MI’s Gov and Lt Gov on Congress’ Failure to Support a Loan

Jennifer Granholm:

Republican senators have just delivered a fierce slap at three million workers across America. Their no vote is an astounding blow: They have chosen to ignore the livelihood of three million Americans, three million families, and in the process have chosen to drive the American manufacturing industry – and perhaps the American economy – into the ground. They are choosing foreign competitors over American industry and American workers. A nation without a strong manufacturing sector is a nation without a viable defense sector. This is a shameful day, a day we will not forget. I implore President Bush not to let the American economy slide from recession into depression as he leaves office. Direct the Treasury Secretary or the Chairman of the Federal Reserve to use their authority to save the American auto industry, three million American jobs, and our nation’s economy. The moment could not be more urgent. Mr. President, American workers are depending on you. Save these jobs.

John Cherry

We are witnessing Congressional unraveling of the American Dream and the demolition of the very foundation of our national security. A few beltway insiders who are completely out of touch with the struggles of American families decided to settle old political scores at the expense of millions of jobs and our national economic security. While bankers get the keys to the Treasury our manufacturers get a one-way ticket to bankruptcy and American families are left unprotected. 

My emphasis.

34 replies
  1. JimWhite says:

    At the very least, the record is now quite clear about who is responsible if Bush does nothing and we go into depression. 35 Republicans in the Senate will be identified as killing our economy and finishing off the Republican party. I think Bush will cave around 1:30 or 2 this afternoon and announce that he is directing Paulson to deliver the $14 billion.

    • brendanx says:

      It’s a Potemkin Congress, with a Potemkin Democratic opposition, er, majority.

      Democrats have indicated that the vote on the auto rescue plan was almost certainly the last major action by the House in this Congress, and they have suggested that if Senate Republicans balk, the Bush administration may have no choice but to find alternative ways to prevent G.M. and Chrysler from financial collapse.

    • CasualObserver says:

      Jim,

      I think he will too. Let’s say he does, and the 2.5 have another 3 months of cash to burn through.

      What happens then? The economic situation will in all likelihood be worse–the 2.5 will remain in horrible shape. This brige loan is simply a bridge to another bridge.

  2. MsAnnaNOLA says:

    At least someone is speaking up for the workers and telling the truth.

    Republicans: time to own your medacious failure.

  3. freepatriot says:

    the repuglitards got two years to prove they AIN’T the enemy of America

    they’re off to a GREAT START

    I think the repuglitards forget that they was demonizing the filibuster just two years back

    at this rate, every repuglitard in congress will be getting a solid 30% approval rating for the entire two years

    btw, 30% approval ratings are CANCER to an incumbent

    does anybody see a future for the repuglitards ???

    I don’t think princess pandora is gonna have a party to lead in 2012

      • freepatriot says:

        do you think the State of Ohio is ever gonna support the repuglitard party again ???

        I get the feeling that Indiana ain’t gonna be a swing state any more either

        and you can put arlen specter’s senate seat in the Democrats hands in 2010. turns out that Pennsylvania is closely associated with Ohio and Indiana (the repuglitards should look at a map some time)

        repuglitard friends don’t look me in the eye any more

        one of the biggest bush supporters I know is seriously conflicted

        seems he’s been a good Union man for 35 years, longer than he’s been a repuglitard. Now he’s starting to ask what good the repuglitards have ever done for him. My neighbor KNOWS what the Union has done for him

        remember how mccarthy tried to attack the Army ???

        Americans want to know if the repuglitards have any decency, at long last, do they have any decency at all

        all those years of demonizing the msm have really screwed the repuglitards

        now, when chicken noodle network tries to cover for the repuglitards, nobody nelieves the msm

  4. Arbusto says:

    These guys, Shelby, Sessions, McConnell, remind me of the Banjo scene from Deliverance, suffering brain damage from trichinosis. Alternately, they are the product of the offspring of inner breeding, and/or sons of bachelors! Will the Senate ever be a working legislative body or continue being an ineffectual boys club.

    • freepatriot says:

      Will the Senate ever be a working legislative body or continue being an ineffectual boys club.

      it is impossible to be a competent working body when a large minority is dedicated to disrupting any progress

      Americans are just now learning what the problem is; REPUGLITARDS

      the Senate will be a competent working body in 2011, after the Democrats gain another 9 seats

  5. freepatriot says:

    chicken noodle network is now America’s prepubesent news network

    lots of yuks about blago’s language, jokes about how Obama won’t repeat blago’s opinion of him (yuk yuk), jokes about mcstain making jokes about blago’s expletives (yuk yuk)

    it’s like watching a group of 10 year olds hiding behind the barn discussing how daddy used a dirty word during dinner last night

    too bad chicken noodle network can’t just broadcast the word FUCK, and end their juvenile facination with how adults really talk

    I’m waiting for this asshat announcer to start making poopy jokes and decending into fart humor

    • whitewidow says:

      Remember, the Villagers weren’t ever upset about Nixon’s crimes. It was only when they heard the “expletive deleted” tapes that their sensibilities were offended.

      It’s possible he never would have been forced to resign if he hadn’t been peppering every conversation with “fuck”.

      This may or may not be snark.

  6. CasualObserver says:

    EW,

    Was interested to read you were looking at agriculture recently. Will be interested in learning more. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is an interesting phenom.

    • Arbusto says:

      Would were that true. Reid and other boneless DINO leadership remain. Since 2006, Dems are rudderless/clueless/spinless; in other words, less. Rethugs run procedural circles around these hapless gits. So are the Dems really that bad, or acting that way for some unfathomable purpose?

      • alibe50 says:

        Thank god we have Barack Obama and his leadership in the Senate. Oh yea, he resigned but he won’t take leadership as President elect. What a leader we have!!!1

  7. barne says:

    Imagine what kind of leverage one must use on a Senator to force him to play bad, evil, Scrooge cop vs. your good, heroic, rescue cop.

  8. dmac says:

    msnbc just announced that gm is going to cut production by 250,000 vehicles, will temporarily ‘close/shut down’ 21 plants. (’close/shut down’ not sure which words she used..and they didn’t say which vehicles’ production will be cut back.)

  9. dosido says:

    Corker and Shelby are traitors, even if they do drive Fords which are probably paid for by taxpayers and govt issued.

  10. BAmer says:

    I haven’t seen this mentioned lately, but is there (or should there be) more talk about changing the rules of the Senate. I don’t remember this always being the case, but now it seems like they need 60 votes to do anything. I know the philibuster has always been there in the Senate (or been there for a long time anyway), but it used to be applied sparingly. Now, the Repubs use it on every vote.

    Gosh, I’m sure glad the “Gang of 14″ stopped the nuclear option in 2005.

    In 2009, do you think there is any chance of changing the Senate rules to require 55 votes or something instead of 60?

    • emptywheel says:

      Don’t know. A shorter term fix would be to have a Majority leader who managed these things better, and a caucus who were willing to make the Republicans work for their filibusters.

      • Petrocelli says:

        Amen, Marcy … I get the feeling that even if the Repubs had 5 Senate seats, this kabuki would still go on.

        Why are Reid and the Dems this pathetic ? (rhetorical)

    • freepatriot says:

      In 2009, do you think there is any chance of changing the Senate rules to require 55 votes or something instead of 60?

      The repuglitards ain’t gonna cooperate to save 3 million jobs

      you think they’re gonna cooperate to cut their power ???

      we need 67 votes to change the Senate rules

      but if we get 67 Democratic Senators, we should change the Supreme Court, not the Senate rules

      the repuglitards just told Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana to Go FUCK THEMSELVES, so for the foreseeable future, the voters of Michigan Ohio and Indiana are gonna be telling the repuglitards “Fuck ME, ??? NO, FUCK YOU”

      I don’t see how the repuglitards can ever win the whitehouse again, after last night

      we’re seeing the death of a political party here, and we always knew the repuglitards wasn’t gonna go down without getting REALLY UGLY

  11. joanneleon says:

    The Republican senators are dumber than I thought they were.

    The Republican party could have tried to restore their reputation when Bush left office. They could have decided to “blame it all on Bush” and lead people to think that the problem with the party was primarily Bush and Cheney, not the Republican Congress. Many people would probably have believed it, and they may have begun to have some electoral success in 2010.

    Instead, they decided to ignore the economic situation, and play to their most conservative base. There are fewer and fewer people who are not feeling economic hardship. Even fiscal conservatives are softening to the idea of stimuli and bailouts if it will truly boost the economy. Everyone now knows that they are willing to give billions to banks but not to the auto industry.

    Even Toyota came out in support of the UAW, declaring that already there is parity in the salaries of their auto workers and the UAW, and in fact their workers make more money. It makes Corker look like a fool and exposes his lies. GM released news that they hired bankruptcy lawyers, and just now came out with news of plant closures and layoffs for 1Q ‘09. Did the Republicans not realize how this would play out? Did they not realize the Dems had all of this staged and ready to go if they killed the bill?

    The auto companies and the UAW have all indicated a willingness to work with Congress and to make big changes. UAW has been incredibly competent, professional and frankly, politically savvy in all of this. How many people really want the American auto industry to fail? Not very many. Most people want big changes but not failure.

    The Republicans now have made it clear to the people that they don’t care if the industry fails and they don’t care what it does to the economy. There is no way that the Democrats are going to let the industry fail. One way or another, they’re going to come through with funds to get them through until a comprehensive agreement can be reached. And it’s the Democrats who are holding the cards now. Apparently the fools in the Senate haven’t gotten that yet.

    Now they are going to let Bush come in and along with the Democratic Congress, they will save the day. How incredibly stupid of the Republican senators. They are out of touch. They fell right into the trap. As surreal as it may seem, at this point in time, their reputations will be worse than that of George W. Bush.

  12. barne says:

    Future Detroit Prediction”

    We’ll produce plug-in electrics, most with onboard internal combustion charging engines optimized for alcohol fuel. The vehicles will be designed for quick Shai Agassi style battery swap in case we want or need to move in that direction. Keeps many/most of the combustion engine people in biz — mechanics, engine manufacturers, “fueling stations,” and it’s a Boon to farmer voters.

  13. freepatriot says:

    and if anybody thinks Blagoff is providing cover for the repuglitards, wait till the other shoe drops on the repulitards

    it’s all well and good that the repuglitards denounce blagoff, but where was that outrage when we were discussing foggo, cunningham, delay, gingrich, stevens, craig, and vetter ??? (feel free to add to this list)

    I don’t remember the word “Despicable” ever being used in those cases

    maybe the repuglitards don’t understand that they’re under the microscope right now, and all the evidence is being filed and labeled, ready for display

    in 2010, the jury is gonna go aginst the repuglitards in a BAD WAY

    • Petrocelli says:

      Yep, going by that phrase and Fitz’s body language & overall demeanor, he has some fairly damning evidence.

  14. freepatriot says:

    I think blagoff just made the history books

    has there ever been a case where a TRO has been applied for, to remove a governor’s powers

    curiouser and curiouser

Comments are closed.