UAW: Romney Trying To "Rewrite History" Over Bailout

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Days after Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney penned an op-ed in the Detroit News over his thoughts on the bailout, UAW President Bob King is firing back.

In a statement released to the media, King said that

“He’s trying to rewrite history and attack President Obama and the UAW for successfully saving the auto industry. He is misleading voters about the president’s bold and decisive rescue of the auto industry and about sacrifices made by workers. But voters deserve the truth.”

Romney is hardly the only Republican candidate who has come out against the bailout; 2008 nominee John McCain spoke out publicly against it, and Rick Santorum, a candidate in this year’s race, has also come out against it, but placed the blame largely with President George W. Bush. Nevertheless, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder endorsed Romney this past Thursday.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

More by Derek Kreindler

Comments
Join the conversation
7 of 85 comments
  • CarShark CarShark on Feb 19, 2012

    The whole storm of the bailout was a real eye opener for some of my friends and family inside of MI. They saw the bank bailouts like most people: Wall St. vs. Main St. Us versus them. When it came time for GM and Chrysler to belly up, people around here made it seem like it was an easy sell: Wall Street was about wealthy banksters using calculus to make money out of thin air, while GM and Chrysler meant middle class jobs in America. They were honestly surprised by the narrative that formed. It was the successful transplant states in the south vs. the failed rust belt states. The flexible, adaptable non-union shops vs. the union shops saddled with complicated UAW rules and invincible workers that received lavish pay and benefits far above what most people could expect. That really took the steam out of the "middle class" argument. Finally, it was people on the coasts who didn't want to support the domestics by buying their products vs. MI and other states who didn't diversify their economy as well as others. They were going to pay one way or another. People here that were so connected to the auto industry didn't realize just how much enmity (at the worst) and indifference (at best) people around the country held for us. When it came to the auto bailouts, we were the them, and we weren't used to that. I wonder what percentage of the population will never buy from "Government Motors" or "Fiatsler" ever again. Politically, this was a stupid move. The stance is what I expected, but the timing was questionable. The mood around here in MI during the bailout was embarrassment with a twist of resentment. Since then, it's more optimistic, but not without a ton of rancor. I made a comment then that anybody that didn't vote for the bailout of the auto companies or came out against it could forget getting any electoral votes from Michigan for a generation. THAT'S how much they meant to the state. I don't think Mitt "The Inevitable" Romney can afford to give up a swing state so easily.

    • See 2 previous
    • Highdesertcat Highdesertcat on Feb 20, 2012

      @highdesertcat bd2, I understand the politics behind foreign governments being so heavily invested in their corporations and financial institutions, but America has not done that until the great bail outs, hand outs and nationalization of 2008/2009. I think there are some undercurrents that many domestic aficionados tend to overlook, and that was the mass exodus away from American cars and the defection of Americans to buying the foreign and transplant products. Clearly, the customer wanted a better product than they could get from GM, Ford and Chrysler. Without the better foreign products we'd still be driving GM, Ford and Chrysler vehicles of yore. And as for Romney, Santorum, Gingrich or even Paul, as an Independent I wouldn't vote for any one of them. I certainly will not vote for Obama. From where I'm standing, Obama has been a disaster for America. Worse even than Carter was. But I'm not on welfare or unemployment compensation. Maybe that's why I see things the way I do. I learned from my mistake voting for Carter in 1976. I did better under Bush and Clinton. But that's me. So it doesn't matter what any of these potential nominees say or do, or what Obama would like us to believe this time around. I have zero confidence in the lot! We're in deep kim-chee up to our eyeballs, and there are no leaders in sight, anywhere.

  • Tootsie Tootsie on Feb 19, 2012

    Whatever you do....don't voice an opposing political view other than the UAW on their facebook pages. Obama is their god, and if you criticise him in any way, or, criticise his apostle Bob King...you will be banned from their sites. Censorship and indoctrination are the norm on these union facebook pages.

  • Alluster Alluster on Feb 19, 2012

    I made this little chart (old GM vs New GM) explaining why GM is profitable now. Sources, wikipedia, WSJ, Reuters etc Old GM New GM Debt: $94.5 B $4.7 B Cash on Hand: $14 B $40 B Global Employment: 266,000 208,000 US Employment: 91,000 68,000 UAW Employment: 62,000 49,000 Tier 2 workers - making 14$/Hr: 0 6,400 US Dealers: 5,900 5,000 US Brands: 8 4 US Plants: 47 34 US Models: 86 49 ATP of vehicle sold in US: $28,000 $32,000 Cost to sell 2 Million cars: $41 B $31 B Global Production (Units): > 8 Million > 9 Million Interest Income on cash: 0 500 Million Interest paid to service debt > $1 B a year 0 Loans: Loan from Bush administration written off Tax Savings: $ 18 B in future tax write-offs http://www2.picturepush.com/photo/a/7613915/img/7613915.bmp

  • Bill mcgee Bill mcgee on Feb 19, 2012

    Of course to me George the younger and Obama are cut out of the same cheap cloth. I voted for Obama thinking he would bring national health and get us out of the stupid Bush wars. They were in my opinion both total disappointing mediocraties and I can't stand listening to either of them speak because they don't have anything new to say.Obviously Romney comes off as the clueless rich asshole he is when he backed the bank bailout but not the car bailout. Both bailouts bother me and I think the government should have let Chrysler sink or swim on its own in 1979. As far as the current crop of GOP nominees it is hard to believe that these are the best they could come up with.

Next