You Bring the Torches, I’ll Bring the Pitchforks

Posted on 11/19/2008 at 8:06 pm by Bob Cesca

The Detroit CEOs flew to Washington in private jets – so they can beg us for money. Here’s a gigantic a-hole to talk down to us:

“Making a big to-do about this when issues vital to the jobs of millions of Americans are being discussed in Washington is diverting attention away from a critical debate that will determine the future health of the auto industry and the American economy,” GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said in a statement.

First string to attach to the bailout money? Fire Tom Wilkinson.

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  • kansasdem

    Bob,I think you’re wrong!We need to make loans to the big three! LOANS!What we should be pissed off about is Paulson’s “bait-n-switch”! Over three and a half billion that was supposed to be guaranteed to some degree with “undervalued” assets!Bush, Paulson, and Bernanke all fed us a line of shit!All this focus on the “big three” begging for a paltry $25 nbillion is just cover for those who actually fucked us idiots!

  • Nanotyrannus

    Something similar happened to me during the Gulf War Part One when I worked at Pizza Hut delivering pizza. We’d started asking for a larger delivery fee since gas had shot up as a result of the war. One weekend a couple of douches came down from Atlanta, in two separate brand new Pontiac convertibles to tell us, sorry, we just can’t afford to do that just now. They could have been rentals, but certainly both of these cheesedoodles could have crammed themselves into one Geo Metro and at least looked the part of po’ boys.It just shows their complete disconnect from what goes on in the real world. The Big Three CEO’s completely ignore us unless they need something, and then they show up looking like a fucking episode of “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous.”

  • kansasdem

    So, Nano, do you think these fat cats are going to actually suffer if the whole damn thing fails?Of course they won’t! Everyone downstream will!This is a huge problem and it requires our intervention!What we should be pissed off about is how Paulson pulled a “bait-n-switch” on our asses!Yeah! A $350billion bait-n-switch! Without blinking!Ya’ suppose he has a hi-rise in Dubai?

  • Nanotyrannus

    I agree kansasdem that the bridge loan is very necessary, but agree with others also that many many strings need to be attached. From what it sounds like right now, though, their will be no loan and no bailout. I think the Congress is still without the spine to act decisively and the current Administration is more than happy to leave this mess for the next guy in order to lay the blame at his door. Already the White House is framing the message to suggest that Congress will go on “vacation” without dealing with this mess. This is from the same people that literally used the words “we need $700 billion to purchase toxic mortgage assets” then this week said “purchasing toxic mortgage assets was never the intention of this package.”Congress needs to act aggressively on this, and do it this week. Pass an awesome bill grabbing the $25 billion from the original $700 billion, attach conditions and requirements to receiving the loan, then let George W. Bush veto it. Let the Republicans in Congress and the President own the failure of the loan to Detroit.

  • kansasdem

    “Congress needs to act aggressively on this, and do it this week. Pass an awesome bill grabbing the $25 billion from the original $700 billion, attach conditions and requirements to receiving the loan, then let George W. Bush veto it. Let the Republicans in Congress and the President own the failure of the loan to Detroit.”Agreed! 100%!I should get busy and see just how much it cost the taxpayer to write off the price of a new SUV for tens of thousands of folks 5 or 6 years ago!I remember that well! That’s also something we should be really pissed off over! Something that benefited the oil companies!Drill, baby, drill!

  • kansasdem
  • kansasdem

    Unless we get our shit together the Rethugs will start to turn this back around in just two years!

  • jane

    Kansas, that crap was shameful. Thanks for the linky.

  • MrBrink

    The way it looks to me,these are all union busting execs speaking on behalf of the auto industry; answering questions from union busting GOPers in committee.So they fly in looking like undeserving pricks, take questions from other pricks, while an already pissed off public witnesses this theater fresh off the $700 billion Wallstreet intervention that practically no one in middle America supported. So now, this particular situation is fluffed for retribution to those elusive “fat cats” that we didn’t have time to deny during the fog of the initial stages of the Wallstreet panic because it was forced down our throats like an economic Patriot Act, discovered the morning after a collective roofie hangover.Wallstreet isn’t union of course, but 3 million jobs represented by these private jet flying pricks are, and to the American public, they all look like the same SOBs right now looking for a handout. Someone’s got to feel the wrath of national frustration.You’d think they staged the whole thing just to weaken the labor unions they all hate anyway. From the feigned GOP inquisition– to the overpaid execs with their hat & hands. The more prickish and incompetent the auto execs appear, the less likely they are to receive a $25 billion dollar taxpayer blessing. And because the Republicans appear to take a hardline stance “on behalf of the American people,” they come out looking like saviors. It’s bullshit.So what’s the likely result? Bankruptcy and massive union concessions, further weakening organized labor?Remember who we’re talking about, here.We’re dumping $10 billion a month down the Iraqi abyss, but a measley $25 billy to help save 3 million union jobs is the line in the sand?Bullshit. Cough up the cash. This is infrastructure we’re talking about, here. Not some Wallstreet pricks caught up in a pyramid scheme.

  • Bob_Cesca

    >>I think you’re wrong!I didn’t really say anything, though. Sadly enough, the bailout needs to happen, but you’re right — it should be a loan and there should be many strings attached. More later…

  • kansasdem

    I had written a somewhat longer reply attached to that SUV tax break link but it got whisked away into the type key vapor.In part I mentioned that I actually know two businesses that replaced much more fuel efficient mini-vans with SUV’s during that boondoggle!One is a floral shop and the other a hardware store! Now, I don’t really fault them for wanting to save a buck, but …………..To me that was one of our most shameful moments! But that soon after 9-11 NO ONE dared disagree with the CinC!I wish I could find an actual $$$$$$$$$$$ figure about what that SUV tax credit crap cost!

  • http://misterfurious.blogspot.com/ Mr Furious

    I remember my first job out of college…design firm. They screwed us all on our year-end bonuses because “money was tight.” The message was delivered by only one of the two partners—because the other one was in Germany picking up his new 500SL.Needless to say, it didn’t go over well…

  • http://misterfurious.blogspot.com/ Mr Furious

    All of this said, making a big deal about the jets IS pretty stupid.

  • JackDanieL
  • http://poopandpolitics.blogspot.com/ MCat

    I live outside of Detroit, just across the 8 mile border and I work in Detroit and I know first hand what is happening here with the already failing auto industry, if we loose those three Michigan will be a third world state, its bad out here, everyone living here has someone in their family that works in some way for the auto companies or a supplier of some sort. If the government allows them to fail I don’t know what we’ll do. We’re already running at a 8.something unemployment rate and you can add a couple hundred thousand to that number and we’ll have our own depression and thats not something I want to see or really can afford to see.Something needs to be done, regardless of how they got to DC to ask for it, they can’t let it fail while those they are asking for $$ from aren’t sitting too shabby either