 pm

JR: At the end, I’ll add some more on GOP hypocrisy on this issue.

Aerial photo of site for Fisker Automotive facility in Delaware, made possible by a clean energy loan program

by Dave Roberts in a Grist cross-post

Here we go again.

ABC News and iWatch have a big new report out that desperately tries to lend an air of scandal to another Department of Energy loan guarantee. It’s a remarkable package, nearly 3,000 words and three ABC News segments full of handwaving and innuendo suggesting that there’s something shady going on, using the word “Solyndra” as often as possible, but in the end there’s … nothing. Not a single bit of evidence of wrongdoing or corruption. It’s a gigantic nothingburger. It just describes the loan program working exactly as it was intended to, but in a tone of dark insinuation.

The fact that there’s no there there will of course not impede the U.S. scandal machine. Already the Drudge Report has linked it, Sarah Palin has Tweeted it, right-wing blogs are flogging it … Next thing you know, other media will be hyping it to, because, you know, “questions have been raised.” And it’s off to the races all over again.

Just for the record, let’s walk through the facts.

The loan program in question is the $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program, established in 2007 by the energy bill passed under George W. Bush. It’s intended to speed the introduction of more efficient vehicles into the U.S. market and help stand up domestic industries to supply those vehicles.

The ATVM program was fully funded in 2008 and began issuing loans in 2009. In June of that year, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the first three recipients: $5.9 billion to Ford, $1.6 billion to Nissan, and $465 million to electric automaker Tesla.

Then, in September 2009, DOE announced a fourth recipient: $529 million to California-based Fisker Automotive. The loan was finalized in April 2010 and announced at an event with Vice President Joe Biden.

At the time, Fisker had one vehicle under development and another planned, both plug-in hybrids; the loan was split between them. The smaller portion, $169 million, was devoted to helping Fisker work with U.S. suppliers to finish up the Karma, a $97,000 four-door luxury sedan. The larger portion, $359 million, was devoted to Project Nina, Fisker’s plan to develop a mid-market plug-in sedan. The company expects the Nina to cost around $39,000 and be in mass production (75,000-100,000 a year) by late 2012, with delivery to begin in 2013.

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NEWS FLASH

Biden: GOP Booing Of Gay Soldier Is ‘Reprehensible’ | During an appearance on The View today, Vice President Joe Biden expressed his disappointment in the crowd at a recent Republican debate in Florida for booing a gay servicemember. “Look, this kid risked his life, this kid was there for a year — and I quite frankly, I thought it was reprehensible,” he said. Biden, whose son is an Army captain, also said, “I know my son and all the kids with him…I don’t think they give a damn whether the guy firing the rifle to protect them is gay or straight.” Watch it:

Climate Progress

Biden: ‘If We Don’t Develop Renewable Energy, We Will Make the Biggest Mistake in This Nation’s History’

By Stephen Lacey on Aug 30, 2011 at 3:37 pm

AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

In a call to arms this afternoon at the National Clean Energy Summit, Vice President Joe Biden made the case for continued investments in renewable energy, explaining that “we have to unleash” innovation in the sector to stay competitive and rise to the environmental and economic challenges of the day.

“If we don’t develop renewable energy, we will make the biggest mistake in this nation’s history,” he explained a crowd of over 700 policymakers, investors, students and other business professionals in Las Vegas.

He also criticized political opponents of clean energy investments who have fought to de-fund major R&D and deployment programs, explaining “the President and I are not going to listen to those voices.”

Biden did not lay out any new policy priorities in today’s speech. Instead, he used the platform to reiterate the Obama Administration’s support for investing in renewable electricity and fuels. In his January State of the Union Address, Obama called this period of history “our generation’s Sputnik moment,” and outlined a broad plan to get 80% of the nation’s energy from clean resources by 2035.

With the potential for significant reductions in long-term spending on certain energy programs, the Administration may find it difficult to make the investments needed to come close to achieving that goal. While Biden didn’t address those specific challenges, he did make it clear that that the White House was at least standing behind the goal rhetorically.

“I have one specific message. Our country has a choice. Are we going to rise to the challenges like our grandfathers and grandmothers did? Or are we going to be a follower?”

Budget negotiations this fall will be a true test.

To see the rest of today’s speeches and roundtables at NCES, you can watch the live streaming here.

NEWS FLASH

Kristol: Rudy Giuliani Is Running For President | Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol reports that “two reliable sources” tell him former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will run for the GOP’s presidential nomination in 2012. “He may throw his hat in the ring soon,” Kristol writes. Giuliani’s last run at the presidency in 2008 ended rather quickly after several early primary losses. The most memorable moment of his campaign became Joe Biden’s “a noun, a verb, and 9/11” retort during a Democratic debate in Philadelphia. This fall will mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

LGBT

Biden Blames Politics For Inability To End Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Discharges While Policy Is Being Repealed

By Igor Volsky on Sep 15, 2010 at 10:06 pm

Earlier this evening, during an appearance on The Rachel Maddow Show, Vice President Joe Biden expressed confidence that the Senate will pass the defense authorization bill and repeal the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, saying that “everyone who was fired should be able to be reinstated if they wanted to.” But when Maddow asked Biden why the administration won’t order the military to stop discharging gay and lesbian servicemembers before the policy is officially repealed in the spring, Biden insisted that Democrats were bound by the existing compromise amendment:

MADDOW: In terms of the timing of that, if that goes as you say it’s possible that it could go. If that repeal happens, the timing is that the Defense Department is studying the issue through December. They’ve got another, I think, 60 days or something that they– after which they would have to delay any repeal process. So, we’d be looking at, best-case scenario for repeal, would be sometime in the spring. With the policy under such intense scrutiny, that study underway at the Defense Department, progress being made both in the courts and politically, why not suspend the discharges of people under the policy now, pending that Defense Department review? Why keep kicking people out now while all of this movement is happening towards ending the policy?

BIDEN: Because that is the compromise we basically had to make to get the votes to finally repeal it. In other words, everybody’s looking for, in my view, if I could just wave a wand, it would just be flat repeal. No one else would be able to suspend it. And everyone who was suspended would be able to come back if they wanted to. But the truth of the matter is, we had to build a consensus for this. Working very hard on the telephone. Calling people. And everybody’s looking forward to the orderly elimination of this law. I would prefer it not be orderly. I prefer it just end, boom, done. But that’s why that hasn’t happened. It’s resulted in us getting over 55 votes, I think we’ll get 55 vote, to flat repeal it.

Watch it:

Despite Biden’s explanation, many activists have argued that Obama could sign an executive order banning further military separations or increase the thresholds for separations.

Politics

Biden angrily responds to Barton: It’s not a ‘shakedown’ to insist BP takes care of people who are ‘drowning.’

By Amanda Terkel on Jun 17, 2010 at 10:47 pm

Vice President Biden stopped by today’s White House press briefing to talk about the Recovery Act. While there, however, reporters encouraged him address Rep. Joe Barton’s (R-TX) apology to BP for the fact that the Obama administration is making the company set up a fund to pay individuals and businesses that are suffering because of the oil spill. Biden angrily responded to Barton, calling his comments “astonishing” and “outrageous”:

BIDEN: There’s an entire way of life in jeopardy. This is just not about jobs. This is just not about whether or not the waterfowl is polluted and you can’t — this is an entire way of life that’s in jeopardy. And to sit there and say that we’re being — in effect, as I understood the statement — that he was ashamed we’re being tough on an oil company who caused the problem — I mean, I — look, I just think that it’s pretty important to the people of Louisiana all the way through Florida and even in his home state of Texas that people disassociate themselves from that.

That’s not the role — there’s no shakedown. It’s insisting on responsible conduct and a responsible response to something they caused. And I find it outrageous to suggest that if, in fact, we insisted that BP demonstrate their preparedness, to put aside billions of dollars — in this case, $20 billion — to take care of the immediate needs of people who are drowning — these guys don’t have deep pockets. The guy who runs the local marina, the guy who has one shrimping boat, the guy who has one small business — he can’t afford to lose $10,000, $12,000, $15,000, $30,000 a month. [...]

What is wrong with that? How is that a shakedown? I mean, I just — I don’t know, I find it pretty astounding, the comment.

Watch it:

Transcript: Read more

Politics

Beck guest host: Vice President Biden is ‘turning Japanese’ and ‘turning into Joe Biden-son.’

By Matt Corley on Mar 31, 2010 at 11:04 am

Yesterday, the guest host of Glenn Beck’s radio show, Doc Thompson, talked himself into an absurd racial discussion when he declared that a tax on tanning salons makes health care reform “racist” because “most tanning sessions are from light-skinned Americans.” Today, another Beck guest host, Chris Baker, launched into racially questionable commentary, declaring that Vice President Joe Biden is “turning Japanese.” “Look at that cat’s eyes, man, he’s turning into Joe Biden-son,” said Baker. Listen here:

Soon after making the comment, Baker responded to someone off-air, saying, “What do you mean racist? That’s not racist, it’s an observation. He’s the guy changing himself. Not me.”

Media

Fox News Makes A ‘Big F—ing Deal’ Out Of Biden’s Private Remark At Bill Signing Ceremony

By ThinkProgress on Mar 23, 2010 at 12:43 pm

Expressing his great enthusiasm for what he called “a historic day,” Vice President Biden turned to President Obama at this morning’s health care bill signing ceremony and whispered, “This is a big f—ing deal!” In their eagerness to distract from the bill signing, Fox News jumped on the comment, breathlessly reporting it as a scandal.

Fox News’ official Twitter account first tweeted Biden’s quote:

bidentweet

Immediately after President Obama signed the health care reform legislation, Fox News’ Trace Gallagher brought up the “news,” saying that it was crossing their “urgent wires.” “We’ll play that for you if we can,” he promised. Bret Baier called Biden’s comment “striking”:

GALLAGHER: We also had crossing the urgent wires…the possibility that Vice President Joe Biden might have slipped up and dropped an f-bomb when he was addressing the President. [...]

I want to add some more context about what I was saying about the comment that Vice President Joe Biden made to the President and it says here, in our urgent queue, that when he was hugging the President, he leaned over and said, “This is a big bleeping deal.” We’ll play that for you if we can. [...]

BAIER: It was pretty striking for Vice President Biden to turn to the President and say, “This is a big blanking deal,” using the f-word with the microphones picking it up, and I’m sure we’ll take about that later.

Watch it:

Of course, Fox is eager to find a source of distraction to avoid covering the substance of the health care policy. Over the course of the year-long health care debate, Fox propagated baseless stories about “death panels,” fears about a “government takeover,” and claims that health care being “unconstitutional.”

Update

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs tweets, “And yes Mr. Vice President, you’re right…”

Related Posts

Security

Netanyahu Apologizes For Settlements News, Despite Recently Appearing With Pro-Settlement Cleric Hagee

By Matt Duss on Mar 10, 2010 at 10:41 am

Biden and Netanyahu On Monday, the day Vice-President Joe Biden was to arrive in Israel, the Israeli government announced approval for 112 new homes in Beitar Illit, an ultra-Orthodox settlement near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, despite having agreed in November to curb settlement growth in partial fulfillment of Israel’s obligations under the Bush administration road map.

On Tuesday, Israel’s Interior Ministry announced plans “to build 1,600 new housing units for Jews” in Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. Biden released this statement in response:

I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem. The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I’ve had here in Israel. We must build an atmosphere to support negotiations, not complicate them.

Interior Minister Eli Yishai apologized on Wednesday “for causing domestic and international distress” with the timing of the announcement, and Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly told Biden, “No one was seeking to embarrass you or undermine your visit — on the contrary, you are a true friend to Israel.” But Meir Margalit, a member of Jerusalem’s City Council told Israel’s Ynet News that the ministry “meant to sabotage the announcement that Netanyahu issued today regarding the renewal of indirect negotiations with the Palestinians. It is also a kind of slap in the face of the American administration.”

Despite Netanyahu’s apology, his position in favor of settlement expansion is clear. As Max Blumenthal reports, “a day before Biden’s arrival, Netanyahu appeared onstage with Pastor John Hagee in Jerusalem.” Hagee is a radical American cleric who opposes the two-state solution and supports unlimited Israeli settlement expansion with millions of American dollars. “If America puts pressure on Israel to divide Jerusalem we are following the blueprint of the Prince of Darkness,” Hagee has said. “Amos 3:2 states that any nation that divides the Land of Israel will come under the severe judgment of God.”

Hagee’s views are 180 degrees opposite of the goals of the United States and the international community to establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. Netanyahu’s appearing onstage with Hagee is a strong indication that his stated support for the creation of a Palestinian state is less than genuine.

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