Yes: More voices for a GOP filibuster of the UAW bailout
We’ve got Shelby.
We’ve got Ensign.
And now, just got this e-mail from GOP Sen. Jim DeMint’s office:
“Ensign is exactly right. This bailout will hurt taxpayers, it won’t help the economy, and it will prevent these car companies from becoming competitive. The only way for the automakers to survive is a complete restructuring that allows them to break free from the stranglehold of union bosses. If Senator Ensign insists on debate on this legislation, I’ll fully support him.”
More, please!
See what others have said
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Trackbacks
- Filibuster Forthcoming? « Trust, But Verify
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- America, you just bought yourself 3 car manufacturers | Hennessy's View
- GOP might filibuster Big 3 Bailout | skewred.com
- Don’t Let Congress Build Our Cars, Please? | The Sundries Shack
- Does The GOP Have the Guts To Stop The Bailout Insanity? « The Forum
- DELUSION: Pathetic hopes for GOP fillibuster | The TIW Blog
- Below The Beltway » Blog Archive » The Battle Against The Bailout Begins Again
- Finally, a Republican with a Backbone « America, You Asked For It!
- Michelle Malkin » High noon: 5 Senate Republicans announce filibuster support
- At Last: The Auto Bailout Filibuster: UPDATED « Jane Q. Republican
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- Yes: More voices for a GOP filibuster of the UAW bailout « Top Daily Digest Reading
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me too!
Hmmm. 3 out of 535. It’s progress.
3 out of 100. It’s a start.
BTW, there is no filibuster in the House.
These are good men.
BUT, I seem to have lost all hope that there will be a successful outcome.
I guess Diogenes found 3. Unfortunately, Karl Marx found the other 532.
TooMuchTime:
Have any members of the House even weighed in on this?
JHSII:
I don’t know. However, they’ll have to vote on this too. It’s stand up and be counted time. And until I hear a definite “I’m against the bailout,” they should be counted as being for it.
TMT – Agreed.
I can’t seem to shake the disappointment over the bailout CrapSando 2.0 .
I was so happy when conservatives stepped up to the plate when 1.0 failed, only to have said Reps bought (sic) over to the dark side with earmarks and hysterical dooms day calls.
I feel like Debbie Downer – Whaaa Whaaa Whaaaaaahhhh.
TooMuchTime:
The point I’m making is that we’re talking about a filibuster, and there are only 100 senators. The 435 representatives in the House don’t count.
Boycotting the bailout recipients is more likely to have effect. I fully expect the den of thieves to forge ahead, constituents be damned.
Spending money is what politicians do. Their bias is toward meddling, no matter how stupid and destructive that will be.
But, sometimes, if the voters scream loud enough, they can be made to listen.
Scream good and loud folks.
I’m still shell shocked from the way they totally ignored us during the $850 billion banking bailout.
My attitude about this is let them file for bankruptcy and work the best deal they can with the court Some conditions I’d place on them:
- Terminate the UAW contract and start over on labor costs. No more than the average of the foreign manufacturers wages and benefits adjusted for cost of living differentials. Inflation adjusted increases only for the next five years or until the company returns to consistent profitability.
- Cut senior management compensation packages. Leave their salaries alone but eliminate any possible bonuses, golden parachutes, etc.Bonuses can be reinstated based on actual financial performance. Terminate redundant management, 2 weeks pay per year of service, one year of health care or until they get another job
- Close any obsolete plants, pay off labor at some rational basis, no more than 2 weeks wages for each year of service, health care for no more than a year or until they get another job
- End the job bank program, no more pay and benefits for not working
Once they’ve tried that, then come back and, if they have made a reasonable effort to cut their ridiculous cost basis, we can look at some bridge funding to get them past the short term rough spots while they wait for the cost reductions to pay off. Loans only and to be repaid within five years of returning to consistent profitability. No government ownership stake, no government management, no government oversight of company operations other than monitoring financial performance and labor/management costs.
Bankruptcy is best. Fresh start.
I heard that a**-clown, Harry Reid yesterday say that the Senate has to “hurry up and pass” the bailout quickly, because MANY MEMBERS HAVE HOLIDAY TRAVEL PLANS to be home with their families, blah, blah, blah, etc.
When did we last hear complaining about congressional travel plans? Wasn’t it when Speaker Pelosi cut off debate during the most recent gas “crisis?”
And remind me, when was the last time we heard members of congress demanding fast action, because American jobs, banking, and financials would suffer without an immediate bailout? How has that worked out for them?
It seems to me, the simplest way to solve these disparate problems facing the country, is to elect people to congress who actually want to work to solve a problem, not posture, complain about lack of action, and demogogue the other party, or select members of said party. Vote the bums (English version) out! We want a democracy, NOT a corruptocracy!
The really sad part of this is that we’re going to have to refight this battle again and again and again over at least the next 2 years – just like the illegal immigration battle. Of course, even that depends on who wins the 2010 elections – we could be fighting it for the next 4 years.
Ensign’s just on Reno radio KOH….seems he is talking Chapter 11 for GM, “bailout is a slippery slope”….backpedaler? Or talking out both sides of his mouth?
I would love to let Senator Allard (R-CO) know that this constituent wants him to filibuster the auto bailout, but the big jerk is AWOL. He’s retiring, so he can’t be bothered to serve out the remainder of his term, even though (a) he’s getting paid to and (b) there is hugely important business being conducted. He’s always considered himself a budget hawk, but now that we really need one, he’s nowhere to be found.
His website says that the Senate has recessed for the year (not true) and won’t be considering any new legislation (not true) and that his Senate career is over (not true).
I think Harriet meant to say: Many members have travel plans to some of the resort homes/condos in Aspen owned by executives with GM, Ford and Chrysler. Please don’t get in the way of their much needed and deserved vacations that they will be sharing with the UAW union bosses.
A body would be incredibly disappointed in his Republican Senator/Senatorette if he/she didn’t get in on the bustering the filly.
HEY! JOHN! KAYBAILEY! Stand up and be counted on the right side.
Happy Birthday!
My take on the bailout terms:
Regarding their corporate jets. How can dumping them help? In this economy who is going to buy them? For what market value? I’m no aircraft expert but it seems there are hundreds or thousands parked in various places around the southwest since the airlines cut flights. Unless biz jets are a better market, the jets are pretty much white elephants few would want. If they park them, it will still cost them hundreds of thousands in expenses, upkeep for a sitting aircraft ain’t cheap, insurance costs, parking fees, etc. Cheaper than flying but by how much?
Secondly, the Big 3 can’t sell their cars now. What will be different when they get our billion$ of assistance? They still won’t be able to sell their cars and the result? Belly-up, still happens. Only thing different is our deficit will be even more outrageous.
Thirdly, the gov’t can run itself efficiently. They can’t run the Postal Orifice efficiently. Why should we believe they can run Detroit’s Big 3 efficiently? Give me a break. As a friend pointed out, the gov’t had to take over the infamous Mustang ranch in NV a while back and couldn’t even make money selling booze and runing a whorehouse. Just sayin’…
Hope a bunch more Repubs in Congress get on board resisting a bailout. One can dream.
Chapter 11 reorganization is best; Corker leaning that way here in Tennessee; GM and Ford can re-emerge leaner and meaner; Chrysler will go away I believe; But none of them have any long term viability as long as the UAW is a part of the equation; If the UAW and their President Ron Middlefinger were to go away, the prospects of manufacturing jobs actually returning to the USA would be greatly enhanced; Bank on it!
Four myths the Big3 are promoting
Interesting, maybe this should be passed around Capital Hill…to all 535 members.
I think the Big 3 and the Unions should have to compete for the prize, au reality show style.
The three execs and the presidents of the unions should have to do some sort of survivor like style competition on some deserted isle in the nether regions of the Pacific.
We already know the results:
The union pukes will not be able to get anything done without having a super, a spotter, and a 15 minute smoke break upfront. They will not search for food, if they have already been designated for firewood as that would go outside of their jobscope. They will not compete for an immunity event as that might distance other union members from the same coverage, therefore all union members MUST get immunity upfront. Then, when it gets down to the last of the union members, they begin to gnaw on each other’s skulls.
That’s entertainment!
Destroy the unions. They are wrong for this nation. They imbreed stupidity.
Alright, which one of you was it!!!!???
Thank you! May I live to see 34, eh?
Happy Birthday Feebiebabe!!
I wouldn’t worry about it, 34 was a long time ago for me
Thank ya!
(who leaked it?…LMAO)
I didn’t take the time to thoroughly read everyone’s comments, but I will add my 47 cents:
If you want to free the automakers, you have to have a three-pronged approach.
1. Let them fail. The Parris Island School of Hard Knocks can be the best schoolmaster.
2. Free the automakers from the cage of Union (non) workers. Simple adage: Work or be fired.
3. Kill all the burdensome regulation. Tell Congress that they need to take the proverbial long walk on the short pier until their hats float (and take the
environmentalistssocialists with them).Free markets should be free to prosper — or fail — based on the simple philosophy of supply and demand.
Hear, hear, right_on. This BS about ramming through legislation because a vacation is coming up is really quite pathetic.
OOH RAH, go S.C.! Nice to be represented by someone with a brain AND a spine.
As for the car thing, there’s no way that just busting the union and cutting managment compensation will solve this; as a matter of fact, cutting management compensation is only going to dig the hole deeper.
Ever heard of CAFE? Clean Air Act? Yeah, try having a “free market” work under that kind of legislation. The auto industry will not be as profitable as it can and should be until we defenestrate the socialists from Washington. As Jason Roth said, Socialism has not required a revolution in America; Capitalism has. It might again.
I think you’re right. I also don’t know how possible it is anymore. I do think that a lot of people on both sides are starting to wake up and realize what’s really going on.
Any true conservative knows that the right answer is bankruptcy and not a ‘bailout’ or ‘bridge loan’ and ‘hand out’ or whatever anyone wants to call it.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
- Lao Tzu
The Big 3 need to learn how to fish. And that means throwing the UAW of their shoulders and producing a car at a competitive price. If we hand them another fish they’ll just be back for more…
Republicans will do NOTHING.
Conservatives have no voice… no power.
Jim DeMint, my junior senator from SC is one of the most honest and moral men in the senate.
I’d take these three and dump almost all of the other Republicans. At least then their platform would be consistent and different than the one espoused by the DNC. “Conservatives” can only win by effectively arguing the point that their ideas are different and better than those of the DNC/liberal Republicans. Obama, Reid, and Pelosi are giving the R’s plenty of proverbial rope, if only the rest of the RNC doesn’t get weak-kneed and join the DNC in their efforts.
Bottom line: The RNC needs a Bobby Knight figure to get a case of the ass and show some leadership. Compromise/bipartisanship = acknowledgement that your idea sucks.
Here’s my question: if this country lost 533,000 jobs last month, then why is all of the focus on preserving the jobs the “Big 3″ provide? What about all of those other folks? Could it be that this isn’t so much about the workers/jobs as it is the UAW? As always, with anything, follow the money and you’ll find your answer.
*Paging John McCain*
In defense of the the State of Nevada – (Because it’s the home of hairy reed), Senator John Ensign is from Nevada!!!
Just another case of a pressure group mau-mauing the banks, with the help of Congress, to issue bad loans to unviable institutions, which is what got us into this mess to begin with.