May 28, 2009
Gangster Government
How quickly is the United States devolving to banana republic status? If Mark Tapscott has the details right about a growing scandal in today's Washington Examiner, the day is fast approaching. In the meantime, Michael Barone's "Gangster Nation" seems appropos, favors and cash flowing to the Capo's lackeys, veiled threats and economic ruin to his enemies.
Evidence appears to be mounting that the Obama administration has systematically targeted for closing Chrysler dealers who contributed to Repubicans. What started earlier this week as mainly a rumbling on the Right side of the Blogosphere has gathered some steam today with revelations that among the dealers being shut down are a GOP congressman and closing of competitors to a dealership chain partly owned by former Clinton White House chief of staff Mack McLarty.
The basic issue raised here is this: How do we account for the fact millions of dollars were contributed to GOP candidates by Chrysler who are being closed by the government, but only one has been found so far that is being closed that contributed to the Obama campaign in 2008?
[...]
Also fueling the controversy is the fact the RLJ-McCarty-Landers chain of Arkansas and Missouri dealerships aren't being closed, but many of their local competitors are being eliminated. Go here for a detailed look at this situation. McClarty is the former Clinton senior aide. The "J" is Robert Johnson, founder of the Black Entertainment Television, a heavy Democratic contributor.
A lawyer representing a group of Chrysler dealers who are on the hit list deposed senior Chrysler executives and later told Reuters that he believes the closings have been forced on the company by the White House.
[...]
RedState.com's Josh Painter has a useful roundup of what has been found so far by a growing number of bloggers digging into what could be a very big story indeed. Also, see my column on this issue and how it fits into the larger context dubbed by the Examiner's Michael Barone as "gangster government."
As part of Chrysler's bankruptcy agreement with the White House, the company plans to close roughly a quarter of its 3,200 dealerships. Lists of the dealerships being cut and those retaining their Chrysler franchises can be found here in pdf format. Many dealers contend the criteria being used to determine which dealerships survive is not clear and that many of those that are being closed in fact are profitable businesses, despite the current recession.
I suppose it's possible that there's an innocent explanation for the horse's head left on the showroom floor of dealerships owned and operated by businessmen who haven't drunk the Obama KoolAid, but I prefer the accuracy of Occam's Razor: The simplest explanation is often the most accurate.
This is not the way things are done in free nations. This is not the way things are done in a nation dedicated to the rule of law.
It is, however, apparently, how things are done in the Banana Republic of America.
Posted by Mike Lief at May 28, 2009 07:02 AM
| TrackBack
Comments
Hey, I didn't know you were going on vacation. How long will you be in Montana?
Posted by: BullButz at May 30, 2009 07:00 AM