Senate Dems Winning Game Of Chicken

[S_E_Fudd]

In the last few days, Senate Republicans tried to play a bad-faith game of chicken: they'd join Democrats and the Bush administration in support of the bailout, but only if the auto workers got thrown under the bus. They wanted a sacrifice.

But Reid and his caucus didn't budge, because they know that Republicans privately acknowledge the enormous fallout that would follow a failure of the big three.

Well, looks like it may have worked:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Bush administration said Friday that it will consider using the money set aside to help banks and Wall Street to rescue the auto industry.

The statement -- a change in the administration's long-held position -- might be the last best chance to keep troubled automakers General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) and Chrysler LLC out of bankruptcy.

The defeat of a $14 billion bailout plan in the Senate late Thursday left the administration little choice but to tap the $700 billion bailout approved by Congress in October, the Troubled Asset Relief Program or TARP, according to White House Press Secretary Dana Perino.

This is what Democratic Congressional leaders called for at the beginning. The Bush administration wanted to push this off on Congress, but it didn't happen.

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/12/12/112932/70

[rockymountaindem]

1. Yeah, that's why I didn't throw in with the two minutes of hate on Reid last night

He's not perfect, but this was actually a good move. The Republicans impaled themselves and now the ball is back in Bush's court. It couldn't be better.

Also, Dodd is laying the smackdown right now. Looks like Granholm is about to do the same.

[wryter2000]

11. That two minutes is still going on

I agree. I think the Rs really stepped in it this time.

[Cha]

15. Is Reid playing

Rope A Dope?

[louis-t]

2. bush knows if he lets big 3 go down

it's another huge failure heaped on his 'legacy'. If he does the right thing, he gives repugs something to point to and say what a great leader he was.

[gizmo1979]

8. Do you actually think

the man cares?If he brought down the UAW he would be the righties hero forever!

[louis-t]

19. He doesn't care. It's Cheney that met with Senate repugs

and said they'd forever be called the 'party of Hoover' if they let the big 3 fall. That proves to me who's been running the show for 8 years.

[lamp_shade]

3. Yo, Harry!

[Waiting For Everyman]

4. The Dems and the Union did good, in not accepting the blackmail.

I was wondering if the Repigs did this in order to make Chimpy the "White Knight". But you're right that forcing this into TARP takes that away from him. I agree with you.

If the Repigs cause the Big 3 to go under, they'll never win another election after the damage that will come from it everywhere... not even in the south. People don't realize what this will do, but if it happens they'll see it for themselves.

[texas1928]

5. Yep, and the other thing I like about this is, the Repukes just pissed off a union.

By going after a union. They just made themselves look bad to all unions. Not just the UAW.

[S_E_Fudd]

7. Exactly...

If you get past the knee-jerk reaction to blame Harry Reid and step back a bit...looks to me he might have known all along how this was going to play out...

If so, he played the pukes like a Stradavarius

[gizmo1979]

9. Truer words have never been

spoken!I have no idea how this thing will turn out.I do know that the unions will NEVER forget who fucked them never.Let's see them take a rust belt state in the next 20 years!Isn't happening!

[Me.]

14. Not Just The Unions

The car companies have always given big to the ReCons, in return they are getting nada, zip, nothing. Can't imagine we'll see a repeat of that, if they survive.

[FrenchieCat]

6. And in addition, we now have the dirty 18 egg carton brigade on record.....

those who voted for the 700 Billion Paper Pusher bail out,
but NOT for the 15 billion Hard Working blue Collar bail out...

Bob Bennett, R-UT
Richard Burr, R-NC
Saxby Chambliss, R-GA
Tom Coburn, R-OK
Norm Coleman, R-MN
Bob Corker, R-TN
John Ensign, R-NV
Chuck Grassley, R-IA
Judd Gregg, R-NH
Orrin Hatch, R-UT
Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-TX
Johnny Isakson, R-GA
John Kyl, R-AZ
Mel Martinez, R-FL
John McCain, R-AZ
Mitch McConnell, R-KY
Lisa Murkowski, R-AK
John Thune, R-SD

[MH1]

16. Thank you - that's the list I wanted to see.

The ones who had no problem forking over big $$$$$$$$$$ to wall street with almost no oversight, but couldn't vote to give a small portion of that as a loan and with lots of conditions, to help an American industry and millions of blue collar workers.

And anyway wasn't this supposed to be just a re-direct of some funds that had already been authorized (for re-tooling to make energy efficient cars)?

:grr:

[LynneSin]

10. I'll give Reid credit for this one - he made a good move

The Big3 will get their money, handed to them by Bush. We avoided the compromise and we outed the republicans as Anti-Union.

[derby378]

12. What is Bush going to want in return, however?

I'm thinking he'll want a "No Prosecutions, Ever" agreement from the Obama administration. Otherwise he unveils "Plan B."

I have never trusted George W. Bush, and I never will.

[Jennicut]

18. Nothing. To make himself look better, finally after all this time he gets how badly

he looks in the eyes of the American People. No one wants to give him a book deal, not many will contribute to his presidential library. Its called a legacy and Shrub realizes that he does not want to be hated even more then he is now by letting 2 to 3 million more jobs go down the drain.

[goodhue]

13. Indeed, Dems won

The White House capitulated

[Jennicut]

17. Hmmmm, this is forcing me to rethink my utter contempt of Harry Reid

Perhaps he did force their move and thus force Bushie to use the Tarp money as the economy going down in flames will be his lasting legacy. He only has a few more weeks to do something, anything.