What is it with this White House and publicly calling out conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh?
If you recall, back in January 2009 President Barack Obama told Republican congressional leaders to quit listening to Limbaugh if they wanted to get things done. It's happened once again. During the White House daily press briefing on July 29, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs took another couple of jabs Limbaugh - this time over the auto manufacturer bailout. In responding to a question concerning charges of "socialism," Gibbs went right after Limbaugh.
"Look, I'll say this - Rush Limbaugh and others wanted to walk away," Gibbs said. "Rush Limbaugh and others saw a million people that work at these factories that worked at these part suppliers that supported communities and thought that we should all just walk away. The president didn't think that walking away from a million jobs in these communities made a lot of economic sense."
But later during the briefing, Gibbs made the second Limbaugh jab more personal.
"I'll let those that sat in the cheap seats a year and a half ago and wanted to walk away from a million explain to every one of those workers why they made that decision and I think, better yet, ask them if they had that decision to make, if they would do it all over again - knowing that the $60 billion [the government loaned the auto industry] are on track to get paid back, knowing there's a million people still employed, knowing that we are adding 55,000 jobs, that plants are working through what is normally a planned ‘summer shut-down,' and that we are creating the jobs of the future, whether they thought the decision they made 16 or 18 months ago differed than that of the President of the United States and whether they still stand by it," Gibbs said. "And then you should ask Mr. Limbaugh, I don't know what kind of car he drives but I can bet it's not an F-150."
However, as Elizabeth Williamson pointed out for The Wall Street Journal pointed out, the F-150 truck is made by Ford, a company that didn't get federal bailout funds.
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Gulf oil drilling
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 19:32 ET by okiehawk44Gibbs you should turn around and go back into the Oval Office and ask that POS you work for to lift his drilling ban in the Gulf that will put many more Americans out of work.
Typical ad
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 19:37 ET by BKeyserTypical ad hominem.
Walking away would've been going Galt. But bankruptcy through normal means would've meant viable firms would've absorbed the failing aspects of GM and Chrysler. A million jobs wouldn't have been lost and $60 billion in new deficits wouldn't have been accrued.
Nice use of your bully pulpit Gibbs, but you don't have near the audience Rush does.
Who is John Galt?
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 19:43 ET by jawebster1Jim Webster
A caricature in
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 20:16 ET by BoudinAyn Rand's Atlas Shrugged
John Galt is ALL producers of actual worth
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 23:07 ET by gopcongressTo the uninitiated, the catchphrase "Who is John Galt?" is the iconic question throughout the book, Atlas Shrugged. While Galt was an actual character, the actual manisfestation of this phrase epitomized the reaction of the ignorant populace in the face of encroaching Obama social programs-er, American socialism.
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Moderate... Democrat... Liberal... Progressive... Socialist... Communist—The progression is clear as day.
I heard Rush talk about the "Volt" car by "Obama Motors". He...
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 19:51 ET by jawebster1said if the car was such a "game changer" why does the government need to offer incentives in order to buy it? Game changers are usually sold at premiums, not discounts. Battery driven cars are old technology, not new. The battery part of the car is only good for 40 miles, which means it only has a range of 20 miles. Most estimates are off anyway, so the actual range could be anybody's guess. Fortunately, it has a backup gasoline engine so we won't be seeing too many of these cars stalled along the road. Batteries are charged by electricity and most electricity comes from coal which is a fuel source ordinarily hated by the left. Glenn Beck talked about Hydrogen powered cars on his radio show the other day. What happened to that truly novel idea? Jim Webster
One thing that GM and their
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 20:37 ET by ReaverOne thing that GM and their government overseers agree on is that the Volt is going to be a money looser for GM not a money maker. But hey, what are profits when you’re trying to make an environmental statement? As for the hydrogen powered car, same old song and dance. It burns clean but there is no infrastructure for refueling them and most hydrogen is made from petroleum so it doesn’t move us away from oil.
GM Volt and Phoney Accounting
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 14:31 ET by Kingfish17I posted earlier in the forums about the phoney accounting going on with GM, the federal government, and the Chevy Volt.
But I ain't askin' nobody for nothin', if I can't get it on my own. You don't like the way I'm livin', you just leave this long-haired country boy alone.
Rush doesn't drive an F-150, made by Ford, but he does drive...
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 20:01 ET by jawebster1a luxury car that gets 8 miles per gallon and he loves it. I, personally, would love to step up to an F-150, but my Ranger is doing just fine, thank you. (I am happy with my Ford pickup for many reasons, not the least of which it was made by a company that did take "bailout" money.) Jim Webster
Dang, even with the Obama
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 20:02 ET by deerjerkydaveDang, even with the Obama bail outs America still has lost 3.1 million jobs. It's comforting to know that the government treats businesses unequally. Only big businesses get the blessing of Obama, wait I thought the Republican Party was the party of big business?
→ POSOTUS Obama
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 20:19 ET by Cool ArrowThat's twice this week those disgusting Liberals have tried to hitch their wagon to FORD.
Wasn't it Harriet Reid who claimed the POSOTUS and his Congress saved GM, Chrysler AND FORD?
This "accidental" association is no accident
Is this more of what the President said........
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 20:27 ET by Okieflyover"We can disagree without being disagreeable???"
Many things could have been done to save GM that would not have included a bailout, taking over the Board and putting in Administration cronies, firing the CEO, etc. They could have re-evaluated the Union contracts, addressed the company debt, dealt with the MPG standards, allowed GM to bring in some of their foreign cars that get much better gas mileage than what is in their fleet now and they could have helped with other regulation issues that make GM, Chrysler and Ford hard pressed to compete with the other manufacturers.
Obama forced Chrysler to sell chunks of it's fleet and discontinue significant initiatives. The GAO has said that Obama's actions to force dealership closings caused more layoff than were required and accelerated the unemployment than was necessary and proved that many dealerships were forced to close that were actually profitable even in the downturn.
What Obama knows about business could fit in a thimble. As he said in his own memoir, working in the private sector for him was like working behind enemy lines.
Rush drives a Maybach 57S,
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 20:29 ET by pwozRush drives a Maybach 57S, and someday, I will too.
So Gibbs admits favoring one industry/company over an other (which I know is obvious). The rest of the country who suffered with no bailout will remember in November.
It would have been cheaper to mail them all a check.
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 20:34 ET by NeoKongWe spent more than 80 billion on that bailout. That's $80,000 per person. Also let's not forget the secured investors who got screwed over or the dealerships that were forced to close for no good reason. That was the biggest govt. theft the world has ever seen. Barack Obama made Hugo Chavez jealous.
Retire Barney.
Support Sean Bielat for Congress
Obama had no problem
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 20:52 ET by Tugboat Philshutting down thousands of dealerships which put mechanics, secretaries, cashiers out of work. Not to mention the loss of business to the surrounding stores and restaurants and the same parts suppliers that send parts to the overpaid and underworked slouches in the taxpayer financed UAW.
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Yeah, and if I'm to believe
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 02:03 ET by killa37Yeah, and if I'm to believe what I've read....a lot of these people who owned or ran the dealerships had NOT voted for Boy Barry, so they were the first ones to go!!!
Kind of like Nashville and Tennessee during their bad floods......they weren't Hussein backers, so they pretty much got ignored.
It's like Rush said, he's living in their heads rent-free
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 21:07 ET by R D Helm...and loving every minute of it.
Clearly Rush hit a bullseye here, otherwise Robert "Goebels" Gibbs would not have brought it up.
-Dave
It’s either Obama or America. There cannot be both.
I keep trying to figure out
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 02:08 ET by killa37I keep trying to figure out if Bagdad Bob IS this stupid....or it's just some kind of a 'front'...........but I keep coming to the conclusion that the ONLY reasons that he is where he is is because of his loyalty to Boy Barry and his ability to lie like a cheap rug and not think twice about it...........
Of course, he didn't mention that the unions were awarded the majority holding of these automakers........at the expense of the LEGITIMATE stockholders.......or that GM 'paid' back their TARP money with their 'porkulus' money.....or something like that. Kind of like I paid off one credit card with another.....
All of these guys can go to hell, and I wouldn't even blink!!!!
Yeah... Gibbs IS this stupid...
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 08:11 ET by The_Barrel_GuyCourageous presidents recognize those areas that they know least and surround themselves with people more qualified than themselves to get the best possible advice...
Cowards surround themselves with intellectual garbage to make themselves appear "smart" by comparison...
Considering the starting place at the top of this regime, Gibbs HAS to be this stupid... How else do you possibly explain Geithner, Holder, Salazar, Vilsack, Sebelius and Duncan... Oh, yeah... and the grand prizes: Biden, Napolitano and Gibbs?
Well, WE think they're
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 12:59 ET by killa37Well, WE think they're stupid.....hell, we KNOW they're stupid!! But what we have these days is a new definition of 'smart'....and it is driven by the people in power, the MSM, and the blind followers of this REGIME (hey, did you hear Howard 'Madhatter' Dean use that term the other day??)............who would NEVER admit to making a mistake and exposing their own ignorance.
And also, since these guys ARE in power.....their stupidity and lack of common sense - both self-inflicted and by design - are now also VERY dangerous!!!
You're totally right about Plugs Bite-me!!! When the Boy Barry puppet masters chose him, I REALLY knew the fix was in, as if I didn't before!!! This guy is beyond clueless, and apparantly is totally blind to his idiocy. However, I do have to give him credit for being a lot more honest than Boy Barry.......because he's not nearly as underhanded or sly or conniving as Hussein......but, in this REGIME.....'honesty' is a very relative term!!!!
Ah heck...could only stand
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 21:40 ET by bigtimerAh heck...could only stand a minute fourteen seconds of this BS...and that's all it is from this glittering jewel of colossal ignorance.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
bt, You are far braver than me.
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 21:45 ET by R D Helm-Dave
It’s either Obama or America. There cannot be both.
Lol Dave...don't know if
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 21:54 ET by bigtimerLol Dave...don't know if 'brave' is the word...maybe 'stupid' applies for me when it comes to wasting that much time in the first place...after-all, time is precious, let alone priceless.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
I think
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 21:52 ET by bobbysI think the GM stockholders that lost big time are the ones in the cheap seats.
Economic insanity.
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 23:52 ET by CobraMan"The president didn't think that walking away from a million jobs in these communities made a lot of economic sense."
Yea, I'm going to trust the "economic sense" of someone who believes that trillion dollar yearly deficits ("for several years") are not only desirable, but will actually help our economy. If it's Rush vs the President in economic advice wars, I'll back Rush every single time!
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Speaking of Fords...
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 23:55 ET by Cactus KurtSpeaking of Fords... wasn't it Gerald Ford that told New York City to drop dead in 1975 when they asked for a federal bailout? Ford made New York City bail themselves out by reducing workforce, restructuring bonds, and dealing with union pension funds... steps that General Motors should have taken instead of bailout money. General Motors, like New York City in the 70s, dug their own grave. Kudos to Gerald Ford for standing his ground and Ford Motor Co. for declining bailout money.
PS I own an F-150
Pot...This Is Kettle
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 01:22 ET by txradioguy"And then you should ask Mr. Limbaugh, I don't know what kind of car he drives but I can bet it's not an F-150."
My gut tells me that neither do you Mr. Gibbs. So tell us when you're not being driven around by a Chauffeur...what do YOU drive?
I'm guessing BMW 7 series.
"I May Be Changed By War, But I Will Not Be Defeated By It" - Audie Murphy
Nah....Glibbsy is undoubtedly carted around.....
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 01:30 ET by Blonde...in an armoured Escalade. Probably a convoy of them, the stupid twit.
Rush in an F-150? LOLOLOL.
I hope he fails, too.
Dumb thing to say
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 08:28 ET by jon_torlinThat crack he made about the F-150 shows how ignorant Gibby is. I see him more as an idiot savant.
For the uninformed, Ford did not receive(nor did they want to) any sort of bailout. His comment makes him look positively moronic and I'm surprised no reporter there didn't correct him on that. He might as well have had a sign hanging around his neck in bright colors "I'm a dumbass!"
-Jon
When are these hacks going
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 01:38 ET by JerWhen are these hacks going to learn that taking on Fox News and Limbaugh et al is not a brilliant political strategy?
Jer
Jer
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 07:43 ET by jacktheripperNEVER, they are the epitome of the definition of insanity.
NOT RACIST,NOT VIOLENT...NO LONGER SILENT!
Utter Boobs
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 08:09 ET by telecasterThese ignoramus' are so busy demonizing anyone on the right they can't properly vet their "extension of unemployment benefits" poster child who turns out to have been convicted of prescription drug fraud. Good thing Macko wasn't a convicted murderer as close to Obama as she was with his people absolutely clueless about her past. I used to refer to Obama as the president out of respect for the office.....but this guy is no president.....he and his posse are jokes on parade and as soon as these people get their hat and their walking papers handed to them this country begins to recover.
30% of millionaires in the
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 09:29 ET by ninerdog30% of millionaires in the USA drive a ford f-150. I have an f-350. Not one upping I use it for elk hunting and getting a lot of firewood. Ford makes a great truck. GM used to back in the 70’s. These days they are crap. Just the opinion of someone who hauls a lot of weight in his truck. I would not buy a GM and try the stuff I do with my ford.
Ditto
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 10:04 ET by jon_torlinCareful, careful! That might imply that anyone driving an F-150 is a millionaire! That'll drive the feddies nuts! ;-)
I have an F-150 (1997) myself(not a millionaire here), an F-350 is far too big for my needs, but hey, more power to you if you want it! I wouldn't begrudge anyone of that at all. And that's what the federal government (which I say with no respect) wants to do, they want to begrudge anyone of anything except what the federal government wants.
GM did make good trucks, at least some of the models before 2005 were pretty decent, but these days......My dad's got a 2002 Silverado with a 6.1 liter engine, he uses it for pulling trailers up to 15,000 lbs in weight. Damn thing's got a messed up muffler though. He said he's seen some of the more recent models and he wouldn't take them if they were given to him. He is still a Ford man though, just had a good deal on the Silverado. He will get a Ford again someday.
I hate this federal government for what it's doing to our country. Sorry bastiches.
By the way, it would be really stupid to try to sell that dumbass Volt car that costs $41K in Texas. That'd be like trying to sell a bow and arrow with the arrows having suction cups to an archer who is a hunter with a bow. It just won't work.
-Jon
Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 09:30 ET by flatoutflynObama and his sock puppet Gibbs, just like old times in Iraq.
More straw man arguments from the White House.
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 11:50 ET by JWFRush Limbaugh and others wanted to walk away...The president didn't think that walking away from a million jobs...
Who said we should walk away? There is a lawful process in this country for bankruptcy of companies. The process includes the ability of a company to continue to function while the bankruptcy process goes forward. The company might have ended up letting some people go. Might have ended up smaller. But the idea that the company would just shut down was mentioned by no one.
Sincerely,
a Veteran of a 1000 psychic wars.
Such
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 12:18 ET by jessieHSuch fear of one man! Wait till November, when they finally realize that it's more than one man they have to fear! Throw the bums out!
The government media complex at work.... who asked the question?
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 13:39 ET by MDGGibbs was locked and loaded. Ready to unload. What media guru representing what organization asked such a timely question?
Socialism
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 15:47 ET by cesteshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVsr-_-v2sI
Socialism fails 100% of the time, now the left can spin it anyway they want, but when you take over banks, auto companies, insurance companies, student loan programs, health care, Wall St and wanting to control energy also it is what it is and that's government control. Implementation of collectivist principles plain and simple and it's un American.
Guys are Supposed To Know
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 19:39 ET by TeddyGuys are Supposed To Know this stuff, Gibbles & Bits.
It's Second Nature To Us. So for you Not to know that the " F " F150 = FO..!? WOW! LOL!
It's The 300C, Bob. As in Chrysler. Dork. Come on Now, Say it With Me...Chrys...