http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/business/01deese.html?ref=politics

It is not every 31-year-old who, in a first government job, finds himself dismantling General Motors and rewriting the rules of American capitalism.

But that, in short, is the job description for Brian Deese, a not-quite graduate of Yale Law School who had never set foot in an automotive assembly plant until he took on his nearly unseen role in remaking the American automotive industry. …

Mr. Deese’s route to the auto table at the White House was anything but a straight line. He is the son of a political science professor at Boston College (his father) and an engineer who works in renewable energy (his mother). He grew up in the Boston suburb of Belmont and attended Middlebury College in Vermont. He went to Washington to work on aid issues and was quickly hired by Nancy Birdsall, a widely respected authority on the effectiveness of international aid and the founder of the Center for Global Development.

But he wanted to learn domestic issues as well, and soon ended up working as an assistant for Gene Sperling, who 17 years ago in the Clinton White House played a similar role as economic policy prodigy. Eventually, Mr. Deese headed to Yale for his law degree. But his e-mail box was constantly filled with messages from friends in Washington who were signing up to work for the Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton campaigns. Mr. Deese chose Senator Clinton’s.
“He was pretty quickly functioning as the top economic policy staffer through her campaign,” Mr. Sperling said. “He could blend the policy needs and the political needs pretty seamlessly.” On the day that the Clinton campaign ended, Mr. Deese left her concession speech and received a message on his BlackBerry from a friend in the Obama campaign urging him to sign on immediately to Mr. Obama’s team. …

Yet something tells me they’re fine with exploiting a single anecdote.

On June 1st, 2009 at 8:45 am, lgm said:

The United States bought a car company top keep it from laying off more workers. In dollar terms, the total worth of GM and Chrysler is approximately $0.

Absolutely not true!

The equity value might be $0, but the restructured value (even the liquidation value) is clearly something worth negotiating and fighting over.

lgm’s statement is wrong, and it’s not just a simple matter of terminology.

Under what statutory authority did Bush and Obama lend taxpayer money to GM and Chrysler? There was none. The office of the President of the United States spent public funds with no statutory authority! Then Obama claimed ownership after-the-fact. This is theft by executive fiat. This is illegal and immoral and nobody is doing a thing about it.

There has already been a revolution and the federal government has overthrown the constitution. When will people recognize this fact and do something about it!

On June 1st, 2009 at 8:45 am, lgm said:

The United States bought a car company top keep it from laying off more workers.

From AP 6/1/09:

The company plans to cut 21,000 employees, about 34 percent of its work force, and reduce the number of dealers by 2,600.

So how’s that theory working out for you now, lgm?

On June 1st, 2009 at 8:45 am, lgm said:

In dollar terms, the total worth of GM and Chrysler is approximately $0.

From the same AP article:

The plan is for the federal government to take a 60 percent ownership stake in the new GM. The Canadian government would take 12.5 percent, with the United Auto Workers getting a 17.5 percent share and unsecured bondholders receiving 10 percent. Existing GM shareholders are expected to be wiped out.

So the US government, the Canadian government and the UAW (surprise, surprise) get something for nothing. The investors who kept GM afloat for decades and put their own money (or money they were entrusted with by such things as employee retirement plans, etc.) get nothing. So your statement is at least partially correct.

This isn’t Marxism, or even socialism. This is fascism, plain and simple. With absolutely no hint whatsoever of your beloved “transparency”.

I’d like to personally thank you and your ilk, lgm – those of you who were drooling idiots and put this poseur into office – for taking what was left of my once proud country and ruining it.

RIP America. We hardly knew ye.

99.99% of the dealers being closed are owned by Republicans. Where did I get these numbers from. The same source that BHO and the Democrats get theirs. So It must be true.

Only in the understanding of a 2nd grader can one read Article 2 of the Constitution of the United States and come to the conclusion that “the President runs the country.”

This is the kind of idiotic thinking that Obama relies upon to destroy what is left of capitalism and the Republic. And little gullible moron is the perfect example of an Obama follower made to order by the NEA.

On June 1st, 2009 at 8:45 am, lgm said:

txvet2 said (#43):

Article 2, Section 2 specifies exactly what the executive branch may do, and running a car company isn’t listed.

Article 2 says that the President runs the country. That’s the meaning of “executive”. If the country owns a car company (alas!), that includes running said car company.

Article 2 says that the President runs the country. That’s the meaning of “executive”. If the country owns a car company (alas!), that includes running said car company.

Just like in nazi germany, hey we can find some scapegoat group, make them wear an identifying mark, and have them work off thier sin in existing by making the car for free!!!

obamomics at work???

I have no need to quote you out of context. When you use the word “presumably”, you are claiming that the thing presumed is probable,

“Presumably” was about regional variation, which presumably there is. “May” was about regional variation hurting Republicans more, which I am not saying is true.

American Elephant said (#46):

Obama seized the entire American auto industry and gave it illegally to his union contributors?

The United States bought a car company top keep it from laying off more workers. In dollar terms, the total worth of GM and Chrysler is approximately $0.

ritwingr said (#48):

Article 2, Section 2 specifies exactly what the executive branch may do, and running a car company isn’t listed.

Article 2 says that the President runs the country. That’s the meaning of “executive”. If the country owns a car company (alas!), that includes running said car company.

“If [he] did not have the Secret Service . . . around him, [city cops] wouldn’t know if he was president of the United States.”

The remark brought raucous cheers and laughter from the crowd of around 100.

Police union officials were quick to blast Rangel’s remarks.

“If Congressman Rangel said . . . ‘and waving a gun’ he might be correct,” the union official said.

But Rangel wasn’t the only official riffing on the fact that Edwards, who is black, was shot by a white officer.

“First we couldn’t ‘drive while black,’ now we can’t ‘police while black,’ ” said Brooklyn City Councilman Charles Barron.

Post-racial…??? Not as long as Rangel and his like can stir the pot. Another thug that will hold a seat until he’s called to stoke the furnaces…