Romney: “Actually, I Saved Detroit. You’re Welcome.”
Wow. It’s hard to imagine being more brazenly dishonest, hypocritical, and egotistical–all at once–as this.
I pushed the idea of a managed bankruptcy, and finally when that was done, and help was given, the companies got back on their feet. So, I’ll take a lot of credit for the fact that this industry has come back.
Well, I pushed the idea of a stimulus back in November of 2008, so I’ll take credit for millions of jobs saved. You’re welcome.
Oh, wait, you actually have to do something to get credit for it?
“Auto Czar” Steve Rattner is taken aback:
I’ve read, I think, everything Romney’s had to say on this subject, and the level of flip-flopping and dissembling is truly mind-boggling. He’s been on every side of the auto rescue at different times and said different things, so it’s hard to know what he honestly thinks.“
One notable area where Romney was relatively consistent was that he always pushed for private takeovers of the industry rather than using government money, though no private parties expressed any interest. He also advocated punishing the unions, which would essentially have meant devastating worker pay and benefits. Ironic, as well-paying America jobs were supposedly what this whole business was all about saving.
Like Obama’s call on bin Laden, the moves the president made with the auto industry were risky, unpopular, and could have sunk his presidency had he failed. However, he made them, succeeded–and, again as with bin Laden, Republicans who attacked him for even suggesting such moves now crowd in and try to take credit for their success.
Let me take this opportunity, to once again say:
Romney would have let Bin Laden live and Detroit die.
(if he meant what he said, when he said it.)
As long as the Obamanites don’t let Romney out of this pin position, he’s dead in the water. That’s why Romney’s gone for the big lie early.
I would expect a full fledge, all repubican hands on deck, message discipline repeat of this big lie of his, over, and over, and over, and over, and over again, until the lie becomes the truth and every time Obama mentions Detroit, Romney will look like HE saved it.
This was the tactic Bush used on Kerry when it came to the Viet Nam war thingy. You had a know, reckless coward in Bush, defraud a hero of his true credentials. These people have no principles, they have no merit. They win on the big lie and plucking peoples emotional buttons.
I agree that the pre-packaged BK the government did for GM & Chrysler was relatively slick for what it accomplished.
I’ve only been following this indirectly, but overall the conservative racket over what the administration did for GM and the UAW might be a valid beef to some extent.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2012/02/06/american-airlines-shows-the-corruption-of-obamas-gm-bailout/
As for these days:
“‘Everybody is appreciative of a job and glad to be working,’ said Derrick Chatman, who makes $14.65 an hour putting tires on Jeeps after being laid off at Home Depot, working odd construction jobs and collecting unemployment.”
. . .
“instead of the guaranteed $3,100-a-month pension a full-paid worker receives after age 60, the new hires have to build their own “personal retirement plan” based on contributions from the company of less than $2,000 a year.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/business/in-detroit-two-wage-levels-are-the-new-way-of-work.html?pagewanted=all
$30,000 per year, gross.
I am reminded of our former workplace. I was the first batch hired on the less-generous contract, where they bumped up the hours from IIRC 22 to 25 and cut the overtime pay from ¥3000 to ¥2500.
At the time, being an American I didn’t understand why all the Commonwealth coworkers were so motivated to strike on my behalf.
It was only later that I figured out that with the new lower terms, the company muckety-mucks then had a monetary reason to ease out the old employees and their more costly salaries — my shittier contract put their job security and working conditions in jeopardy.