Clinton: Obama's Feelings Most Hurt Over Jeep Ad

[bonnie]

Clinton: Obama's Feelings Most Hurt Over Jeep Ad

4:13 PM, Oct 29, 2012 • By DANIEL HALPER

Single Page Print Larger Text Smaller Text Alerts

Bill Clinton revealed at a campaign rally today that President Barack Obama's feeling were hurt over Mitt Romney's ad suggesting Jeep might move some of its production facilities overseas:

"I saw the reports of Governor Romney's latest ad saying that the president had allowed Jeep to move to China," said Clinton. "And so this morning, before he left Florida and went back to Washington, he said, 'You know, of all the things Governor Romney has said that probably hurts my feelings the most.' He said, 'You know, I never had any money when I was a kid. and the first new car I ever owned I was 30 years old it was a Jeep.'"

Interestingly, according an old USA Today report, Obama's first car was a Ford Granada.

Like many men, President Obama has fond memories of his first car -- even if it was a Ford Granada.

"I have to confess; my first car was my grandfather's car," Obama told AAA in an interview. "Which was a Ford Granada."

Then, it appears, Obama owned a red Fiat. “Before returning to Hawaii, Stan bought his grandson a present: a beat-up old red Fiat that they found at a Los Angeles used car lot,” writes David Maraniss in Barack Obama: The Story.

Then, Maraniss details Obama had a Honda Civic. “Before leaving New York, Obama spent two thousand dollars on a blue Honda Civic that he would drive into the heartland to start his new life.”

And then a Nissan Datsun. “The old blue Honda Civic was gone; he had sold it before departing for Europe and Africa. Now he had another car, a used yellow Datsun that cost five hundred dollars.”

[bonnie]

AUTO BAILOUT BOMBSHELL: Fiat Says Chrysler, Jeep Production May Move to Italy

Submitted by Mark Modica on Tue, 10/29/2012 - 10:53

Coming hot on the heels of speculation that some Jeep production may be moved to China comes a bombshell from a Bloomberg report. Fiat is now considering moving Chrysler and Jeep production to Italy.

According to the piece, "To counter the severe slump in European sales, (Fiat CEO Sergio) Marchionne is considering building Chrysler models in Italy, including Jeeps, for export to North America. The Italian government is evaluating tax rebates on export goods to help Fiat. Marchionne may announce details of his plan as soon as Oct. 30, the people said."

So, let's be real clear here, we are talking about vehicles that will be built in Italy and exported to America. The evidence is clear that Fiat is looking at ways to move production of vehicles from the US to elsewhere, whether it be China or Italy, costing American jobs. This is becoming indisputable, despite outcries from certain parties to the contrary.

Mitt Romney has rightfully criticized the Obama Administration for handing over Chrysler to the Italians and now leaving the fate of American workers in the hands of Fiat management. Fiat is not a healthy company and the auto industry is in as great a risk as ever. The insistence that all is well by those with political motivations does not mask the danger. More jobs are at risk of being lost and more taxpayer money may be lost as well.

Let's face it, the auto bailouts were not well thought out. Perhaps General Motors' CEO, Dan Akerson, said it best when he said, "The good thing about our bankruptcy is that it took only 39 days. The bad news is that bankruptcy took only 39 days. If we had been there longer, people would have asked these questions and looked at these things."

The whole auto industry bailout process was rushed through with the wrong primary motivation of protecting the politically powerful UAW's interests. The Obama Administration never considered that giving Chrysler to Fiat was not a great idea and could eventually hurt the same UAW workers it was trying to protect. Manufacturers like Chrysler and GM are at a competitive disadvantage due to UAW obligations that were not properly addressed in the bankruptcy process. The industry is more competitive than ever and the government does not seem to be the best innovators to lead the sector to real health. This truth is very likely to become more apparent when the political season ends.

Mark Modica is an NLPC Associate Fellow.