It's funny that I came across this article this morning. I had recently been thinking about the rationale behind the dealership closings. It didn't make sense to me, the dealerships aren't subsidized by Chrysler and wouldn't it be better to have as many dealers as possible for public visibility. But after reading below it makes sense to me now....................( later we can talk about Obama's pressuring the chrysler bankruptcy judge to put the unsecured creditors(Autoworkers Unions) ahead of the secured creditors (bondholders). Oh & how about Obama smearing the bondholders as greedy speculators because the didn't want to take 19 cents on the dollar for their secured debt) woops I said I'd talk about that later.

Furor grows over partisan car dealer closings

By: Mark Tapscott
Editorial Page Editor
05/27/09 3:37 PM EDT

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.

Reader Comments

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Fixedopsmike

May 27, 2009

In 34 Years of managing automobile dealerships this has to be the dumbest move in the history of our business. How can closing any dealerships HELP Chrysler one dime, it just can not happen. Dealerships do not cost the manufactures money they PAY them money up front before cars and trucks are retailed. This has to be political because on any other level it's just plain stupid. Taking a store that was worth milions 2 years ago and making it worthless is a crul move only the goverment can pull off. But to give their francsise to another dealers at no charge is criminial at a minum. You need to keep up the diligent work to find the turth, becasue the bull we have been told so far doesn't wash, there is some other real reason why they would shut down a profitable dealership and Americans deserve to know the truth. We can handle it!!!!

Igor Marxomarxovich

May 27, 2009

Want to loose car dealership or other job. Donate money to RNC or any opponent of Obama. Next he start shipping people to Siberia or North Alaska work camp! I Igor produce Barrack Milhaus Hussein Obama Birth Certificate at www.igormaro.org

Resolute

May 27, 2009

Well, so much for this Barack Obama's claim during the election that he was going to run an open, ethical administration. Targeting and destroying the livelihoods of Republican supporters while rewarding his own? Robert Mugabe and Hugo Chavez would nod their heads in approval at this Obama tactic. Small wonder that our federal republic is foundering under this president, and is about to become only a larger version of the banana republics headed by Mugabe & Chavez.

Winston N. Wilderness

May 28, 2009

Great story. Keep mining the geneaology of this President and his cabal: Russian Comintern directed artists and civil servants in place in spite of McCarthy-- Red-diaper babies--the Weathermen and anti-war protesters wartime cooperation with USSR and China as avowed communists-- Alinsky a veiled Communist-- the guilt of the well-educated-- establishment of ACORN by Alinsky-inspired Weathermen-- identity politics-- establishmentof SEIU by Alinsky-inspired former Weatherman-- Black liberation theology-- the ethos of Web 2.0 (it's all about change). the rise of a partisan Alinsky state-- use of SEIU/ACORN employees as Brown Shirts.