Right, like anyone should listen to the lady who was such a fuck up that HP stocks rose 7% on the news of her being let go as CEO.

The auto industry has, for the most part, fallen victim to its own poor marketing vision.

The banking industry has, for the most part, fallen victim to its own greed, coupled with gaping holes in regulatory oversight.

Which of the two is more malicious? And which of the two won the big $$$ prize?

While I don’t necessarily support a gov’t bailout of the Big Three, I can’t help but find it ironic that Fiorina thinks the auto industry is the bigger loser here.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with her in one respect.
This country is sinking but…
Who would sink this country faster? The Auto exec who says, ‘I’m not making any more cars’ or the banker who says, ‘I’m not lending any more money’?

The only reason we need those automotive jobs is to pay the bank for our mortgage. Now that gov’t is bailing out the lenders, anybody still with a job should be considered a gov’t employee. Say hello to new age socialism.

There is no saving american automakers.

Who wants to buy American-badged Korean pile of crap when the Japanese and Germans offer FAR better vehicles at competitive prices?

Banking IS more stragically important than automaking. And haven’t they let us know for decades, and made us pay for it.

Carly Fiorina is a McCain advisor?  No wonder the McCain hasn’t got a clue about the economy.

If she had said “I don’t think the government SHOULD rescue the industry,” then I would agree with her.  Detroit has been making inferior cars with the governments blessing for decades.  GM and Ford were convinced this hybrid thing was a fad, they think 25 mpg is high, and they get upset when people don’t buy their cars.  Detroit turned its back on America, and when someone points that out, that someone is the one who wants to destroy the american worker?  That’s a good one.

I hate McCain, and it is going to hurt….bad… if Detroit kills the US auto industry, but it’s not going to be McCains fault when/if it happens.  It’s the fault of Ford and GM, and congress has to bear a little blame for basically telling them “Do whatever you want, and if it creates problems, we’ll give you money.”

If Michigan voters think ending the handouts is going to put a lot of people out of a job, they’re probably right, and I’m really sorry.  It’s a tragedy, but they need to get over it.

I don’t disagree with the argument that the Big Three made their bed and now should lay in it. The point I was trying to make, though, was that it’s not going to win any votes for the McCain camp to support bailing out Wall Street and then tell the Big Three to roll over and die.

Right or wrong, that’s going to piss off the blue collar workers McCain desperately needs.

If I thought McCain was smart, he could still turn this around by going after Ford and GM, which is where the Blue collar crowd should direct their anger, and there are plenty of ways to help out the workers without giving the automakers a cent.

So it isn’t a bad move, per se…. IF he follows it up with a smart strategy and actually tries to DO something about the industry.

But this is McCain we’re talking about…. mister “The economy is fine”  All he has left to do is cinch the noose he just put on.

GM and Ford were convinced this hybrid thing was a fad, they think 25 mpg is high, and they get upset when people don’t buy their cars.

They are right on one thing, hybrids are a fad. They only work in the city environment and since most people commute around 20 miles to work via highway, they won’t see nearly the MPG automakers claim. Remember when Clarkson proved a V8 powered M3 can get better MPG than a Prickus based on driving style? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLgwiQwGRcU

Diesel is the future. Europe sees it and the rest of the world sees it, even GM and Ford know it since they have sold multiple successful Diesel models around the world for over a decade. Ford’s Fiesta Diesel gets 65mpg, VW’s Lupo gets 70MPG, SMART’s ForTwo CDI gets 80mpg, but they won’t sell them over here.

The problem is that GM fucked up America’s perception of Diesels so bad in the 80’s that some people (those fucking assholes of CARB) actively work to prevent their sale here. When you ask most people what they think of Diesel the first words that come to mind is smokey, noisy and dirty. Its unfortunate they believe the stereotype, Diesels can easily beat hybrids in MPG without any environmentally disastrous battery packs and are far more advanced in technology than (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Right now I think we’d be better off mailing automotive bailout money to Japan and Korea. If any of those companies could/would buy out GM and Chrysler at least they’d be run better.

I think I disagree McCain will lose votes because of the statment. Obama made the same statement a long long time ago. Not only did he win the primaries afterwords but is on his way to presidency. I’m not sure why we seem to think in this country that a politician cannot flourish by telling the truth.

a politician cannot flourish by telling the truth

Because the truth still IS suicide with voters. You got to tell the truth in a creative way. Making sense helps (but also, on it’s own, does jack for you). Obama’s a good rhetorican and a perfect symbol figure, and he’s got the tide of history with him (in this case I am not talking about MLK’s “I have a dream” type of history, but rather the “We are fed up with those Republicans and their mess” kind of history).