Could it be because people, like me, have deliberately avoided purchasing GE appliances and this, in part, led GE to unload their appliance division due to slow or declining sales?
The appliance division is profitable for GE but not nearly as profitable as the business units that serve the federal government (defense, aerospace, energy, etc.). This has the effect of making the appliance business look like a drag on profits. GE has been looking to unload it for a while.
Oh, and Obama sycophant Geoffrey Immelt clearly has nothing but disdain for hard working American taxpayers.