Associated Press
It's been about three years since NBC News' First Read said, "As the GM bailout goes, so goes the Obama presidency." And at this point, it's fair to say President Obama's rescue of the American auto industry has been a great success. It was a gamble -- not only with the backbone of American manufacturing, but his presidency's ability to use the power of government to repair a private industry facing collapse -- but it paid off.
Indeed, just this morning, the Dayton Daily News reported on the tremendous rebound we're witnessing in Ohio's auto industry. Though the Buckeye State struggled throughout the Bush era, Ohio has now added thousands of manufacturing jobs under Obama.
Paul Ryan, however, has a very different kind of story to tell.
"I remember President Obama visiting it when he was first running, saying he'll keep that plant open," Ryan said in Ohio Thursday, describing the shuttered GM factory in Janesville, Wis. "One more broken promise."
Ryan blamed rising gas prices under Obama for the closing. He echoed the complaint in an interview with a local ABC affiliate, suggesting it showed that Obama's auto rescue was a sham.
"It didn't help Janesville," he said. "They shut our plant down. It didn't help Kenosha. I represent there; they shut down the Chrysler plant."
Even for Paul Ryan, this is just bizarre. Putting aside how foolish it is to blame Obama for higher gas prices, the Janesville plant he's referring to closed in 2008 -- when Ryan's pal George W. Bush was president. Unless Obama has a time machine, blaming him for a plant closed before he took office is pretty silly.
But more than that, there's an underlying oddity to Ryan's attack having to do with his ideology.
Apparently, as of this morning, the right-wing congressman is complaining that Obama's rescue of the auto industry wasn't big enough. The president, according to Ryan's new argument, should have been bigger and spent more money.
In other words, Obama rescued the American auto industry and saved millions of jobs, but some plants didn't survive, which means the policy was bad ... or something. In the meantime, Ryan's running mate would have allowed all the industry plants to close as part of his "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt" policy.
Indeed, given Ryan's running-mate's record, maybe he should avoid bringing up the whole subject of plant closings?
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By the way, Obama knew about the attack on Pearl Harbor- he lived there, for Pete's sake- but did nothing about it, because he wanted to run for president when he grew up.
Also, given his love of 'assassination from a distance', I'm pretty sure he was involved in the demise of President McKinley.
(No, shooter, not Lincoln- Obama wasn't even born then!)
(:- )
Day - you're forgetting about the President's time machine...
;-)
You're assuming he wasn't born in Kenya! ;)
Has this tower of intellect (so called) been so coddled and pampered in his adoring GOP coteries that he doesn't realize he really doesn't have the mind or the character to enter the arena here? He's been so flattered for so long by people who never disagree with or criticize him that he is producing shockingly stupid elements into the campaign at a fairly rapid rate.
Romney and Ryan know they probably can't win in November. The vote suppression tactics by-and-large aren't turning out as well as they thought, though they are having some success, and R/R are polling behind in every swing state. Ryan didn't give Romney a VP bump.
They're really desperate to throw everything to the wall and see what sticks. Fortunately, the electorate isn't as dumb as people tend to think that they are, and Obama's team is much better at messaging than Romney's team, because Obama's team isn't just a gaggle of sycophants.
"Fortunately, the electorate isn't as dumb as people tend to think that they are, . . . "
You have more confidence in them than I do, though I do think they're actually going to get it right in November. The electoral math seems to working in Obama's favor. At least so far.
However, one should never overlook the Republicans' capacity for hoodwinking enough folks to eke out a victory.
Many people in the electorate haven't been paying much attention to he candidates. Most news organizations report only what Romney or Ryan says and doesn't fact check it.
If you have a person that doesn't read the paper, listens only to a Christian music station and doesn't watch the news, then you have to work harder to educate that person in a one-on-one encounter.
Actually it's worse if they watch Fox News. Remember the survey that found people who don't watch news at all are better informed than those who watch Fox?
Back in the 1990's/early 2000's, I think the electorate was a lot less informed. It was a lot easier to just saturate people with political ads and watch the votes roll in.
The internet has changed that, though. Sure, it's brought some people who might have been independents over to the Fox News dark-side of the Force, but it's also allowed a lot more people to spread truth in addition to the people spreading lies.
I do have a lot of faith in the American people, because I think that the regressive, happily oppressive wing of the right wing is just a loud, irritating minority. I remember there being some statistic like only 5% of people in the colonies were for independence, but we still managed a good old revolution.
The 5% who want a revolution now aren't actually conservatives, they're actually arch-neoliberals who worship a crappy sci-fi author. But, they're loud, and they're trying to get their way. We can stop them, though. We did it in the first Gilded Age, and we can do it again. Because that's the nature of hubris, which is the defining characteristic of the Randians.
I think we have hit a tipping point in the "propaganda/news will sway the low-education voter" strategy that has propelled the GOP for two decades. Now, Fox and massive ad buys by Super-PACs do not change voters from Dem to GOP, only from classic GOP to Tea Party. They can sway their base to primary-in the extremists, but they cannot sway normal voters with lies and dog-whistles. It just is not working this cycle.
At least I hope so.
Ryan is in full campaign mode. He will say anything he thinks the rubes want to hear. All the crap about him being a serious ideologue is crap. He is a politician, first, second and always. He is fully capable of changing his ideology to fit the situation just like he changes his shirts.
Apparently Mr. Ryan is using his campaign as a posthumous tribute to Rod Serling's story-boarding!
I simply can't decide if his efforts would place him in The Twilight Zone, or in The Night Gallery! -Kevo
How is it that no one asked Ryan what year the plant was closed when he said that?
As at all Ryan events any dissenters were removed, or would be promptly removed, thus allowing uncontested, lie to your face( specifically for the news cameras) rhetoric that apparently no-one contests, and is therefore truth. The GOP is a well oiled propaganda machine.
That would be soooo hateful!
And why is it that no one asked Ryan that under the GOTP mantra of "capitalism", why is it that he's crying over the closed plant? After all, it must not have been working efficiently in order to have closed.
The thing that has most frightened me over the last five or six years is that the members of one of the two political parties in the modern world's prototypical democracy has voluntarily, willingly, even eagerly imposed upon itself a mental aberration that Orwell believed it would take an all-pervasive totalitarian police state to impose and maintain.
Bravo, Steve with numbers!
From your link:
"Among the automakers who have added jobs in Ohio are Honda, which now employs more than 13,400 statewide and will debut its redesigned Accord sedan on Monday in Marysville.
Chrysler Group LLC plans to add hundreds more next year at its plants in Toledo. Just this week, the company started accepting applications to fill 1,100 additional jobs next year and needed less than 36 hours this week to reach its quota of applications, the (Toledo) Blade reported.'
No, the jobs added aren't specifically related to GM or Chrysler, though you have to go way down in the story to find that out, also will Chrysler is publicly adding some workers in this country, it is very, very quietly closing plants where it can to move production out of the country:
On July 9, Chrysler informed the state of Michigan that it would close its Mack Avenue Engine II plant, effective September 9. The Detroit Free Press reports that, though the notice said the layoffs must be considered permanent, the company has given to understand that the plant's 200 workers would be reassigned to other plants.
Elsewhere, the paper has reported that Chrysler plants in Detroit; Belvidere, Illinois; Toledo, Ohio; and Warren, Michigan have added employees and offered overtime.
The plant manufactures the 3.7 V6 engine used in the Jeep Liberty and Ram 1500. Chrysler is replacing that engine with a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine built at Chrysler plants in Trenton, Michigan and Saltillo, Mexico.
The Press mentioned rumors that the plant would reopen in 2014 for Maserati. Maserati, like Chrysler, is a Fiat subsidiary; and is slated to reenter the US market.
However, Chrysler insists that there is no such plan for the plant
Read more at http://www.autoworldnews.com/articles/2076/20120720/chrysler-idles-engine-plant-doesn-t-lay.htm#tsx70vMD2UUOEE1A.99
"Chrysler to expand Mexico plant to build Ram commercial van"
http://www.freep.com/article/20120110/BUSINESS03/120110044/Chrysler-Fiat-Ram-assembly-plant-Mexico
And your point is?
What Ron said.
Ron his point is he along with Foxisnot New's are rooting for the American auto industry to fail costing million's of job's.You know Obama is not allowed to have any win's,that's the republican way.
GM and Chrysler combined employ roughly the same number of Americans as Publix Supermarkets, 150,000 or so
You are rooting for Publix to close? I will be very hungry the next time I visit Jupiter, FL.
By the way in addition to GM and Chrysler there are thousands of subcontractors servicing GM, Chrysler, Ford, Honda and all the rest. They have millions of employees all up. Their jobs (including Honda and the other Japanese and European companies building cars in America) were on the line in addition to GM and Chrysler. You are pretty dense aren't you.
Ahem, @bannedagain:
Maserati has never exited the US Market. The Quattroporte V sedan still is on sale and new for the '13 year is the Gran Turismo Sport replacing the S Coupe in the Gran Turismo lineup.
Chrysler accounted for two thirds of the FIAT group's profit in 2011 despite having paid off $500M to the US Govt. early. If Ford hadn't beat GM to the punch in the 2007 credit crunch, securing huge lines of credit, it too would have been on the blocks. As a result, Ford is heavily in debt, though profitable. GM is not anything more than profitable. Chrysler paid off its last $500M to the US taxpayer last year. FIAT, in response, has only increased its shareholding.
"Even for Paul Ryan, this is just bizarre. Putting aside how foolish it is to blame Obama for higher gas prices, the Janesville plant he's referring to closed in 2008 -- when Ryan's pal George W. Bush was president."
Steve can hide information with the best of the them, they idled the plant in Decemeber of 2008, amid vague promises that it could reopen which of course won't happen:
"The Janesville plant stopped production of SUVs in 2008 and was idled in 2009 after it completed production of medium-duty trucks.
Remaining on standby means not much has changed in Janesville. Community leaders say they would be ready if the GM plant reopened, but no one seems to be counting on that.
"I think there are a lot of people that would love to see General Motors come back to this area and provide good quality manufacturing jobs," said Bob Borremans, executive director of the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board. "If we fit into their future and they come back, people would (welcome) that with great anticipation and open arms."
http://www.jsonline.com/business/130171578.html
Don't you mean the plant could reidle? Or is it unidle?
The plant closed in 2008, just as Steve said. It's not Obama's fault for the plant closing. Period.
Spin yourself dizzy if you'd like, but facts are facts.
Ok course it's not Obama' fault the plant closed. It's GM's . They had and still have horrible management. The bailout didn't change that. It just eliminiated their debt.
And you know this because you Just Know it must be true, all objective evidence like, say, the vastly improved products and skyrocketing sales, to the contrary notwithstanding.
Did anyone ask what Congressman Paul Ryan did to help reopen that plant in his hometown of Janesville?
Did anyone ask what Congressman Paul Ryan did to help the employees of that plant who came from his hometown of Janesville?
No, of course not.
"I didn't help Janesville, is what Congressman Paul Ryan should have said.
It was Ryan's job to help Janesville. Ryan could not create a job or provide safety nets for those in Janesville who are out of a job because of plant closures. Ryan doesn't know how to create jobs. In theory and in practice Ryan is unwilling to create anything for anyone but himself and his individualistic corporate cronies.
Plant closures occur because of business conditions, whether it be reduced demand, high costs, or other factors. It's not the governments responsibility to shore up private companies.
They keep doing this! They take the whole briar patch scenario and turn it on its head! But it's like Br'er Rabbit doesn't even have to say anything! It's like Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear are saying "Screw you, Br'er Rabbit! We're going to throw you in the briar patch!" I guess it's on the principle that the best defense is a good offense, but it is a thing to behold. Please, yes, Mr. Ryan, let's talk about Obama and the automobile industry. After that maybe you can complain that Obama hasn't killed enough of Al Qaeda's top leaders.
Remarkably, unbelievably, that is almost exactly what they are trying next. "You didn't kill Osama bin Laden, Mr. President."
I mean, really???
I thought bailouts and stimuluses were bad. But now the auto bail out is good? I wonder what they will say in 2 hours. It's exhausting trying to keep up.
The geek in me wants to liken this campaign to Dr Who. Like Dr Who,we know little about Romney. They also seem to think they have a time machine. But Dr Who always works for the good of mankind so my analogy always falls apart.
August 2, 2012: General Motors said its net income in the quarter fell to $1.48 billion, from $2.52 billion in the same period in 2011. It also lost $361 million in Europe compared to an operating profit of $102 million a year ago. Sounds like Obama's gamble is paying off? What a joke!
uh huh
U.S. auto sales continue at strong pace
Auto sales on target for best quarter since 2008
Early August auto sales match July's pace
"General Motors said its net income in the quarter fell to $1.48 billion, from $2.52 billion in the same period in 2011."
Yes, his gamble has paid off. Keep in mind that those 2011 earnings you're using as a baseline would not have existed had it not been for Obama. Because there would have been no General Motors in any year after 2008. Had Romney been in charge, the company would have been broken up, the plant assets sold off at steep discounts, and creditors largely would have gone completely unpaid.
The auto rescue saved millions of jobs, and kept the economies of several midwestern states from completely going into the tank. That's a success in any reasonable person's book.
http://www.investorplace.com/2012/08/gm-ford-and-chrysler-miss-july-auto-sales-forecasts/General Motors
yes it is kind of funny that all the posts refer to Chyrsler as an American car company when in fact it is no more American than Honda or Toyota.
Even funnier is that Chrysler's jobs are here in America, not in Italy. And that virtually all of the cars like Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, Mazda use parts manufactured all over the world. Most of the car companies have large shareholder stakes in other car companies.
How many Chrysler's are manufactured in Italy? None. How many Toyota, Honda plants are in America? About six.
Which vehicle is more "American"? The Honda made in Ohio, or the Dodge truck made in Mexico?
Sure, Paul Ryan--blame the President, or GM, for closing the Janesville plant. Then-Senator Obama was talking before the meltdown of '08. ALL of GM would have been closed down without the bailout.
Look, they made full-size trucks and SUVs. Whatever the reason (high gas prices, high unemployment) people quit buying those vehicles. It's called...um...don't help me...
The free market! That's it. Supply and demand.
And if GM would rather extend a different line or pay overtime at a plant that's making the vehicles that are selling, that's there business.
What? You wanted Obama Administration to tell GM that had to keep that plant open? Yah, that would have gone over real well in Janesville, but not in Republicanland.
Bottom line on this: Obama was tough on the automakers, drove a hard bargain. The US got all their money back, plus a profit. GM and Chrysler are healthy, regardles of the month by month numbers. It is only the workers and dealers and retirees who got hurt.
Honda in Ohio is supposed to add 450 new jobs. GM here closed. So in the Dayton area it's still not good.
Making fools of the press is Romney/Ryan's favorite game.
They can say anything without rebuttal by the interviewer for fear of losing access or just complete ignorance of the subject to even offer rebuttal. Romney truly is the one referred to by the old line, "Know how you can tell he's lying...his lips are moving". Look how far the GOP has fallen to have such a pathetic embarrassment to integrity running for president.
dear rollo....it's a good thing you underlined the US....GM is a global company and they just issued a statement that they are in big trouble in Asia and Europe and need to come up with a better strategy. The US sales are inflated because Obama mandated all gov vehicles to be GM...once this is completed the sales will drop as the American consumer is not buying them.
Forbes seems to agree. Lends some validity to the doormat claim.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/louiswoodhill/2012/08/15/general-motors-is-headed-for-bankruptcy-again/
BALDERDASH:
In October 2008, GM announced Janesville Assembly would be largely idled December 23, 2008 (AFTER OBAMA WAS ELECTED ON NOVEMBER 4, 2008) when production of SUVs would end.
NOTE: WITH A SINGLE PHONE CALL BETWEEN 11/5 AND 12/23 OBAMA COULD HAVE TOLD THE PLANT MANAGERS TO KEEP THE PLANT OPEN TO FULFILL HIS IMPLIED PROMISE.
Assembly work continued at the Janesville Assembly until April 2009 (3 MONTHS AFTER OBAMA TOOK OFFICE), completing the Janesville/Isuzu light truck contract and then an additional 40 to 50 "skilled trade employees" worked to decommission the plant.
The plant was effectively shut down on December 23, 2008 (MORE THAN A MONTH AFTER OBAMA WAS ELECTED AND BECAME THE PRESIDENT-ELECT), and retained only a few dozen workers out of the thousands that previously had worked in the plant for a few months after major production ceased.
On January 13, 2010 (NEARLY 1 YEAR AFTER OBAMA ASSUMED OFFICE) GM put Janesville Assembly on STAND-BY to produce new vehicles due to recent increase in demand for GM vehicles.
OBAMA NEVER INSURED THAT THE JANESVILLE PLANT, STANDING BY, RE-OPENED. IT IS CLOSED TILL THIS DAY.
“'One of the reasons that plant got shut down is $4 gasoline. You see, this costs jobs. The president’s terrible energy policies are costing us jobs,' RIGHTLY STATED PAUL RYAN.
"Another reason was $70-an-hour UAW wage-benefit rates compared with Toyota’s $48 hourly wage. Ryan’s speech provides some insight into the conservative policy wonk’s complex political background: a popular, six-term conservative who represents blue and white collars in a politically split Wisconsin district, who lobbied for government help for Janesville, and who voted for Barack Obama’s auto bailout.
"But the Janesville closing is more revealing of Obama.
"His liberal media allies were quick to pounce on Ryan’s comments. 'GM stopped production at its Janesville, Wisconsin production facility in 2008, when George W. Bush was still president,' barked the Daily Kos, filling in Ryan’s obvious blank (true enough, unfriendly-to-Detroit-truc k mpg laws are also the legacy of George “We’re Addicted to Oil” Bush).
"But the Left misses the point. Under Obamanomics, OBAMA PICKS WINNERS AND LOSERS -- AND HE PROMISED JANESVILLE WOULD REMAIN A WINNER BUT MADE IT A LOSER.
"Obama promised Janesville would be a winner even as his economic policies guaranteed it would always be a loser. Indeed, Obama’s whole 2008 Janesville speech is a sobering road map for the job-killing policies he has put in place as president.
"Were Obama serious about American manufacturing, he would allow energy companies to explore (Gulf drilling moratorium), would facilitate bringing those resources to market (blocking the Keystone pipeline), allow companies to hire employees without massive medical costs (Obamacare), encourage flexible, non-union shops (demonizing Boeing, the UAW bailout), and stop forcing companies to make products consumers don’t want (electric cars, windmills, etc.)."
http://twitchy.com/2012/ 08/30/obama-lied-about-janesville-gm-auto-plant-not-ryan/
http://twitchy.com/2012/08/30/obama-lied-about-janesville-gm-auto-plant-not-ryan/%26h%3duaqhufk3qaqg5hsbodwltyubfrvcjlc4hyjavhn7fqujyzg%26s%3d1/-?pip=false&premium=false&client_uid=3243881204&client_ver=3.5.0.229&client_type=IEPlugin&suite=true&aff_id=0&locale=en_us&ui=1&os_ver=6.1.1.0" target="_blank" saprocessedanchor="true">
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janesville_GM_Assembly_Plant#2008