"GOP senators appear to have bitten the hand that fed them."

[babylonsister]

Automakers fail to cash in on big GOP donations

Since 1990, the auto industry has cut $100 million in checks to the GOP, compared with $34 million to Democrats. But the Big Three is snubbed on bailout.

By Ken Bensinger / Los Angeles Times


By standing in the way of an auto industry bailout, GOP senators appear to have bitten the hand that fed them.

Over the last decade, General Motors has given $1.50 to Republican candidates for every $1 it has given to Democrats. That same pattern has been followed by Chrysler and Ford, which year after year have favored the right side of the aisle, sometimes by more than a 3-to-1 ratio in dollar terms.

Since 1990, the auto industry as a whole -- including suppliers, dealers and manufacturers -- has cut $100 million in checks to Republicans, compared with just $34 million to Democrats.

On Thursday night, the carmakers discovered just how little loyalty that investment strategy had bought them.

more...

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=12810

[patrice]

1. Label this: The Inevitable Consequences of "Free-Market" Capitalism. nt

[Ioo]

2. Good, lets run them out of town for good - F'ing POS'es

[wryter2000]

3. Maybe I'm missing something

I think the Repigs did themselves some real damage on this. They don't usually do such stupid things as far as political maneuvers go. I hope this puts them in deep doo-doo with the workers and the companies.

[newtothegame]

5. I disagree...

Unions didn't exactly vote for Republicans before. The partisanship of unions made this virtually a risk free move; there are no Republican votes to lose in Detroit. Outside some donations from corporate, they had very little to lose politically.

ed for sp

[BeFree]

8. Disagree with this?

It wasn't an anti-union vote, it was an anti-American vote. It was a vote to allow foreign car makers to keep a leg up on domestic workers. They will lose tremendously after we make it perfectly clear that their vote was anti-American. You agree?

[newtothegame]

10. I agree that it was anti-american..

but politically it was exactly what it looks like: anti-union.

[BeFree]

13. Yes it was

Because politically the pubbies have always been anti-worker, they just never had the opportunity to show it so well. But now their inner feelings have shown thru with this anti-American vote, and it's up to us to make sure that the people are well aware.

[Bake]

16. And what about the "small businesses" that supply goods and services to the Big Three?

They'll be hurt by this too, and they are part of the GOP "base" (well, not the REAL base, i.e., the super-rich).

I think this will backfire on the the Pukes.

Bake

[derby378]

4. Sounds like maybe they should have given all that cash to Democrats all along

With friends like Senator DeMented, they don't need any enemies.

[backscatter712]

6. The automaker's executives are doing just fine, trust me.

They're the ones that made the decisions to donate that $100M to the GOP. They're the ones who'll be floating away from this train wreck on their golden parachutes. The GOP knows where their bread is buttered, and they'll make sure that the jet-setting bosses are taken care of.

[Canuckistanian]

7. Looks like the GOP is a bad business risk

If were a Big Three boss, I'd stop all further donations.

[CitizenPatriot]

9. part of their strategy is to take down the unions

because the unions are a big source of money for the Dems. One of the morans admittted this as part of their long term strategy to bring us down permanently. charming, I know.

I can't help but smile remembering the "welcome" the Detroit Auto Union workers gave McCain and his beast of burden. The boos were truly inspiring.

The GOP thinks they stand to lose nothing by this move, but I question their thinking on this one. Obstructionism and blaming the workers for their OWN (the big money guys, the suits) failures may not go down well in history. the Elephant just can't help itself...It wants to join all of the other animals it has put on the endangered species list.

REPUBLICANS LIE. THEY DON'T CROSS THE AISLE. THEY DON'T BELIEVE IN SMALL GOVERNMENT. THEY ARE NOT FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE. THEY ARE THE SPOILED BRAT CHILDREN OF THE US GOVERNMENT. TIME FOR A LOOONG TIME OUT.

[formercia]

11. The 'bosses' that cut the checks to the GOP

are getting exactly what they paid for. The union workers will lose their jobs and the management will reconstitute the business somewhere else with non-union labor.

This is how corporations launder their liability. It happened where I worked.

[unblock]

12. the companies themselves are no longer the issue. it's all about saving the creditors

the employees and unions are distant factors, they're merely the actual, directly affected humans, so they count for little.

when the government steps in to avoid a bankruptcy, it's not the company so much as the creditors who are being saved. the company will have to restructure one way or another, whether it's via bankruptcy court or government takeover or simply by having the situation force the ceo's hand.

so, how much did the banks who financed the auto companies pay to the gop?

[Freddie Stubbs]

14. They could care less about donation made 10+ years ago

Have the automakers continued to give more to Republicans AFTER they lost control of Congress? The likely got the lion's share of donations in the last 18 years because they controlled Congress from most of that time.

[Orsino]

15. Money only buys loyalty...

...as long as the buyee believes it'll keep coming.