What does Obama want GM to do?

[Don Kiyoti]

Why isn't Obama as concerned about the AW Union owning an exclusive private country club? Why isn't he telling them to sell it?


Because the UAW is not begging the government for bailout money.

[Mac1337]

Don Kiyoti wrote:
Why isn't Obama as concerned about the AW Union owning an exclusive private country club? Why isn't he telling them to sell it?


Because the UAW is not begging the government for bailout money.

So the union doesn't care if GM makes it or not? What is the union without GM?

[mick e]

The UAW has already made an enormous amount of concessions. Its time GM made some as well.

This is the point that Obama has been trying to make - to those who aren't too dense to understand.

[Mac1337]

cbelt3 wrote:
davester- in defense of our friend Dakota, the media is reporting it as "Obama Fired Wagoner". While the true facts are as noted, it must be pointed out that Wagoner has NOT 'been fired'. According to press releases, he has "agreed to resign" as part of the GM restructuring program. One must assume the GM Board is part and parcel of this entire discussion. As corporate governances go, I would assume that the Government is negotiating with the Board, not one CEO type dude.

And, as noted, it's entirely within the purview of any bank offering to make loans to question and request changes in the organization of the loan recipient as a contingency to the loan. The US is acting like a bank, pure and simple.

To summarize what you have said, Wagoner was offered a deal he could not refuse. Nobody is fooled.

And this notion that Obama didn't fire him, he sure doesn't act like a bystander. He is the one who is making demands left and right. People can put 2 and 2 together and know who is behind all this. As for the US acting like a bank, it assumes that Obama and Co. know how to fix GM. They don't have a clue. Who approved their plan? What is their plan?

[mattkime]

>>Who approved their plan? What is their plan?

This was settled in november

[vision63]

mattkime wrote:
>>Who approved their plan? What is their plan?

This was settled in november

:ohsnap:

[Acer]

Yep, my info is from $4 gas days. Actually EVERY model is sitting on the lots these days, even with gas at $2. And every car maker is showing losses, too, for that matter.

But it's the $4 gas days,not CAFE standards, that killed GM when SUV sales died. Toyota had been developing a hybrid long before the $4 gas days, so that when the time came, they were more ready, but not immune, of course.

And when the rest of the economy crashed for reasons largely (but not entirely) unrelated to gas prices, GM was in a poorer position to weather it.

My point is to be wary of conservatives grumbling about who can run a car company.

[swampy]

I don't see where any Union concessions made the Union bosses give up anything. Shouldn't their pay be capped as well as CEO's of the companies?

Dakota's right. If there's no GM then there are no GM jobs. No GM jobs and the Union execs have no job and don't get paid. Sounds fair to me.

MATT...">>Who approved their plan? What is their plan?

This was settled in november"

So the plan really was for the socialist to win the election and take over corporate America, nationalize the banks, run private industry? Glad to see you finally admit to that. We conservatives suspected it all along.

[OWC Jamie]

Wagoner is a PR sacrificial lamb.
Responsible for the behomoth's unchangability, or just perceived responsibility often doesn't matter. (just like a NFL couch coach at the end of a bad season)

Bush's administration "offed" Willumsted fro AIG part os a similar greasing wheels PR package. Liddy is "marked", too.

RE: the OP's original question:
Change. Something. Anything.

Edit: see strikethrough.

[JoeH]

BigGuynRusty wrote:
[quote=Acer]
[George Will knows what happened...the gubmint through CAFE standards forced the car companies to build hybrids, which nobody would buy and they had to sell at a loss, and would not let them build the SUV's which the people wanted.

Which explains elegantly why there's a waiting list for Priuses--you can't even negotiate the the price down from sticker--and the lots are full of unsold SUV's. GM spent most of its hybrid efforts on hybrid SUV's which missed the point entirely.

HUH?!?!
They are sitting in the car lots in SoCal.
Little info.:
"How bad are sales right now? "December's Prius sales were down almost 50% from July, when both gas prices and demand for hybrids were soaring," according to Edumnds.com. Toyota car sales in general were down 29% from January 2008 to January 2009, according to Motor Intelligence. And the automaker has told suppliers it will trim overall production in 2009 by 12% to address flagging demand."
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main..._bigg.html

BGnR
Overall, Toyota passenger vehicle sales were down about 32% this February compared to a year ago. Prius sales were down about 31% from the same period. In other words, sales of Prius are down because all car sales are down, not because of any reduction in interest in the model. They still leave the lot of the local dealer as fast as they show up.