A New Enemies List?

IBD Editorials ^ | May 28, 2009

[Kaslin]

Politics: The government's bailout of Chrysler was key to saving a national icon too important to be lost. Or so we were told. But it's looking more like a way to punish political opponents.

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Earlier this month, Chrysler announced it was seeking permission from bankruptcy court to kill franchise agreements with 789 of its 3,181 dealers to save costs. Dealers, many of whom ran profitable businesses, told the media that the news was devastating.

Aside from the loss of a business, many of these franchisees may have something else in common: It looks like all the dealers who are losing their Chrysler franchises, with only a single exception found so far, have links to the Republican Party.

Chrysler, an American institution, is no longer being operated as a private-sector company. It's being run by a task force appointed by the White House. So far, the government has halved Chrysler's ad budget and forced it into a shotgun wedding with Italian carmaker Fiat.

Has it also directed the company to end its contracts with dealers who dared give contributions to the Republican Party and its candidates? The mainstream media seem less than curious. But the new media haven't shied away from asking the question.

"Many of the closed dealers were also major donors to Republican candidates and political action committees, a review of campaign finance data from the Federal Election Commission shows," Kenneth Timmerman wrote at NewsMax.com.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

This is picking up steam and might be a major opening for conservatives.

[lightman]

Well, I’m STILL waiting for my tax refund on a return mailed in late March.

That never happened when W was POTUS.

[OneWingedShark]

You know, if this is true it is disturbing.
Heck, it’s disturbing even if (and it’s a small chance, IMO) there is nothing political about the dealerships being closed.

The whole GM/Chrysler buisness stinks... and what of the secured-investors (bonds) and the allegations of intimidation?

[OneWingedShark]

>Well, I’m STILL waiting for my tax refund on a return mailed in late March.

I got a little letter-thing saying “congrats you get money back!” .. but no check as yet.

[classified]

The dealers that were closed in my area were very busy and productive. When they were closed the thought popped into my head that this could be political because I knew that they were selling cars, it was a very busy dealer. Also I knew that this whole area is very conservative, politically. I am now convinced that there is a political thread of action by this administration to closed these dealers down.

[stockpirate]

This is great, let’s see if anyone in congress has any balls.

“A people unwilling to use extreme violent force to preserve their liberty deserves the tyrants that rule them.”

Paraphrase of something one of our founders said.

[Rockitz]

Who’s surprised? This is what fascists do.

[smokingfrog]

This story is starting to get some traction. Shows just what is going to keep on happening if 0bama has his way.

[Old Flat Toad]

The message is very clear- Pay your protection money to the DNC or get shutdown. Look for the same trend in GM’s reorganization.
Where is Obie’s RATB Inspector General? Shouldn’t he investigate any allegations of fraud and corruption? Oh I forgot- he needs to ask permission from the White House before he can proceed(insert big roll eyes).

If no investigation occurs you can bet the health care industry will be cherry picked the same way.

[Secret Agent Man]

This is going to be a huge story. It is FAR from over.

[cricket]

Glen Beck shot down this observation a bit too quickly, IMHO; by offering that most dealers were Republican - first, a factoid that he cannot know; and secondly; as we see here; there are Repubs and activivst Repubs; there are Repub Dealerships with neighboring Democrat owned Dealerships not impacted; albeit less successful.

To imagine that this kind of political knife would NOT be used by Obama; is simply naive.

Time to face the facts of who Obama is - unplugged. A frigtening promise; and I wonder how America might surive him. It is all too depressing.

[Josa]

I hope you’re right and it IS far from over........

[Marysecretary]

Did you send in a form or do it online? My tax preparer does mine online and I got mine back fairly quickly.

[cricket]

Guaranteed; the allegations of intimidation; mafia-like intimidations; were not ‘allegations’.

[genghis]

when i first heard this, i thought,
only crazy people would believe this.
Now I think, well why does it surprise you that the political class would pick on the basis of campaign contributions?
Now if we could get them to explain how the decision was made, they may get in trouble.
This is a long way of being over.

[Seaplaner]

We hope this isn't true. If it is, the country's in more trouble than we thought.

Wasn't there a whiff of something like this going on in the (impeached and disbarred former president) Clinton administration regarding tax audits?

I wonder if there is a way to compare the percentage of GOP v Dem contributors who get IRS audits during this first year of the Obama/Ayers administration.

.

[pjd]

This is suspicious, but without similar data on the dealers that remain open, it doesn't mean anything. It needs to be shown that the remaining dealers contributed a significantly smaller amount to the Republican party or else contributed more to the Democratic party.

If that can be shown, then we have a really strong case.

[Dallas59]

List of terrorists..

[cricket]

I am now convinced that there is a political thread of action by this administration to closed these dealers down.

Think there is no question that this is politically motivated. America's fate; and ours; is in the hands of the most degraded on human beings; who dirty hands; are weilding a power that is not 'theirs'; but, like thieves; they have laid claim to it.

Only hopeful thing I have heard from Obama is that 'if we do not pass healthcare this summer - it will never get passed'. See, only a glimmer of hope here; but let us put our minds to this failure; and maybe we can save a 'bit'of America. And perhaps, with that success; we can salvage some more.