Would-Be Oregon "Green" Plant Deep in Red

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick lured Evergreen Solar from building its first US solar panel manufacturing plant in Oregon with a subsidy package eventually totaling $58.6 million.

Before Patrick took office, Evergreen was considering building its first US manufacturing facility in a state such as Oregon or New Mexico that offers hefty incentives to clean energy companies, [Evergreen President Richard] Feldt said. But during his gubernatorial campaign, Patrick visited Evergreen's Marlborough headquarters to try to persuade it to construct its plant in Massachusetts, according to Feldt.

Despite nearly $60 million in Massachusetts subsidies, Evergreen Solar's 2009 financial woes are five times worse than last year. The company lost $33.6 million in the first nine months of 2008. Losses for the first nine months of 2009 are $167 million.

Evergreen's stock, which hit a high of $18.84 per share in 2007, sells now for a fraction of that--under $1.50 per share.

To reduce labor and manufacturing costs Evergreen is transferring its panel assembly operations to China.

That's bad news for Massachusetts' hopes to offset the state's job losses by a growing "green" jobs sector. Nearly half of Evergreen's 800 solar plant jobs are currently involved in the panel assembly operations being moved to China.

About half of the 577 full-time and 230 contract employees at the Devens factory are involved in putting the panels together. However Evergreen declined to say about how many of those jobs would disappear with the scheduled transfer next year to China, where it is expanding because of lower costs.

Massachusetts' $60 million bet on "green" jobs has not turned out well. Will Oregon's political leaders learn from the Massachusetts experience?

H/T Ian Murray

Palin Second Highest Sales in History--Obama a Dim Fourth

The above chart is from the Nielsen blog. It shows just how astonishing Governor Sarah Palin's success with Going Rogue is.

Palin has out hit every other major political hitter except President Bill Clinton, and his success came after two terms as President of the United States. She also out sold Senator/Secretary of State Hillary Clinton--though it was close. No one else is even in the same ball park with those three. To put it numerically:

Bill Clinton - 100%

Sarah Palin - 77%

Hillary Clinton - 73%

and way in the back:

Barack Obama - 11%

John McCain and Joe Biden - 1%

Obama autographing books - November 15, 2009

Palin in Cincinnati - November 20, 2009

Or in baseball terms, the top three are jockeying to see who will be Babe Ruth and who will be Lou Gehrig. Everyone else is, well . . ., all the rest.

Palin is doing it in her rookie year. Hillary Clinton did it in her prime, and Bill Clinton did it at the end of his career.

It's an amazing success for someone who, though holding the highest state office--governor, has never held national office. (Not to mention that Palin has been a person both the media and political opponents have done everything possible to squash.)

The old saying seems apt: He who laughs last, laughs best.

Congratulations, Governor Palin! I have a feeling we ain't seen nothing yet.

H/T Conservatives4Palin

Oregonians Split on Approval/Disapproval of Obama

Supposedly Liberal Oregon is conflicted about President Obama's job performance.

After giving Obama an almost 16% electoral spread in 2008*, support has fallen significantly. Currently only 47% of Oregonians approve of the President's job performance while an equal 47% disapprove. Six percent are not sure.

A good guess is that the falling approval rate has something to do with Oregon's 7th highest unemployment rate in the nation--with no respite in sight.

If Oregon becomes a toss up state, that's not good news for Democrats or the Left.
____
*2008 Oregon election results:
Obama - 54.7%
McCain - 39.2%

Obama More Polarizing than Bush; Ties with Palin

Political analyst Matthew Dowd points out some interesting political dynamics in President Obama's and Governor Palin's approval ratings.

First, Obama is more polarizing than George W. Bush.

"While Democrats love Obama, Republicans look on him with real disfavor. The gap between Obama's approval rating among Democrats and among Republicans is nearly 70 percentage points -- a higher partisan divide than either Bill Clinton or George W. Bush experienced. Obama's agenda and actions this year, and some mistakes, have solidified this divide."

Second, Obama and Palin are equally polarizing.

"Polls show that Palin's favorability numbers are a mirror image of those of Obama. She is respected and loved by the Republican base, while Democrats despise her."

Third, both Obama and Palin have hurdles to overcome in a 2012 election.

For Palin it revolves around independent voters and winning early primary states.

"Granted, independent voters have significant reservations about her capability to be president, and this would be a hurdle in the general election. But to win the Republican nomination, Palin needs only to get enough support from the base to win early key states. Already, in nearly every poll today, she has a level of support that makes her a viable primary candidate. Just look at the crowds and the buzz her book tour is drawing."

For Obama the key is bringing up his approval rating.

". . . Gallup polls over the past 60 years show that no president with an approval rating under 47 percent has won reelection, and no president with an approval rating above 51 percent has lost reelection. (George W. Bush's approval rating in the weeks before the 2004 election hovered around 50 percent.) The 2012 election will be primarily about our current president and whether voters are satisfied with the country's direction.

"Who the Republican candidate is, and his or her qualifications and abilities, will matter only if Obama's approval rating is between 47 and 51 percent going into the fall of 2012. Interestingly, in the latest Gallup poll Obama's approval rating was at a precarious 49 percent."

Jackie Mason: The Morality of Trying to Destroy an "Idiot"

Mason on Sarah Palin: "I love her."

Me too, Jackie.

Watch the snarling dogs wheel and turn on you too. You've got courage.

AP Layoff Total "about 90"

AP reports:

"The moves are part of a larger restructuring throughout the AP, as the company made cuts to reduce annual payroll costs by 10 percent. The company used attrition, buyouts and about 90 layoffs — about 2 percent of the work force — to reach that goal. An undisclosed number in other departments were cut earlier."
[emphasis added]

LA Times: Palin and Obama Approval Ratings Within a Few Points

From the Los Angeles Times:

"But Sarah Palin's poll numbers are strengthening.

"And President Obama's are sliding.

"Guess what? They're about to meet in the 40s.

"Depending, of course, on which recent set of numbers you peruse and how the questions are phrased, 307 days into his allotted 1,461, the 44th president's approval rating among Americans has slid to 49% or 48%, showing no popularity bounce from his many happy trips, foreign and domestic.

"Riding the wave of immense publicity and symbiotic media interest over her new book, "Going Rogue," and the accompanying promotional tour, Palin's favorable ratings are now at 43%, according to ABC. That's up from 40% in July.

"One poll even gives her a 47% favorable."