Did John McCain Almost Bankrupt Arizona With His Electric Cars?

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041702b.thumbnail.jpgJohn McCain is up to his neck in the shenanigans behind the Great Financial Crisis of 2008; did you know that he played a role in almost bankrupting Arizona too?

Back in 2000, Arizona came within a whisker of financial collapse and bankruptcy. The cause was a corrupt state Alternative Fuels Program engineered by McCain’s best friend and political protege, Jeff Groscost, then speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives. That program turned

…what was supposed to be a modest $3 million initiative to encourage the use of alternative-fuel vehicles (AFVs) into a half-billion-dollar boondoggle that nearly bankrupted the state and earned it national belly laughs.

Not only was Groscost manager of McCain’s 2000 Arizona Presidential Campaign, the boondoggle legislation was the fruit of McCain’s 2000 Campaign:

Groscost, who has been a paid political consultant to presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, said the campaign was frustrated when it could not find an alternative-fuel vehicle.

Yesterday Newsweek reported that, along with his ten other cars, John McCain owns "three 2000 NEV Gem electric vehicles."

In Arizona, most NEV Gem electric cars are 2000 models sold under the Alternative Fuels program that nearly bankrupted the state. Curiously, John McCain owns three of them. Did he capitalize on the boondoggle his protege crafted to have the taxpayers of Arizona heavily subsidize three new cars?

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  1. klynn says:

    Goodness bmaz, I wish you and EW were asking the questions at the debate. McCain would be speechless and probably “pop” his hot head.

    I think the financial meltdown was, in many ways, a last planned event. Devastate the country so much, it makes it impossible for a Dem Pres winner to rebuild the country in four years, giving the next election to repugs because repugs hope on the shor term memory being weak as to “who” caused the financial crisis and the aftermath.

    Great post.

  3. TheraP says:

    Ok, bmaz, help us out here. Alert the state that guy who is not capable of thinking clearly is driving cars! And wants to drive an economy.

    Perhaps the state can step in and at least pull his driver’s license. Yes, I know they’d likely need a cognitive eval… but the guy should not be driving cars OR the USA!

  5. mui1 says:

    Let’s face it. John McSame may be “experience” as Lieberman was supposedly more “experienced” than Lamont, but does the nation really want McSame/Lieberman’s kind of “experience.” The theme for this election should be “time to take out the trash.” Trash: Lieberman, McSame, Shays, Susan Collins . . . (feel free to fill in the blanks).

    ACLU action: innocent man on death row.

  7. i4u2bi says:

    How is it we can always depend on Republican professional criminals to always be so dumb?..they are much like the bank robbers that go back for their receipt instead of keep running.

        • eCAHNomics says:

          What do you mean? Your mother owns the stock? If so, too big to fail prevails. Too late to sell, so hold would be my guess.

          Disclaimer: Never take investment advice you get online from someone you don’t know.

          • sadlyyes says:

            hahahahaha,her investment guy moved her there from NTrust,when he went…I hope he is not as mediocre as i feel he is,although,just not downright dumb will suffice in this climate,crossing toes!

      • mui1 says:

        Unlike the little people:

        Mr. Davis has been languishing on Georgia’s death row for over 15 years for purportedly killing an off-duty police officer. There are serious questions about his guilt because: There is no physical evidence linking him to the offense and no murder weapon has been found; Eyewitnesses have recanted their stories; And there are accusations of police intimidation of witnesses.

        On Friday, September 12th, Troy Davis was denied clemency by the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles. It is imperative that we respectfully ask them to reconsider this unfortunate decision. Although Mr. Davis has an appeal pending before the US Supreme Court, we can take action by asking the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles to reconsider their decision and commute or stay his sentence.

        And then . . .

        Severe cuts to Georgia’s legal defense resources meant that two lawyers represented close to 160 people on death row, including Davis, when he needed critical work done for his appeals. Also, in 1996, Congress passed the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, which increased restrictions on appeals. No court would hear the new evidence – the witness recantations. Davis was turned down throughout his appeals, including at the US Supreme Court.

        I guess it’s the “mercy seat” for those with no legal defense.

  8. lefttown says:

    Shouldn’t we be calling our Senators and Congresspeople? I just called one of my Senators and urged him to reject Paulson’s proposal. I’m going to do the same with the other Senator and my Blue Dog rep now.

  11. klynn says:

    An indentured servant is a form of debt bondage worker. The laborer is under contract of an employer for some period of time, usually three to seven years, in exchange for their transportation, food, drink, clothing, lodging and other necessities.

    A major problem with the system of indentured servitude was that in many cases, an indentured servant would become indebted to their employer, who would forgive the debt in exchange for an extension to the period of their indenture, which could thereby continue indefinitely.

    Let me get this straight. We the people work. We pay taxes and put money into banks. We buy homes through loans…The banks are using our money to leverage investments. The banks are allowed to commit fraud to get investments and to get us into an investment. We the people then bail out the bank fraud on our dime without any oversight to make sure this does not happen again.

    And then we pick up the bill for all those going homeless…

    Oh, the amazing planning…

    Article 4 of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights (passed in 1948) declares such servitude as illegal. But, only national legislation can implement that illegality. In America, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 extended servitude to cover Peonage as well as Involuntary Servitude.

  12. sadlyyes says:

    and the mainstream liberal corporate media…is just foorkin hilarious….as TITANIC sinks,they soooooooooooooo funny

  15. joedinaz says:

    The Arizona alt-fuels story is not simply that it was a misconceived boondoggle. In fact, Groscost had a pal in the “alt-fuels conversion” business who benefited directly from business generated by the bill.

    The “alt-fuel” in question was propane – people would have little 3-gallon tanks installed and the conversion kit allowed them to switch between gasoline and propane. There was no requirement that they actually ever switch.

    I don’t recall whether electric cars were part of the program. At that time, mere mortals couldn’t get electric cars anyway.

  18. eCAHNomics says:

    W bullying congress. Sent a written note that they should dally & add irrelevant stuff because the whole world is watching.

  19. cbl2 says:

    question to John Harwood just now on MSNBC – (the Villagers take him seriously)

    Q: “did McCain sufficiently defend himself against NYT lobbyists on staff accusations?”

    A: “No, not at all”

    • eCAHNomics says:

      Harwood likes Obama. It was obvious in Harwood’s clip on CNBC earlier. However, the fact that Harwood likes Obama should make us dubious of Obama. Puts him on the wrong side of the issues we care about.

      • NelsonAlgren says:

        Harwood used to work for the Wall Street Journal. He’s hated Dems for a long time. I don’t know why he bailed on them for NBC, unless he thinks the WSJ doesn’t have much of a future.

        • eCAHNomics says:

          Harwood still works for WSJ I think. They have a relationship with CNBC, and it looks like MSNBC, that requires some of WSJ reporters to appear on TV.

          • NelsonAlgren says:

            Which is weird. I thought Murdoch would have bought out that agreement. Then again, maybe he thinks it is a good idea for guys like Harwood to be spreading Murdoch’s type of hate in places besides Faux.

        • sadlyyes says:

          did ja hear Keith say on his show how Rupert dyes his own hair in a sink.(daughter said so)….i can not tell you how much that reveals to me about that cretin…first one being however……………….he is CHEAP!!!!!

          • cbl2 says:

            my only point was the Villagers listen to Harwood

            and his comments this morning feed in to the increasingly louder tom-tom beat now emanating from inside the beltway (see yesterday’s concern troll fest on This Week) – the death of irony that they only begin to publicly question insiders when the Villager’s 2nd vacation home is at risk

  23. NelsonAlgren says:

    I hope CHS or someone is watching this thread. I am sure one of the posts this morning will be about the “Paulson Plan”

    First, You can Digg Glennzilla’s post here:

    http://digg.com/business_finan…..ulson_Plan

    Second, Can someone please post, on the front page, the 1-800 to call our Congress critters? It sounds like we’ll need to be making a lot of calls this week.

    • demi says:

      1 (800) 828 – 0498
      1 (800) 459 – 1887
      1 (800) 614 – 2803
      1 (866) 340 – 9281
      1 (866) 338 – 1015
      1 (877) 851 – 6437
      I have this saved to my desk top. (that’s a hint.)

  24. pajarito says:

    Bmaz, thanks for the reminder and pinning this on McPalin.

    I was there when this happened, in Phoenix people were buying mega-SUVs that had natural gas or diesel option under this bogus plan. State subsidy for gas hogs as long as there was a bumper sticker on it that said

    Alternative Fuel Vehicle

    . Once bought, I
    m sure most never used the natural gas option…continueing to guzzle gasoline. Like many AZ laws, facilitate the rich and gouge the poor, or unconnected.

    Buy a clean air license plate or an environment license plate there and your money goes to a state anti-regulatory commission seeking to null federal environmental regulation.

    Kinda like Palin’s Alaska: get raped and pay for the forensic kit youreself!

  25. sadlyyes says:

    imo……..we will be EXTREMELY lucky to get him…like whistling past a graveyard……otherwise in a year or so you will belooking at PREZ PALIN…and endtimmer…… of course Darth is still holding ll the strings… i believe things could get much,much worse

  28. hackworth says:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SkzJ9CpVkk

    Check out this video to get the gist of these cars. They are not viable trasportation by any stretch of the imagination. They are toys. This youtube demonstrates my point.

    Other electric vehicles currently available – like the Think – are much more serious all weather transportation with higher top speeds and longer range.

    If McCain didn’t get his three cars for free, he wouldn’t have them. That’s the way he rolls.

  29. Ann in AZ says:

    Ah, the alternative fuels debacle. Well, it wasn’t all bad; after all, that’s how Janet Napolitano got her job! How is that, you say? Well, after a series of state Governors, including Evan Mecham (I call him the used car salesman) and Fife Symington (the land developer,) then Jane Hull who allowed her administration to become nearly bankrupted by the alternative fuels debacle, the people of AZ finally got tired of being stupified and swindled by the Republican Governors they had elected and threw the bumbs out! Hence they elected Governor Janet and also Terry Goddard, the Democrat who was the former mayor of Phoenix, as State Attorney General! More of these, please!

  31. TheShadowKnows says:

    If Republican John McCain ever gets evicted from his 7 or 8 or 9 homes, he could live in his cars. He would be the only person to have ever lived in a car home with 10 “rooms”.

  32. katymine says:

    The Alternate Fuels rebate on vehicles did nearly bankrupt Arizona and nearly caused the impeachment of yet another Republican Governor…. after the current track record of AZ Gov’s….. impeached, convicted…. well you get my drift….. This was driven by have Auto dealers as state Rep’s and Senators….

    the other mess was the zoning and growth planning is in the toilet as the other business group is the Real Estate/building industry and the last is the charter schools group….. so between the three….. it is a constant battle to keep their running through AZ with scissors under control is a full time job. Now you know why Gov. Janet is known as the veto queen….