DOE Loan Payoff - Positive PR and Winning Over Conservatives

I'm a relative n00b here, so I apologize if this has already been rehashed elsewhere on the forums, but I just wanted to get everyone's thoughts about what the potential affect the early DOE loan payoff could have on Tesla's public perception among those that might not be considered among its "typical" demographic/psychographic.

I consider myself relatively politically conservative (libertarian-leaning) but have been a big fan and enthusiast of Tesla from day one. Having been an automotive journalist for over a decade, I found it interesting to see the PR boost that Ford got from not taking a bailout, and I think Tesla will receive (if it hasn't already) a similar boost from paying off its DOE loans early.

I cringed during the debates when Romney lumped Tesla in with the "losers," knowing the inaccuracy of that statement, just like "All Jeep production is going to China."

Although conservatives are often stereotyped as driving big, gas-guzzling V-8 SUVs, I think there are many that are concerned about our energy policy, if not for CO2 emissions per se, for foreign oil dependence (although that seems like it's rapidly becoming a moot point). I think it was a brilliant move by Musk and Tesla to get the DOE loans paid off, and proving that a new-tech car company can get on its own two feet, free of Uncle Sam's wallet.

Well, I'd hope the ultimate end-game would be for EVs to be financially viable without tax credits. I know we're a ways off from that, but I believe all industries are ultimately healthier without reliance on market-distorting incentives.

Having grown up in Silicon Valley, I guess I have a little different perspective than a lot of the rest of the country that see EVs as nothing more than government-subsidized glorified golf carts.

I think Tesla will be the defining automaker of the EV revolution. As low-volume and expensive as the Model S is, I already see a TON of them in California. When the Gen-III sedan hits the roads, I think it will have well silenced whatever critics remain.

Going off on a bit of tangent, I bought some Sunpower stock and NOT Solyndra. I'm not an engineering expert, but just from what I researched about their R&D and technology, Sunpower seemed like a much more promising long-term bet, and so far, have not been disappointed with the (stock) performance. Wish I would have gotten in on TSLA a long time ago, but like they say, hindsight's 20/20. People can say what they want about Musk being a control freak, but the fanatical attention to detail shows in the excellence and quality of the product. Something it seems Fisker was sorely lacking, with "musical executives" being played every six months.

However you feel about the DOE loan or the federal credits, the more independent Tesla can be from subsidies, the better off they will be in the long-term, and I think Musk knows it.