Let’s just call it the Chicago way

Thanks to Karl, I saw this column from Daniel Howes of The Detroit News. Ford was running an ad:

featuring “real people” explaining their decision to buy the Blue Oval, a guy named “Chris” says he “wasn’t going to buy another car that was bailed out by our government,” according the text of the ad, launched in early September.

“I was going to buy from a manufacturer that’s standing on their own: win, lose, or draw. That’s what America is about is taking the chance to succeed and understanding when you fail that you gotta’ pick yourself up and go back to work.”

Sounds reasonable to me, and it reflects my feelings personally. When I bought a new truck in April of 2010, there was no way on God’s earth that I’d have bought a Chevrolet or GMC or Dodge pickup, precisely because they took the bailout; I was going to buy a Ford, period, and never even looked, nor intended to look, at a Government General Motors or Chrysler product.If they had given one to me for free, I’d have sold it, and taken the money and bought a Ford.

Mr Howes continued:

That’s what some of America is about, evidently. Because Ford pulled the ad after individuals inside the White House questioned whether the copy was publicly denigrating the controversial bailout policy CEO Alan Mulally repeatedly supported in the dark days of late 2008, in early ’09 and again when the ad flap arose. And more.

With President Barack Obama tuning his re-election campaign amid dismal economic conditions and simmering antipathy toward his stimulus spending and associated bailouts, the Ford ad carried the makings of a political liability when Team Obama can least afford yet another one. Can’t have that.

The ad, pulled in response to White House questions (and, presumably, carping from rival GM), threatened to rekindle the negative (if accurate) association just when the president wants credit for their positive results (GM and Chrysler are moving forward, making money and selling vehicles) and to distance himself from any public downside of his decision.

And now we have confirmation of Mr Howes’ story, that Ford was pressured by the Obama Administration.

Ford Motor Company faces continuing hardships from its decision to not accept the bailout. According to Mr Howes, Ford’s greater debt load leaves its competitors with better credit ratings, and Ford is not protected by a no strike clause from the United Auto Workers, the way GM and Chrysler are until 2015. On top of those competitive disadvantages, now we have the Obama Administration telling Ford it can’t run an ad which urges people to buy Ford products because Ford didn’t accept the bailout. And since the Obama Administration is penis-in-condom hand-in-glove with the UAW, given that the UAW now owns a significant share of GM, due solely to the bailout, the Administration has the hammer: either Ford agrees to drop the ad, or the UAW can force a strike.

I have a better idea: let’s just dump the thug who is our current President for someone a bit more honorable.
____________________________
Cross-posted on Common Sense Political Thought.