Bush 'rebuffed Obama on car industry bailout' (Bush rebuffed union thugs that Obama panders to)

times online ^ | 11/11/2008 | times

[tobyhill]

Barack Obama used yesterday's Oval Office meeting with President Bush to press for immediate aid for the struggling US car industry, according to leaked reports.

Mr Bush said that he could support some aid in exchange for approval of a free-trade agreement with Colombia – but there was no sign that either the President-elect or his Democratic colleagues were willing to bend on that issue.

Senior Democrats asked the Administration at the weekend to consider expanding the $700 billion bank bailout package to include assistance for car companies struggling under a legacy of debt and falling sales.

Mr Obama's spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said yesterday that the plight of automakers was one of a number of issues discussed in a two-hour meeting with Mr Bush to discuss the transfer of power at a time of war and financial crisis. Other issues included housing, mortgage foreclosures, and, more generally, "the need to get the economy back on track".

[Boiling Pots]

Gee thanks Bush, really looking out for the Taxpayer, eh?

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

[Sig Sauer P220]

H311, let hussein bail out the UAW. They’ve never done anything for Bush.

[Vaquero]

let the auto companies go chapter 11. Reorganize and move to Right-to-work states....like most of the Japs who build their cars here in America.

[tobyhill]

Little late to be saying no but GM need not worry because in about 2 months he can give away all that he wants. When the $25 billion does nothing to help a company $50 billion in debt then Obama can take the blame.

[silverleaf]

Will GW re-grow a set and let the democrats handle this UAW tar baby all on their own?

We can only hope...

[verga]

I really hope that W told Bammie to "Go F--- yourself". the unions did nothing for W or McCain, and Bammie is just going to trash talk him after he is in off ice no matter what W does.

Bammie said he can change it, lets see him hope his way out of this mess.

[tobyhill]

I'm glad Bush said no but I'm kind of POed about him giving the Rats an out by offering up a Columbia deal in exchange.

[primatreat]

I remember the same situation with another “Union Hogged” company... Can you spell “ Bethlehem steel “ ?

The country did just fine after their fall. They deserved to fall because of unions taking all of the money needed to modernize.

My friend at the time was a 30 year man. Retired at 55 with full Bennie's including great health, pension. Went to live the life in Florida . Two years later “”” BAM”””. Working in a motel as the mechanical engineer now. He survived, and so can auto workers.

[ClearCase_guy]

Mr Bush said that he could support some aid in exchange for approval of a free-trade agreement with Colombia – but there was no sign that either the President-elect or his Democratic colleagues were willing to bend on that issue.

1) I wish Bush were not so eager to make deals.

2) We see here the Obama Approach to "working across the aisle" in a "bipartisan" manner so that he can "unify" the country. It's basically summed up by the notion "I insist that you give me what I want, and in return, I give you nothing."

[tanknetter]

Mr Bush said that he could support some aid in exchange for approval of a free-trade agreement with Colombia – but there was no sign that either the President-elect or his Democratic colleagues were willing to bend on that issue.

Free trade with Colombia is a deal-breaker. Bush knows this, which is why he offered it as a trade. He can say that he offered a reasonable solution, and the Dems rebuffed it.

Bush owes nothing to the automakers, and less than nothing to Michigan and the other mid-west auto-manufacturing states that helped throw the election to Obama. Elections have consequences, y'know? Let Obama and the Dems deal with the situation 2-4 months further down the road.

[raybbr]

Goodbye Forest Bush. It wasn't so great to know you...

[olezip]

Barack Obama used yesterday's Oval Office meeting with President Bush to press for immediate aid for the struggling US car industry, according to leaked reports.

The USA is in deeper financial trouble that we realize. Obama and his union thugs will bankrupt the entire country. GM is in trouble because they cannot be competitive with a $1,800 surcharge on each and every car thanks to demands by union thugs. Now the thugs want the taxpayers to pay the $1,800 for them; that is socialism.

[OpusatFR]

“My friend at the time was a 30 year man. Retired at 55 with full Bennie’s including great health, pension. Went to live the life in Florida . Two years later “”” BAM”””. Working in a motel as the mechanical engineer now. He survived, and so can auto workers.”

Yup. I enjoy paying a 400% increase in property taxes over three years so our public employee retirees can collect 95% of their pay and have COLA and medical too.

At least the auto workers made something. The public retirees are a drain on resources and with inflation, property taxes keep going up.

When is enough?

[mlocher]

The dam has burst. The bailouts will continue until morale improves....

[chainsaw]

Obama wants Bush to take the larger deficit the bailout will produce. that makes Obama look better. Two months will not make that much difference.

When Detroit makes a better car I’ll buy one, Not until then.

Detroit cannot put something on the market and tell the consumer. take it or leave it. Americans didn’t take it.

[longtermmemmory]

why not make it conditional on CH 11 so all the union contracts can be revised?

(ie pay to NOT work BS)

[raybbr]

Yup. I enjoy paying a 400% increase in property taxes over three years so our public employee retirees can collect 95% of their pay and have COLA and medical too.

You are one of the few people on FR that get it. Unions only make up about 10% of manufacturing in the U.S. It's the govt. unions that are destroying the U.S. They are about 50% of all govt. workers.

[vietvet67]

Did Obama show President Bush his idea for the new presidential limo?