Glenn, who has been calling for GM to go into bankruptcy since December 2008, and Jeff de-bunk the spin surrounding GM’s bankruptcy during Episode 39. They explain what this really means for consumers, why you shouldn’t be worried about buying a GM car, and why you should be worried now that the federal government owns 60% of the “new” GM. Even as a progressive Democrat, Jeff worries about the federal government over-reaching in trying to protect GM, and wonders if thee company is too big to fail. Listen as the wheels come off Illinois Sen. Burris’ lame defense of his indefensible claims under oath regarding his appointment to President Obama’s Senate Seat. Glenn and Jeff peel back the ugly truth behind fundraising and lobbying, and offer a new context to understand the Burris situation. Ending with passion, they both enthusiastically endorse Congressman Sestak’s bid for the Democratic Senate nomination in Pennsylvania, taking on flip-flopping Sen. Arlen Specter. They probe Pennsylvania Gov. Rendell’s harsh comments towards Sestak made on MSNBC’s Ed Shultz Show in which he boasted that Sestak would get “killed” in a primary and would end up in political oblivion for challenging Specter, and that he best just keep his Congressional seat. Jeff reminds listeners that President Obama was in the same exact situation when he took on then Sen. Hillary Clinton, and wonders why Senate Democrats and the people of Pennsylvania wouldn’t want a member of the Democratic caucus who is loyal and dependable, unlike Specter. So much intrigue to read through, so many lies and distortions to unfold. It’s another great episode of PoliTalk — always informative and entertaining — it’s your weekly political podcast.
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For all of my good friends on the Left, I submit to you the words of Michael Moore in the context of what to do now that GM is in Bankruptcy and the Federal Government is now the largest shareholder.
My point is, why not spend the money—I mean, this is our taxpayer dollars. The first priority I would want done with my tax dollars is to preserve those jobs—because if you throw them out of work, we end up paying for that anyways, whether it‘s unemployment or welfare or all the social problems that will occur when people become poor. That will be a cost down the road. So, why not just spend that $30 billion right now? Keep those people employed. And then do like Franklin Roosevelt and say, “You know, next month, I want you to stop building cars and I want you to start building this.” And that‘s what happened here in Flint at the beginning of World War II. My questions to Michael Moore are:
Let’s say we spend the $30 billion to keep everyone employed building cars that nobody is buying… then what?
Does our government now decide what is built at GM?
Does our government convert this to a train manufacturing plant and if so who will but the train?
Where will the innovation come from?
Do we think a centralized government board will build a better anything over a competing marketplace?
Last time I checked, a centralized market system was called communism.
The reason why GM failed and is in bankruptcy is because it could not compete. The market (the Amercan People and the rest of the World) have decided that they will not buy GM products in large enough volume to support the company. Do we really think the Government can do this better? I think not. Maybe you should focus your next movie on asking the American People what kind of cars they would buy and what it would take for them to buy that car. Maybe then, GM might have a chance to survive by building what the Market demands. – Glenn
What we have in GM and its bailout is a failure of imagination, a failure to communicate and a failure of execution. At PoliTalk, we keep our egos in check, but we take pride in bringing our substantial experience in politics and business to bear in communicating what’s really going on in Washington, and what it means for us. To this end, kudos to Glenn for predicting exactly what happened this weekend with GM months ago. In this episode, Glenn continues to call for GM to go into bankruptcy. Jeff and Glenn also speak passionately about the double standard being applied, where auto execs get fired and workers are asked to renegotiate their contracts, but financial services execs keep their jobs, and their bonuses, and we’re told their employees get to keep their bonuses because they were under contract. They also explain why Alberto Gonzolez won’t be traveling to Spain anytime soon, and why Sarah Palin may not be including John McCain on her Christmas Card list. Get the real scoop here on PoliTalk: the place where political insiders come to get the outside the beltway view on how their politics and policy gets traction, and where those on the outside come to get a real inside view on politics and policy in Washington. Always informative, entertaining and authentic, it’s PoliTalk, featuring Glenn Gaudet and Jeff Kimball — two seasoned political and business pros.
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Now that the Stimulus package is signed into law, what happens next? What does this mean for us and the US economy? With $2.5 trillion taken out of the economy due to failing industries, will the $700 billion stimulus help, or do we have to deal with other issues? Glenn and Jeff talk about the pillars of the US economy that must be dealt with for the economy to recover…the auto, energy and finance industries. They also talk about why Sen. Burris needs to resign, how to deal with the use of steroids in baseball, and why New Hampshire’s possible efforts to limit alcohol use in bars to one drink per hour is a horribly bad idea. Episode 25 is packed with lots of laughs and plenty of information. Listen to Glenn and Jeff on PoliTalk — see why people are calling them the Car Talk of Politics — and get an unbiased, informative, entertaining view of what’s happening today. news and information — from two guys you’ll enjoy listening to, rather than the screaming matches you hear every night on political talk TV..
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Most people ease into the new year. At PoliTalk, we jump right into it. From the legality and ethics of the Burris Senate appointment, to the wisdom of the Richardson and Panetta nods to the morality of war in Gaza, there isn’t an issue that Glenn and Jeff aren’t afraid to tackle. But unlike the screaming theater that is pretty much every other political talk show, Glenn and Jeff offer up their brand of talk in a genuine, irreverent even humble manner. Rather than the next breed of political talk show, they’re more like the “Car Talk” of Politics. Tune in and then spread the word. Welcome to the next generation of political talk: PoliTalk.
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An Iraqi reporter hurled a shoe at George Bush in a fit of frustration, while Jeff and Glenn hurl all they’ve got at the Washington Elite in the 18th Episode of PoliTalk. Unlike the Iraqi, however, the PoliTalk guys hit their mark this week: Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich for his outlandish fraud; Caroline Kennedy for her lack of credentials (does it really matter); the “Big 3″ car companies for ponying up to the trough, and the politicians for filling it; Bernie Maddoff for his unbelievable, unscrupulous $50 billion ponzi scheme that hurt countless innocent people, and the makers of really bad television for leaving Glenn and Jeff off the political talk circuit for yet another week. Get your real political analysis here at PoliTalk.
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Elected officials again show profiles in political weakness by buckling to pressure to bailout the big 3 auto manufacturers. As if the lessons of the financial bailout weren’t disastrous enough (fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me…). As if caught in a web of bizarre reverse Darwinism, only the weak shall survive. If you’re strong enough to run your business well, you only have to worry about banks freezing credit, the economy crippling your business and making ends meet. But if you fail spectacularly, I mean really, really badly, well, then you are rewarded. John Thain, CEO of Merrill Lynch, is reportedly seeking at $10 million bonus this year.
The car makers, who have essentially run their dinosaur-of-a-business into the ground, are now seeking $35 billion in federal money to prop them up. AIG… well, we know the story there. So the lesson to all you kids out there: don’t work too hard, take your private jets whenever possible, seek out-of-this-world compensation for something you really haven’t done, and if you fail, don’t worry, the federal government will be there to bail you out. But if you’re one of those who live lives of quiet desperation, who live a decent, unremarkable life, but maybe you’re on the brink of financial disaster — you get screwed. Welcome to the new world economy. We’re mad as hell, in a funny, intellectually, riotous, quirky, lovable kind of way. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll ask for more. Catch the latest episode of PoliTalk: where politics and policy meet real people.
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This is what the headline will read on papers at some point in 2009 if the government hands over money. Here is the problem, GM does not want to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Why you ask? It is because if they do, management has a better than even chance of getting bounced. Simply put, management and GM’s Board of Directors for that matter have been unable to take the company out of the tailspin that they both put the company in. Delaying an inevitable Chapter 11 filing may very well put the company in a place where it cannot recover and go out of business.
Neither management, nor the Board of Directors deserve to stay at the helm for one reason… they failed, yet they continue to take money off the top to enrich themselves.
The problem with a government loan at this point to avert Chapter 11 bankruptcy is that the US Government is not capable of making the right decisions for the company to solve its woes.
The only way any auto manufacturer to survive this is to lower their costs, improve efficiencies and build what the market wants. No government czar, agency or committee is equipped to manage the wholesale changes that need to take place. The only mechanism that exists and works is the protections from creditors associated with filing for Chapter 11 bankrupcy. It’s not clean, it’s brutal, people from all over will feel pain, but it is the only chance the US Auto Companies have of surviving. Spending billions now to keep them from doing what they must ultimately have to just puts the American Taxpayer in line at the Bankrupcy Court hearings that will ultimately have to come.
Like a bizarre kabuki dance, nobody seems to be taking the lead infixing the economy. Oh, and thanks to the Government for finally acknowledging what we all knew: we are, in fact, in a RECESSION. Want more bad news? The folks from the auto industry are now driving to DC to ask for their $25 billion in bailout money, while AIG spends our money on “cash awards” (that’s corporate weasel language for big bonuses, as in $3 million to one person). More bad news? Jeff and Glenn still don’t have a morning show on MSNBC (or any cable outlet). Won’t you help? Someone in MSNBC… take charge, this show will make your career!
Not every informative political discussion has to be boring — PoliTalk is the podcast where substance meets humor.
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A laptop in the Oval Office? The Obama campaign employing new proprietary software which literally changed the way Election Day was managed…now and for the foreseeable future? Technology gets tackled in this episode of PoliTalk. In addition, Glenn and Jeff wax poetic about possible cabinet picks, political appointments and the possible uses for $700 billion in bailout money. Wouldn’t it be easier if we just cut every taxpayer a check? Can we ever stop talking about Sarah Palin? Not as long as turkeys are getting impaled while she’s doing press conferences. What’s next, a live moose hunt while talking budget appropriations and subcommittee assignments? Hey, anything for attention. Finally, Glenn and Jeff imagine a future, with your help, hosting a morning political talk show. Remember…Not every informative political discussion has to be boring — PoliTalk: the podcast where substance meets humor.
Listen to the current installment of PoliTalk and get yourself informed, inspired, entertained and ready for the day… spread the word… tell two friends, and so on and so on…
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