The American Spectator

around the track| 12.12.08 @ 12:35PM

Lately some conservatives have been trying to restore some lustre to W. National Review, for example, interviewed him and there were some positive comments by their editors. After this cave--getting so clearly rolled by the UAW---will anyone dare anymore to defend this guy? Let's all repeat in unison what Cheney said at the Republican convention in 1980: IT'S TIME FOR THEM TO GO.

L. Ross| 12.12.08 @ 12:39PM

Thank God for the senators who are blocking this bill. Bush has been a dismal failure on all fronts except protecting the homeland (which I sincerely thank him for). Only through bankruptcy can we restructure these union contracts which are making American cars non-cost competitive vs. foreign cars. Total compensation for UAW workers is averaging $73/hour. That adds up to $146,000/year total compensation (vacation, pension, health care) for assembly line workers. Not bad pay for a job that requires only a high school education. A U.S. Senator makes less than $170,000/year. No wonder they're not backing this program up. They're jealous of the high school grads making nearly as much as they do.

Bob| 12.12.08 @ 12:59PM

Do all of you listen to the misinformation on Rush and Fox News? Please get smarter with your comments. The average union wage is between $32/hr and $39/hr and is about equal to the non-union wages of Toyota and Nissan. The $73 was calculated by a Republican operative and includes the benefits for all retired workers attached to the current workers. Benefits are still a bit better for UAW workers in the range of $3-4 per hour, but the wages are very close. The new UAW contract reduces wages for new employees down to $14 per hour.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/05/that-was-easy-uaw-and-gm-agree-on-lower-wages-after-six-months/

Please don't prove that Republicans are so dumb. Don't believe anything you hear from Rush, Hannity, or Olbermann. They all bias true information on both sides. That's why Google exists -- use it...

Hank| 12.12.08 @ 1:01PM

I, for one, would like to thank the President for all he's done to destroy the Republican brand once and for all/sarc.

Bob| 12.12.08 @ 1:03PM

One more comment -- as a former business executive, I don't believe the auto companies should be bailed out and it's not because of the UAW. The big issue is actually the number of brands at GM and the dealer network. They can't reduce the number of brands because that violates dealer contracts. They need to reduce the number of brands from 8 to 3 or 4 and reduce the number of dealers at least in half. The only way to void these contracts is bankruptcy. If they don't, the companies will never be profitable.

daboss8675| 12.12.08 @ 1:19PM

Bush = Hoover (bad)
Obama = FDR (worse)
We the People = the forgotten man (screwed)

It’s going to be rough. I do not think anyone is ready for what will happen next year. God be with us.

J.A. Davis| 12.12.08 @ 4:31PM

Please read the great Ben Stein to understand why the bailout is necessary. If we weren't in the current economic climate, I would agree that Ch. 11 would be preferrable. But, we're not in Kansas anymore ...

Bob| 12.12.08 @ 7:06PM

I can't agree with Ben Stein. He's making some popularist arguments, but again, the big problem is the dealer network -- not the cars which are good and not the UAW which has competitive salaries. He's talking off the top of his head without understanding the underlying financials. If there were a way to void the dealer contracts so the auto companies could cut down on brands and dealers, then I would be with him. Anything short of that will only delay the inevitable and even more people will lose jobs since foreign companies will continue to gain share. The sooner they reorganize, the sooner they can grow.

R. Dittmar| 12.13.08 @ 9:51AM

”Bush has been a dismal failure on all fronts except protecting the homeland (which I sincerely thank him for).”

Sorry to pile on while the guy’s down, but I’m not sure how much credit to give him on this either. All Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda would have to do is to sneak across the southern border in the back of a van and Bush and the pro-amnesty crowd will be falling all over themselves to hand out green cards to them. It’s hard to give Bush credit for protecting the homeland when he’s so blatantly and ostentatiously refused to protect the borders.