The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Ron Bloom: Not So Funny Now

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Former Car Czar and current senior advisor to the White House Ron Bloom is being cagey with the House Oversight Committee about remarks he allegedly made about the auto bailouts in 2009. According to his former boss Steven Rattner, Bloom joked that "I did this all for the unions!" at a celebration of the bailouts in 2009.

In a June Oversight hearing, Bloom forcefully denied ever making the joke. Now, however, in a letter to the Oversight Committee, Bloom claims that he can't remember what he said at the 2009 dinner and thus can't say with certainty that he didn't make the remark.

Of course, the administration's relationship with the autoworkers unions in the restructuring of GM and Chrysler is a pretty bad joke. First of all, the Treasury Auto Task Force should never have existed in the first place. TARP was supposed to affect banks, Congress did not vote to bail out GM and Chrysler. The fact that Bloom had a job on the team was already an insult to voters and taxpayers.

Second, the administration trampled on the bankruptcy process to privilege the United Autoworker's stake over those of hedge funds who were secured bond-holders -- and then, to top it off, President Obama demonized those same hedge funds. Although huge financial corporations don't elicit a lot of sympathy, this episode reflected Obama's willingness to ignore the rule of law to suit his political goals.

Jokes are are funnier when they aren't at the expense of a group under your power; in this case, taxpayers.

View all comments (4) | Leave a comment

Oldefarte| 7.15.11 @ 2:08PM

Of course the car bailouts were for the unions, whose political/financial support the Democrats entirely depend upon. The sad fact is that the union members are so stupid that they believe that union membership benefits them. Previously unions did so [when employers/manufacturers forced cruel working conditions upon workers] during the industrial revolution, but no longer. There are numerous/adequate laws in effect which protect workers now, and unions activities are all about protecting their own existence. Unionized wages are excessive and have solely resulted in the offshoring of our manufacturing base oversees. De-unionification of manufacturing and government would greatly benefit this country financially/economically!!!!!

Paul Nelson| 7.16.11 @ 8:21AM

Union members are monopolists who benefit, by denying jobs to people who are not union members.

Oldefarte| 7.16.11 @ 9:54AM

Beyond that, labor unions are self-serving and no longer benefit their membership; have destroyed this country's manufacturing base due to the excessive wage structures of union wages; are socialistic domestic terrorists that employ stree-gang tactics [ie Wisconsin/Ohio] to coerce governments to maintain their dictatorial labor monopolies; and should be banned/outlawed!!!!!

Controse| 7.16.11 @ 6:32PM

So why wasn't Obama impeached for breaking the law the first three months he was in office? Because of the Democrats in Congress. Will someone please step up and start impeachment proceedings. Of course the Senate will not convict but the House can bring articles of impeachment. I recommend one charge at a time. Every time the Senate does not convict the House starts over with a the next charge. Maybe BO will get the message. Maybe each cycle we pick up a few more Democrats.