Red Alert: Did anti-Obama campaign contributions dictate which Chrysler dealers were shuttered?

Here's something from the original article referred to in the OP that discusses minority dealerships:

Update IX: Joey Smith reported tonight that a Democratic donor group in the Midwest and South will not have to close any of their Chrysler dealerships... and their competition was gutted.

The company is called RLJ-McLarty-Landers, and it operates six Chrysler dealerships throughout the South. All six dealerships are safe from closing. The dealer locations are: Bentonville, AR (northwest Arkansas); Lee's Summit, MO (south of Kansas City, MO); Branson, MO; Olathe, KS (near Kansas City); Bossier City, LA (near Shreveport); Huntsville, AL...

The interesting part is who the three main owners of the company are. The owners are Steve Landers (long-time car dealer, 4th-generation dealer), Thomas "Mack" McLarty (former Chief of Staff for President Clinton), and Robert Johnson (founder of Black Entertainment Television and co-owner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats). Landers has given money to Republicans in the past, but McLarty campaigned for Obama in 2008, and Johnson has given countless amounts of money to Democrats over the years...

...So far, RLJ-McCarty-Landers will have 8 competing dealerships total[ly] eliminated from 3 of their markets: Lee's Summit, MO; Branson, MO; and Bossier City, LA. I'm willing to bet that the other 3 markets that they serve are similar in nature.

directorblue

Apparently it has also conveniently eliminated competition for some dealers. Then there is this:

Kenneth Zangara (Zangara Dodge, Inc./Car Dealer), (Zip code: 87111) $400 to REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE OF NEW MEXICO on 09/18/07 The news on this dealership was; its credit was shut down and Chrysler would not let him stay open. This dealership was consistently the largest dealership in New Mexico. And it is strange that in a 2008 press release, Ken Zangara was listed as one of the dealers participating in the testimony on Capitol Hill.

More details on Ken Zangara: For more almost two decades, Ken Zangara was a good soldier for Chrysler. For many years he was the largest Dodge dealer in New Mexico, and he served a term as chairman of the Dodge National Dealer Council. The Albuquerque Dodge dealer was active in Republican Party politics, too, and knew President George W. Bush. Zangara used his connections in Congress to get Chrysler LLC and its dealers an audience with the White House when the embattled company sought a federal loan late last year.

definitely a republican.

thomasalamb

and here are some senators asking questions about how the dealerships to be closed were chosen:

U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill and Kit Bond wrote a letter Friday to President Barack Obama’s auto task force seeking answers to concerns raised by Chrysler and General Motors dealerships in Missouri that learned last week their contracts will be terminated.

Auto dealers statewide have expressed frustration to McCaskill and Bond about the lack of information they have received from Chrysler and GM, saying they didn’t know the criteria used to make the contract termination decisions. The two Missouri senators asked the task force for the criteria used to determine how many and which dealerships would be terminated, as well as the process for dealerships to appeal decisions.

“Many Missouri dealers are asking us why certain profitable dealers, costing the auto companies nothing, were selected for closure,” McCaskill, a Democrat, and Bond, a Republican, wrote to White House car czar Steve Rattner. “From this perspective it appears an arbitrary standard may have been used to make these decisions … these dealers deserve a little more than just a pink slip in the mail.”

bizjournal

it wasn't bottom of the barrel companies that were chosen. lots more digging needs to go on here.

here's some demographics on how the dealers break down political party wise:

Auto-dealers as an industry tend to give more to Republican causes than to Democrats, according to an analysis done by Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit organization that compiles FEC data and operates the Open Secrets Web site.

During the 2008 election cycle, the center found that auto dealers and their associated political action committees made a total of $9 million in campaign contributions, giving by a three to one margin to Republicans.

newsmax

3 to 1 is definitely a majority but not overwhelming by any means.

I see lots of lawsuits in the future that is going to throw major wrenches in the works. We could possibly even be looking at a major scandal. Wow it's still to early to tell if the bankruptcy process has been politicized, but from what limited info that is leaking out it is starting to look like that.

We will see though, if it turns out to be true we will be a country in peril.

Well, as some have already pointed out the problems started to arise when businesses were allowed to donate to political parties.

It happened in Italy approximately 70 years ago, and look what happened there. It is happening now in the USA, and we all know where it leads...

God help us all.

Just checking here....

So all you anti-Obama people are saying that there should be fair, equitable treatment of all the dealerships based on the manufacturer's failure to compete in a free market?

Yep, straw, straw, straw.

Trick question.

Second question: Had McCain won in the last election (yes, it still smarts, huh? Landslide and all that...), and been in exactly the same position as Obama finds himself in (and he would have), would the closures be based on the same list - but with the GOP supporters "winning"?
If you are honest with yourself, you know the answer is yes.
Would you be whining about it?
No. You'd be saying that he was separating the strong from the weak, the wheat from the chaff, the "patriots" from the "terrori$t$" etc. etc.

Can't have survival of the fittest, can we. Why not just let the big US companies fail? That's free enterprise. That's just business. Unless there's someone else to blame, huh?

You can't have it both ways.

Why are these companies being helped?
Because the companies that are turning a profit are using a different business model. And the USA model can't be seen as a failure by the rest of the world.

I'm not affiliated with either side. I just have a problem with the whole "Obama is leading us to socialism" and "Shrub was the best thing to ever happen to the USA" shtick.

Chrysler failed because?
Did that failure all occur in the last four months?
Did any of it happen in the previous eight years?

Blame who you like, just be logical and clear about it.

I'm off to buy a brand new Studebaker. Oh, wait...

Maybe I'll buy a Toyota. They, at least, are made in America.

Let me start by saying I don't agree with what Obama is doing. However, we shouldn't act like this is the first time that campaign donations eventually effect political decisions. Almost every politician is guilty of this in some way, shape, or form. All this does is add additional proof to the thought that donations and lobbyists control the country. It sucks, but its nothing new. I'm open to suggestions on how to change it all...

reply to post by earlywatcher


I would not put it past them

Why doesn't some smart, motivated American promote a boycott against any US company that is sucking the taxpayer tit?

Enough is enough already.

On a side note, the Netherlands just announced they are closing prisons because there is no crime. Must be nice...

Sounds like that lobbying thing Obama was so against. Here where I live in western NC, none of the Chyrsler dealerships were closed and so far, none of the GM dealers either. NC has some strict franchise laws and will side more with the dealer.

It would be interesting to see how many of the GM dealers that are going to be closed gave to the GOP as well. It is also going to be interesting to see what happens to the dealer principles and owners that decide to fight the closure.

Either way, this is not good. I knew it wasn't good when Obama fired the pres of GM. Since when does a president get to do that? I thought if he would be ousted it would be the duty of the board of directors and major shareholders. Oh wait, the government is going to end up with 70%. Obama may say he doesn't want to be in the car business, but he sure as heck isn't gonna complain about how much the government will end up making because of it.

It's all so very wrong.

A couple of things, one, these so called private business should have spent more time peddling their wares (Although I still don't see anything worth buying from gm or chrysler) and anyone who thinks cutting off dealerships from one company or another doesn't understand the auto dealership biz ( who here has bought a piece of crap made in America) second, the mess obama is getting us into i.e. ecofascism (wtf?) gov control? ( imagine if bush had gotten his way and put all your po az social security funds in private stocks? We'd be in a true depression and tptb would be sitting pretty laughing as we fought over eggs and milk. discuss something a little more cerebral , hell I'd settle for more credible...... so in the words of so many mental midgets, wake up america your country was ALMOST stolen from you. for the rest of you keep hoarding your can goods and keeping the survivalist dealers biz in bizniz. peace!...., or war what evers clever

I work for a Chevy dealer in chicago.We got one of those letters two weeks ago. We will no longer be a GM dealer in Oct. 2010.From what I heard GM had plans to let the struggling dealers die off on their own but were told by the government it was'nt fast enough.We sold over five hundred units last year,double the number that GM wants each dealer to sell.The excuse we got was location,I do admit there are four other dealers in surrounding towns.Needless to say I'm not a happy guy.Not sure who to place the blame on but it sucks!

reply to post by earlywatcher


Actually, as an Albuquerque resident and former employee at a local automotive dealership, Zangara has a history all its own.

Zangara got into a whole bunch of fraud and ended up being shut down, more or less.

www.krqe.com...

Meh. If true its not right but how is this different than when Bush allowed his Enron buddies to rape and pillage California?

First things first.

1. Corporations don't make political contributions, people do. And they are not deductible, so they are not coming out of taxpayers' pockets.

Learn about business and life in general before you post disinfo, please.

Second, most business owners tend to be wealthy, or well-financed (i.e. mortgaged to the hilt --ever heard of 'floor planning' a dealership? if not, you have no business commenting on car business), in favor of smaller gov't, less regulation, free trade, and conservative social policies.

C. That usually means Republican on national issues, but can mean Democrat on local matters. That varies by region, and there are many minority-owned dealerships and dealership franchise territories in Democrat-controlled areas.

iv. The various stories have examined the largest or most-often named owners in the cut lists. They have not done as extensive a search of surviving franchises for political affiliations. Those cut are not the lowest performing franchises in most cases.

e. Bankruptcy rules are Constitutionally required to be uniform so people know where they stand when dealing with a business or person. Even in good times, the rules are set so people can plan ahead if things go bad.

Same with the "sanctity of contract." You can't legally rewrite the terms of contract or laws to protect people who make contracts after the fact.

Loans and investments are contracts. Obama is voiding contract law to benefit preferred parties at the expense of others.

Obama has already politicized the Bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler by selecting preferred groups to profit from the process. Unions will own a large part of the companies that emerge to return to business. Fiat SA will own 20% of Chrysler's successor FOR FREE!

Finally. Even if Democrats are not shown to predominate among the remaining franchisees, the process has been bastardized and corrupted by the biggest Chicagoland thug politician to ever inhabit the White House.

Now, let me tell you how I really feel about Obama .... .

jw



[edit on 27-5-2009 by jdub297]

another coincidence? or Chicago-style anti-pay to play?

The first dealership on Chrysler's list of facilities marked for termination by June 9 is located in Venice, Fla., and belongs to Republican Rep. Vernon G. Buchanan. Buchanan gave $2,300 to John McCain in 2008 and has contributed nearly $150,000 to GOP candidates and organizations since 2007.

He discovered that his location was scheduled for closure when he crossed paths with Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich.

According to the Associated Press, Miller told Buchanan, "I heard you're going to lose your Dodge franchise."

"Oh, really?" Buchanan said in a state of surprise.

The dealership's operating partner, Shelby Curtsinger, said he was astonished by Chrysler's decision because the location has been profitable – selling more than twice the stock of an average Chrysler dealership every year.

world net daily

It would seem so obvious, but we have been treated to such a series of obvious violations that are" that way by the attorny general and others running the show. it seems likely that this too will be not worthy of fussing for most people.

You're quoting a BLOG for God's sake.

I thought blogs did not count as authoritative or legitimate news sources on ATS.

I have a blog on blogspot. I think I'll write one about desperate and paranoid Republicans who think Obama is poisoning their soup, and believe he's personally going through their bank records to find out who gave money to John McCain.

Then all the liberals, progressives and sane people in general can quote me and have an authoritiatve source to back up their allegations.

P.S. Chrysler decided which dealerships to shutter. You need to take up the case with them.

Originally posted by FredT
Meh. If true its not right but how is this different than when Bush allowed his Enron buddies to rape and pillage California?

Thats another point unto itself.

This isnt about Bush last I checked.

Enough of us know how disgusting Bush was along with how dumb he is. He no longer is the president and at the time Bush did all his crimes, most of the masses were not awakened to see the truth. Many of us are now and what Bush did in the past has made it much easier for us to notice the criminal activities of today. This aint about Democrats vs Republicans. This is about what is happening now regaurdless of what party is in power. We cant change the past, but we can change the present and the future.

[edit on 28-5-2009 by disfugured]

• Obama is a secret muslim
  
• Obama is a dual citizen
  
• Obama is not a citizen
  
• Obama smokes
  
• Obama is too Christian
  
• Obama is too white
  
• Obama is too black
  
• Obama works for bilderburg
  
• Obama works for satan
  
• Obama IS satan
  
• Obama will enact Sharia Law
  
• Obama will convert us to a socialist society
  
• Obama ...
  
• Obama ...
  
  UPDATE
  
  
• Obama secretly engineered the demise of republican auto makers while keeping republican banks alive.
  

You see, the utter ridiculousness is that this thread goes along so well with all the others.

It's the equivalent of a child's "mad libs" game where you just plug "Obama" into any endgame scenario, and publish it like it's credible.


Then, these same people turn around and say Obama is too dumb to do anything for himself, so he has a teleprompter following him around.

Very few public speakers don't, mind you. And most of those who don't really should reconsider.



So in the end, i can conclude 1 of 2 things

Either Obama's detractors are actually supporters in disguise, based on the absolute ridiculousness of their accusations

or

His detractors are just red in the face because they lost an election that should have been easy to win (don't be bush = victory)




The answer is up to you to decide i guess. My vote is for the first one. It's the most ridiculous, non-sensical, asinine mound of garbage i could think of. So by conservative/republican/democratic/liberal standards....it must be true.





[edit on 28-5-2009 by Fremd]

Just another step in the direction of the Corporate Oligarchy replacing the Democratic Republic.

This is what the NWO is about people, not chip setting everyone, not prison camps, but the government by the business and for the business.

Its gonna be too late when people are no longer referred to as citizens, but associates/employees/workers

Go against the right manager? You loose your business, grease the wrong palm? How about an audit?

GM and Chrysler should have declared chapter 11 like any other failing US business. That's how it works in capitalist USA. They would come out of this reorganized, ready to do business once again. Obama threw $$$ at both, now they are failing anyways, but the gov't is now 'running' them both. Great. We all know how efficient the gov't is at running anything!

Published letter from dealer:

My name is George C. Joseph. I am the sole owner of Sunshine Dodge-Isuzu, a family owned and operated business in Melbourne, Florida.

My family bought and paid for this automobile franchise 35 years ago in 1974. I am the second generation to manage this business.

We currently employ 50+ people and before the economic slowdown we employed over 70 local people. We are active in the community and the local chamber of commerce. We deal with several dozen local vendors on a day to day basis and many more during a month. All depend on our business for part of their livelihood. We are financially strong with great respect in the market place and community. We have strong local presence and stability.

I work every day the store is open, nine to ten hours a day. I know most of our customers and all our employees. Sunshine Dodge is my life.

On Thursday, May 14, 2009 I was notified that my Dodge franchise, that we purchased, will be taken away from my family on June 9, 2009 without compensation and given to another dealer at no cost to them. My new vehicle inventory consists of 125 vehicles with a financed balance of 3 million dollars. This inventory becomes impossible to sell with no factory incentives beyond June 9, 2009.

Without the Dodge franchise we can no longer sell a new Dodge as "new," nor will we be able to do any warranty service work.

Additionally, my Dodge parts inventory, (approximately $300,000.) is virtually worthless without the ability to perform warranty service.

There is no offer from Chrysler to buy back the vehicles or parts inventory.

Our facility was recently totally renovated at Chrysler's insistence, incurring a multi-million dollar debt in the form of a mortgage at Sun Trust Bank.

HOW IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CAN THIS HAPPEN? THIS IS A PRIVATE BUSINESS NOT A GOVERNMENT ENTITY.

This is beyond imagination! My business is being stolen from me through NO FAULT OF OUR OWN. We did NOTHING wrong.

This atrocity will most likely force my family into bankruptcy. This will also cause our 50+ employees to be unemployed. How will they provide for their families? This is a total economic disaster.