More evidence emerges that Chrysler Dealer closings was politically motivated

The American Thinker ^ | May 27, 2009 | Rick Moran

[penelopesire]

Ping!

[Professional Engineer]

Ping

[CharacterCounts]

Obama and the Democrats can have GM and Chrysler as their little play toys, but they can't make me buy their cars....

yet.

[SaraJohnson]

We aren’t in Kansas anymore, Toto. We are in the Soviet Union. It makes you want to wring some ratnecks.

[MHGinTN]

Actually, it is more like fascism ... the industries will remain in private hands rather than directly run by the federal oligarchy, but those allowed to buy and sell will be determined by the central authority. The democrats believe in using government power to shuffle ownership around to those who have shown loaylty in supporting democrats/Democrap party. This will not end well ... bullets will eventually fly if this continues.

[StormEye]

"Is it possible that the Administration is this stupid or are they that arrogant and/or criminal?"

I vote arrogant, racist(anti-white) and criminal. How about you?

[smith5460]

After comparing the Chrysler dealers that will stay open and the ones that will close, the names Lithia Motors and Sidney Deboer kept coming up. According to news articles, Lithia Motors will “come out a winner” due to the Chrysler closing. Lithia Motors currently has 29 Chrysler dealerships across the western United States. They will have just 2 dealerships closed (Ohama and Colorado Springs); however, they may gain 5 new franchises in their existing markets.

Since 2004, Sidney Deboer (Chairman of Lithia Motors) has given $8,600 to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and $5,600 to Sen. Hillary Clinton for her 2008 Presidential campaign ($3,300 was returned to Deboer after the primaries ended). He also gave $3,500 to Sen. Gordon Brown (R-OR) and $4,750 to three other GOP candidates.

I have listed two articles below that talk about how Lithia Motors is a winner because of the Chrysler closings and how Mr. Deboer says that Obama’s election “could bring optimism to the American consumer” and that he “prefers a national health care system”.

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/business/13699048-41/story.csp
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2008/11/an_eye_on_the_future_auto_indu.html

Part 1 of the Investigation into Lithia Motors:

Billings, MT:

Billings, MT has three Chrysler dealerships. The dealerships are:

Lithia of Billings (Lithia-owned; Dodge)
Rimrock Chrysler (owned by John Soares, Jr.; Chrysler & Jeep)
Underriner Motors (owned by Mary Underriner; Jeep)
John Soares gave $500 to Mitt Romney in 2008 while Mary & William Underriner gave $5,250 to the Montana Republican State Central Committee, $1500 to Denny Rehberg (R), $600 to Conrad Burns (R), $250 to Lynn Westmoreland (R), and $500 to Max Baucus (D).

Lithia of Billings will remain open. Rimrock and Underliner will close as of next month. Lithia of Billings will be the only Chrysler dealer left in Billings, MT and will most likely gain the Chrysler and Jeep dealership in that city. Lithia will not have any competition from other Chrysler dealers within 50 miles of Billings.

Missoula, MT:

Missoula, MT has two Chrysler dealerships. The dealership are:

Lithia of Missoula (Lithia-owned; Chrysler & Dodge)
Flanagan’s Jeep (owned by Larry Flanagan; Jeep)
Lithia of Missoula will remain open while Flanagan’s Jeep will close as of next month. Lithia of Missoula will be the only Chrysler dealer left in Missoula, MT and wil probably gain the Jeep dealership as a result of Flanagan’s closing.

Also, Bell McCall Company, the Chrysler dealership in Hamilton, MT (47 miles south of Missoula), will also close. As a result, Lithia of Missoula will have no competition from any other Chrysler dealers within a 60 mile radius.

[SunkenCiv]

The dealer closings were not ordered by the bankruptcy judge but by the White House. This puts a whole new light on how the dealers to be closed were chosen and, more importantly, who did it. And Jim Hoft has found an incredible piece of information. Apparently, a politically connected group of Democrats who own six Chrysler dealerships not only were allowed to keep them, but their competition was deep sixed.

[El Gato]

This story is about ready to explode. All the ingredients are there for a gigantic political scandal that would shake the Obama administration to its foundation and perhaps take down several high ranking officials. All that's needed is one connecting piece of evidence that would tie the White House Automotive Task Force to some political arm of the Democratic party.

That evidence will first be suppressed. After the deed is done it will be poo-poohed as "tin foil hat material". Still later it will be derided as "old news", "sour grapes" and with the admonition that we need to "move on".

[El Gato]

Socialism Always Fails

And always leaves a smell of a hess behind. Usually, but not always, a very bloody one.

[El Gato]

My sweetie believes this is because big dealers get a better discount from the automaker then a small dealership that doesn’t move as much product. Consequently, the bigger dealerships cost the automaker more (or return less profit) per vehicle. I’m not sure if this is accurate, but it still seems you would keep successfull dealerships going & cut the marginal ones!

If that were true, they could renegotiate the terms of their franchises. But since the whole reason they give bigger discounts to bigger dealers is that they make more money that way, I sort of doubt that is the reason...except that "making money" appears to no longer be in vogue, at least publicly making money, under the New Order.

[El Gato]

No they’re not. There are plenty of dealerships in blue states that got the axe too.

Blue states are not all blue, anymore than red states are all red. He said "areas" not states. Plus even in blue areas the dealerhips could be owned by a "visible" Republican.

[GreyMountainReagan]

"Personally, I’m not sure that cutting the sales force is the way to fight your way out of bankruptcy. Better cars and MORE sales are the way out..."

Since when do communist care about providing a product at a reasonable price to the public ..ie. sales.

This is about control over you and me. Not sales.

[grellis]

If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.

See also:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2258355/posts

[Becki]

They are using the manufacturing machine that helped this country win WWII, trying to destroy both of them.

Becki

[Ben Hecks]

McLarty has not been in the news for a long time. If you do a search on McLarty/Nora/Gene/Lum you turn up a lot of stuff including a possible murder:

http://www.oklahomaconstitution.com/conmiller2.html

[uncommonsense]

"Is it possible that the Administration is this stupid or are they that arrogant and/or criminal?

Criminal

[Gritty]

Welcome to the United States of Nigeria!

[Clint Williams]

At some point the people have got to make a stand before it’s too late...

It's always "at some point", never "now." Too many did too little for too long and now it's too late.

America -- a great idea, didn't last.

[wpa_mikeb]

You are so right about this.

NOBODY in the media is talking about the real motive to force profitable dealers to close. All of these so called investigative journalists. They’re allowing businesses to be forced to close which will eliminate competition. It’s not costing Chrysler a penny to sell their cars to more franchisees. From now on, you’ll have less dealers from which to choose, and coincidentally, the dealers remaining all take their marching orders from the teleprompter. Just an odd coincidence.