Bailout Watch 420: GOP Leader Cries Basta on Bailout

The Detroit News reports that House Minority Leader John Boehner isn’t happy about the way their hometown heroes have been running things for the last, oh, three decades.

When it comes to the auto companies, they’ve avoided making the tough decisions for 30 years—and that’s why they’ve ended up where they are. Until I’m convinced they’re willing to make the tough decisions that stakeholders, their bondholders, their employees—everyone is willing to step up and do what they have to do, I’m not willing to commit taxpayer funds.

Boehner’s right. But this statement has enough wiggle room to hide Jeff for all time—“willing to make” instead of “make.” And speaking of weasel words . . . where does a federal politician get off lecturing Detroit on its refusal to make “tough decisions”? In fact, what does John Boehner know about business?

As far as we can Google, the Ohio republican worked as a bartender and janitor (at Richards and Merrell pharmaceuticals) in Cincinnati from 1972 to 1976. On that that most bicentennial of years, Boehner joined a paper and (later) plastics company called Nucite, in some unspecified capacity.

In ’77, after an unspecified number of years of study, Boehner finished his BSBA at the Jesuit Xavier University. Fourteen years later, after an unspecified career within the company doing unspecified things, Boehner left Nucite as an extremely wealthy co-owner, entered politics and never looked back.

There’s a lot of blanks in that background. Perhaps The DetN, crusader for truth that it is, would like to fill them in? After all, Boehner IS the anti-Christ, is he not? Oh, and did I mention that the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is similarly mounted on his elevated equine?

At least at this stage, the companies are not doing what needs to be done to save the companies. So that puts us on a long-term policy of the government simply propping up this industry endlessly. They’ve doubled their request from December. So the question is not whether we want to save the automobile business, but how do you best do that?

And what business experience or acumen does Senator McConnell bring to bear on this issue? None. What experience does he have propping-up industries with pork barrel projects, subsidies and tax breaks? Lots.

Lord knows I’m no friend of the Detroit bailout buffet, but with political allies like these, who needs enemies?