Obama should congratulate Ford

[onenote]

A lot of folks here are understandably pissed at Ford's obvious suck up to Trump in announcing 700 jobs here the US and the decision not to build a new plant in Mexico.

But rather than sound like we're bitter about Ford's suck up, the best response that the Obama administration could make is to congratulate them, with a statement along the following lines:

We applaud Ford's announcements regarding its creation of new jobs and investment in the United States. We are proud that because of our policies, Ford -- whose stock was at a near all time low of $2.22 on inauguration day 2009 -- has seen its stock climb to over $13/share the day before the 2016 elections -- and who has seen its record loss of over $14 billion in 2008 turn into record profits of over $10 billion during our time in office. It is our pro-business policies, implemented over republican objection during the past 8 years, that ensured that Ford not only survived, but prospered and thus is able to make these decisions it has announced today.

[CentralMass]

1. This is smoke and mirrors. They are still moving small car production to Mexico.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/ford-cancels-mexican-plant-still-moving-small-car-production-n702761

[onenote]

6. Of course it is. But instead of looking at the small picture, push back with the big picture

Ford only is in position to add jobs and invest in the US because it did extremely well under the Obama administration's policies. It's a way to slap Ford for its snarky "confidence in the Trump pro-business policies" meme. Ford not only survived they prospered under the Obama administration's policies and that message should be shoved back into Ford's face.

[CentralMass]

10. I wont be buying a Ford.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

12. smoke, mirrors and running out the clock is all the GOP has.

[HoneyBadger]

2. Ford supported the Nazis

[doc03]

5. Oh for god's sake that was 80 years ago and Henry Ford died in 1947 60 years ago.

GM also did a lot of business with Nazi Germany along with many other US companies. Then after the war the
US government gave those companies reparations for their losses from our own f---g bombs.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

14. Ford shareholder here, but not to such an extent that the day-to-day news affects my life.

I'm not happy that Ford is giving the impression that it is playing kissy-face with *****, who is a worthless piece of crap who would sell out his own mother for a dime.

I know the Ford assembly lines shifted to Jeep production, or whatever their version of the Jeep was called, during the war. Everyone knows the old man was a crackpot. Commodore VIC-20s are outdated now too. What about it?

I'm unequivocally certain that Ford greatly benefited from the economic conditions of the last eight years.

I certainly have.

Wow, am I going to miss Obama.

[gladium et scutum]

7. Ford also supported the Communists in the Soviet Union

He built the only automobile factory in the Soviet Union. He also supported the Imperialists in Japan, He built an automobile factory in japan. Ford was an equal opportunity Capitalist, for the right price he would build anything you were willing to pay for. If Hitler wouldn't pay, he would not have built a factory in Germany.

[HoneyBadger]

9. I think for Ford it went beyond just business

from PBS

In 1918, Henry Ford purchased his hometown newspaper, The Dearborn Independent. A year and a half later, he began publishing a series of articles that claimed a vast Jewish conspiracy was infecting America. The series ran in the following 91 issues. Ford bound the articles into four volumes titled "The International Jew," and distributed half a million copies to his vast network of dealerships and subscribers. The rhetoric was not unusual for its content, as much as its scope. As one of the most famous men in America, Henry Ford legitimized ideas that otherwise may have been given little authority.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

16. Indeed it did, and this is well known.

His "kid," Henry Ford II, was sent home during WWII because his old man was obviously a lunatic and destroying the company.

Why not boycott the Pennsylvania Railroad on the grounds that their steam locomotives burn coal?

[doc03]

18. If you get right down to it the 1% has no allegiance to anything

other than the almighty dollar. Many US corporations were happy to make dollars building up the Nazi war
machine and when we declared war they made more dollars building up our war machine. Then after WWII they had the
nerve to ask for damages to their factories we blew up in the war. The same corporations have kept us in perpetual war
ever since WWII. I heard not long ago that the USA has been in a war every year but one since we became a country.
I am almost 69 and we have been in a war somewhere my entire life.

[gladium et scutum]

20. Ford's anti semitism is well known

But during the late 20 through the 30s. this was not an uncommon theme in most of this country. He did business with the Germans because they paid him for is work. He did work for Joe Stalin because he was paid for his work. Both the Nazi state of Germany and the Communist state of the Soviet Union were willing to pay Ford many millions of dollars for his skill in organizing a successful manufacturing operation. In return for that money Ford built those people, first class manufacturing operations. Politics had little to do with the decisions to build for those people, being paid for the work was what counted.

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Let me add this,

28k plus new jobs in Red States of Ohio,Indiana,Missouri,and Michigan. Plus,they moved a Truck Chassis operation from Mexico,which is a shared facility with Navi-Star International Trucks,which is owned by Carl Icahn,to Ohio and Texas. This was planned way before Trump came on the scene.

Only story one hears or sees is,the Media rah rah for Trump. BTW,the Ford Family is major hard core Right Winger's. And yes they have interests in Russia.

[mopinko]

4. the ex has a lot of ford stock.

bought up that $2/share stuff.

eta- thanks obama.

[0rganism]

8. absolutely - it's the only sane play

Democrats stand against manufacturing job gains (real or imagined) at our peril.

[SCantiGOP]

11. 178,000 new jobs last month

Trump can't do squat with a few hundred every couple of weeks.
I have bookmarked all the relevant stats - unemployment, GDP, trade deficit, budget deficit, stock market, etc as of end of year so I can throw it back at the Trumpers next year.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

17. Oh, don't worry about finding that. I can pull up ALL those BLS unemployment threads. NT

[roamer65]

19. Just wait until Dump & Co screw up healthcare.

The layoffs will flow like the Mississippi River.

[mercuryblues]

13. Obama should be thanking the unions

https://uaw.org/app/uploads/2015/11/FINAL-FORD-HOURLY-11-9-15-1229p-FINAL-with-numbers-p24-headings-page-6-charts-p25.pdf

page 7

Product Commitment 8,500 new or secured jobs as a result of $9 billion in investment by the end of the agreement During these negotiations, your UAW bargaining team called on the company to commit to greater levels of investment in the United States and to secure UAW jobs. As a result, the committee secured $9 billion in product commitments and other investments. It is expected that these investments will result in at least 8,500 new or secured jobs

page 9

Moratorium on Outsourcing The UAW won language which strengthens the moratorium on outsourcing and extends the moratorium for a minimum of the life of the 2015 national agreement. This language protects our members from company-mandated attempts to outsource existing work and strengthens the union’s ability to ensure job security.

They originally announced they were building 2 plants in Mexico, so they are still building 1.

[mehrrh]

15. s/b response

A perfect response that should be included in Obama's speech next week.