Furor grows over partisan car dealer closings

[Parkbandit]

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?

Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan learned from a House colleague that his Venice, Florida, dealership is on the hit list. Buchanan also has a Nissan franchise paired with the Chrysler facility in Venice.

"It's an outrage. It's not about me. I'm going to be fine," said Buchanan, the dealership's majority owner. "You're talking over 100,000 jobs. We're supposed to be in the business of creating jobs, not killing jobs," Buchanan told News 10, a local Florida television station.

Buchanan, who succeeded former Rep. Katharine Harris in 2006, reportedly learned of his dealership's termination from Rep.Candace Miller, R-MI. Buchanan owns a total of 23 dealerships in Florida and North Carolina.

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.

"It became clear to us that Chrysler does not see the wisdom of terminating 25 percent of its dealers. It really wasn't Chrysler's decision. They are under enormous pressure from the President's automotive task force," said attorney Leonard Bellavia.

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.


http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Furor-grows-over-partisan-car-dealer-closings-46261447.html

I HOPE that this isn't the case, but I wouldn't be surprised in the least if it is. It's an opinion commentary as their investigation is still underway. If it turns out to be valid, then I would hope that no one on this message board with a brain would condone and support such a measure.

[Fallen]

Crazy. I just hope it is a coincidence. We really don't need that kind of crap going on with all the other problems at the moment. Do more republican officials own dealerships than Democrats?

[Parkbandit]

Crazy. I just hope it is a coincidence. We really don't need that kind of crap going on with all the other problems at the moment. Do more republican officials own dealerships than Democrats?

It's not just Republican officials.. it's people who donated to Republicans in the past vs. people who donated to Democrats in the past.

[Fallen]

It's not just Republican officials.. it's people who donated to Republicans in the past vs. people who donated to Democrats in the past.

Ok, same idea, different question. Do automotive dealerships more often donate to Republicans than Democrats? It would be like shutting down high-end golf resorts. I imagine if you do, you are going to be hurting the republican's donor pool versus democrats.

[Warriorbird]

The Washington Examiner is a conservative free daily newspaper published in Springfield, Virginia, and distributed around Washington, D.C. and its suburbs.

I'd love some other sources.

...I'm not sure this is to the furor level yet.

[bluesmith]

They're closing most small town / small scale dealerships...Chrysler needs to get rid of a bloated distribution system (a vestige of the 50's) in order to be competitive with Japanese manufacturers, who sell more cars from fewer dealerships.

It wouldn't surprise me if there were more Republicans owning dealerships or being associated with them, but this article doesn't say that they White House is targeting Republicans, only that they're pushing Chrysler to shrink their networks. Who's buying their cars now anyway?

[ClydeR]

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?

There is no possible explanation for that except rank corruption. No possible explanation.

[Jorddyn]

Ok, same idea, different question. Do automotive dealerships more often donate to Republicans than Democrats? It would be like shutting down high-end golf resorts. I imagine if you do, you are going to be hurting the republican's donor pool versus democrats.

1. They're closing a lot of rural dealerships. Rural areas lean right.
2. Dealers tend to have some money, but not a ton. These people tend to lean right.
3. Speaking as someone whose family owns a dealership, and has met a ton of dealers (which I know is a limited pool), I'd can say the vast majority of those I have met lean right.


OMG CONSPIRACY

[Parkbandit]

The Washington Examiner is a conservative free daily newspaper published in Springfield, Virginia, and distributed around Washington, D.C. and its suburbs.

I'd love some other sources.

...I'm not sure this is to the furor level yet.


I agree.. but let's be honest.. do you actually believe the liberal media would run with this type of story which would certainly cast a bad light upon The One?

Most stories that will say anything bad about Obama will be from a conservative type source. Just because you don't see it on the National Barack Channel Evening News, doesn't mean it's an embellishment.

[Warriorbird]

Well... the sources cited seem not to be discussing quite the same thing the headline claims either.

If this was better sourced I'd expect something like the Wall Street Journal's investigative reporters or some of the few somewhat credible Murdoch lackeys to jump on it.

From these guys... seems like you're jumping on tabloid journalism.

[Parkbandit]

Well... the sources cited seem not to be discussing quite the same thing the headline claims either.

It's an opinion piece... but yea, I don't think it's quite "furor" level yet. Jorddyn also pointed out that yea, mostly Republican backers had their dealerships closed down.. but if the vast majority of all dealers are Republican backers.. then it makes sense that they would have more of their dealerships closing.

[Apotheosis]

that's a shocker, but there's pretty much no recourse in this situation if it's true.... .I am sure it's just a coincidence.... correlation does not = causation

[bluesmith]

About 80% of car dealers are Republicans. About 88% of money given by "car dealers, etc." was given to Republicans.

Ergo if you're going to shut down dealerships, then necessarily a larger proportion of them would be Republicans.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/05/news-flash-car-dealers-are-republicans.html

[TheRunt]

About 80% of car dealers are Republicans. About 88% of money given by "car dealers, etc." was given to Republicans.

Ergo if you're going to shut down dealerships, then necessarily a larger proportion of them would be Republicans.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/05/news-flash-car-dealers-are-republicans.html

Yes a larger proportion would be Repubs, but not nearly 100%
Going with 789 dealerships closed which is the first number I found on the net. Statistically speaking there should of been 158 Dem dealerships closed not 1.

[Jorddyn]

Yes a larger proportion would be Repubs, but not nearly 100%
Going with 789 dealerships closed which is the first number I found on the net. Statistically speaking there should of been 158 Dem dealerships closed not 1.

Factor in that not everyone donated, so you don't necessarily have a complete list of "Republican" and "Democrat" dealerships - you have dealers that donated to the republican party/candidate, dealers that donated the the democrat party/candidate, and dealers that did not donate.

Factor in that many of the dealerships that closed are in rural areas, and those areas are definitely skewed to the right.

Factor in that many of the dealerships that closed are in the south, which is definitely skewed to the right.

[Parkbandit]

If only 1 was a Democratic donor, it is statistically unlikely that politics weren't a contributing factor in choosing which dealers were closed.

[Keller]

If only 1 was a Democratic donor, it is statistically unlikely that politics weren't a contributing factor in choosing which dealers were closed.

I'm speechless.

[Parkbandit]

I'm speechless.

Nothing intelligent to say.. so you decided not to say anything?

Holy shit, there is hope for you afterall.

[Skeeter]

To the victors go the spoils.

[Keller]

Nothing intelligent to say.. so you decided not to say anything?

Holy shit, there is hope for you afterall.

Fine, I'll say this in the least offensive way possible in hopes that you might think, "hey, I might have been wrong," instead of launching into ad hominem attacks.

I think you're confusing correlation and causation. Your sentence implies that X (not being a Democratic donor) caused, in part, Y (having your dealership closed).

I don't think ($100 says, had I not included this parenthetical, you would have quoted those three words and just said something "witty" like, "You could have stopped there.") you can prove X caused Y, even if the correlation between X and Y was 100%.

[Parkbandit]

Fine, I'll say this in the least offensive way possible in hopes that you might think, "hey, I might have been wrong," instead of launching into ad hominem attacks.

I think you're confusing correlation and causation. Your sentence implies that X (not being a Democratic donor) caused, in part, Y (having your dealership closed).

I don't think ($100 says, had I not included this parenthetical, you would have quoted those three words and just said something "witty" like, "You could have stopped there.") you can prove X caused Y, even if the correlation between X and Y was 100%.

:rofl:

I love how you want to play the adult.. the victim.. someone above the fray.. when everything in your history here is the direct opposite of this. I do appreciate you not calling my kids little whores this time though.. thanks.

I'll play your little game though and keep it civil... let's see how long you can keep it up.

Here is what I am saying.. and nothing more: If 88% of all car dealerships are owned by Republican supporters and 12% are owned by Democrat supporters, I would hope that the ones that are closed are generally around those numbers and not skewed drastically towards one specific group. Given Jordyyn's input of demographics, these numbers are already leaning heavy towards Republican closures... but if only 1 out of 700+ dealership closings are owned by a Democrat supporter, I believe there is something else at work here. I am assuming a great many things here.. one of which is the validity of the information given on the websites quoted in this thread.

[Keller]

Here is what I am saying.. and nothing more: If 88% of all car dealerships are owned by Republican supporters and 12% are owned by Democrat supporters, I would hope that the ones that are closed are generally around those numbers and not skewed drastically towards one specific group. Given Jordyyn's input of demographics, these numbers are already leaning heavy towards Republican closures... but if only 1 out of 700+ dealership closings are owned by a Democrat supporter, I believe there is something else at work here. I am assuming a great many things here.. one of which is the validity of the information given on the websites quoted in this thread.

That's fine. So long as you recognize that a correlation that makes you believe something does not also make it statically likely/unlikely.

I surely hope that politics are not in play in determining whose businesses are advantaged (greater market share) at the expense of others, but I'm not naive enough to believe that isn't the case.

[Gan]

They're closing most small town / small scale dealerships...Chrysler needs to get rid of a bloated distribution system (a vestige of the 50's) in order to be competitive with Japanese manufacturers, who sell more cars from fewer dealerships.

The problem I have with this is that when you discuss the idea of rural west of the Mississippi you're talking vast distances in some cases. And yet dealerships in large metropolitan areas are being kept open which are roughly 5 minutes apart from each other.

I do agree with your bloated distribution statement; however, the application of the solution needs more transparency from those managing the system than what's been given.

[4a6c1]

I'm wondering how all this will affect car buyers eventually.

Last year I bought a used 2007 Dodge Caliber. It's a nice car but I'm wondering how easy it will be for me to get parts for it when it is time to replace things. As opposed to a cheap Jap car with popon parts that can be shipped in 2-3 days because they are so plentiful.

Will Dodge even continue producing these parts or will you have to backorder them from the manufacturer like the Gremlin (Wayne's World Car) way back in the day.

[radamanthys]

Why are people so surprised that Obama, a politician, is participating in politics, an activity mostly dominated by politicians?

Obama is a politician. He is interested in furthering the interests of his own Party, and as well will participate in activities that accomplish these ends. And he's incredibly good at it.

If you disagree, please publicly say so. I'm really interested in hearing the sentiment.

[Warriorbird]

... this is a very soft furor.

Of course Obama is a politician... but jumping at everything he does as CONSPIRACY triggers...

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc201/tpmunro/RonPaulTinFoilHat2.jpg