Bush Administration Praised Closure Of Auto Plant That Ryan Now Blames On Obama

[kpete]

Source: Think Progress

For proof, just ask one of the more prominent supporters of the Janesville plant shutdown — the George W. Bush Administration. The closure of the Janesville plant was part of a broader GM restructuring initiative that the then-President supported. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino even praised it as evidence GM was “adapting well:”



The White House called the announcement a sign that the auto giant was “adapting well” to market shifts.

“It’s a sign that Detroit continues to adapt and evolve and address the change in consumer tastes and attitudes. And I think that they’re adapting well,” spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

“And they’ll make these changes, and hopefully be able to pull themselves up out of what has been a rough several years,” she said. …

GM plans to shutter production at its Toluca, Mexico, pickup truck at the end of the year and its Oshawa, Canada plant will be closed in 2009. Plants in Moraine, Ohio and Janesville, Wisconsin, are slated for closure in 2010 “or sooner if market demand dictates,” GM said.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h02VGip7lek1Z7nWSXi4VLhYpB2g

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/08/30/776711/bush-administration-gm-ryan/

[Roland99]

1. Facts have such a liberal bias to them, eh?

[Submariner]

2. Paul Ryan Didn't Work All That Hard To Help His Own Hometown

I now understand why his high school year book said Ryan was mostly likely to succeed as a Brown-Noser.

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/paul-ryan-didnt-work-all-hard-help-hi

As I've pointed out, the coverage of Paul Ryan by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been whitewashed for national consumption, but bloggers and progressive media in Wisconsin are working hard to fill in the blanks, especially about Ryan's uneasy relationship with his hometown.

Elizabeth DiNovella of The Progressive describes Janesville:

Janesville it used to be an industrial center, a place where workers at the GM factory churned out 1,000 SUVs a day. But that was a long time ago, or so it seems. Back then, Ryan requested government money for projects, such as public transportation and water treatment plants. Back then, during the George W. Bush era, Ryan was “miserable,” he says, as he voted over and over again to support his party’s ever-growing government deficits, wars, and bureaucracies.

Now, though, Janesville is living in misery. It has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state, alongside other cities like Racine and Kenosha in Ryan’s First Congressional District. Foreclosures have tripled since 2000.

Janesville native Lou Kaye has been covering Paul Ryan for years and points out that Ryan's personal politics clashed with what a town in recovery desperately needed - including making the choice to skip every government meeting related to helping his hometown recover:

With a White House official playing host and several more federal officials in attendance, this economic recovery summit was perhaps the single most important meeting concerning the future economic vitality of Janesville and the Rock County area in over 50 years. Everyone and anybody that represents city and county government were there including State Assembly Rep. Mike Sheridan and Rep. Tammy Baldwin. The state was represented by the DWD Secretary, Roberta Gassman. So just about everyone was there except for. one. Paul. Ryan.

That's right, Paul Ryan, the guy who often refers to himself as the area's go-to "federal guy", did not participate in the district's most important plans for economic recovery during what was arguably the most stressful time in its history since the Great Depression. These two important meetings were not only in his congressional district, but Janesville is his hometown.

snip >

LIAR!!!!!!!!

[SoapBox]

3. Lying POS...

such an asshole.

The one that got me this morning was about Bowles-Simpson...I did not realized that this dirt bag was actually ON that committe...AND that he rejected the committees finding/recommendations!

GRRRRR!

Just the way that CouponCare Ryan was so snarky and condescending, with his non-existent thin lips.

What a dick.

[calimary]

4. Lyin' ryan, the CouponCare Kid.

What a lineup that was, last night, 'eh?

Contradicta and the CouponCare Kid. Sounds like some sort of Bizarro World Wild West revue.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. Ryan's SIGNATURE (pic, pdf via house.gov): knew in June 2008

Here's the letter with Ryan's June 2008 signature acknowledging the closing (pdf via house.gov)

Signed, June 3, 2008

http://paulryan.house.gov/uploadedfiles/ltr_gm_060308.pdf

[SansACause]

6. If not Photoshopped...

If that's not a Photoshop job, then this should be shown on every news program in the country. The Obama administration should project it 40 feet high behind the President on his next campaign stop.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. It's not photoshopped. Follow the link to the US Government Congressional PDF.

[Scuba]

8. Hey signed a letter with Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl? Wait'll the base hears about this!!!!

In Wisconsin, the wingers think Russ is the devil incarnate and were very unhappy that McCain tied his name to him. This will actually turn off a few more right-wing cheesehead voters.

[tanyev]

11. Is that signature compensating for something?

[Dont call me Shirley]

12. It's definitely showing the size of his ego, large and open-ended.

[Scuba]

7. These guys must give about five seconds thought to their campaign messaging....

.... either they're imbeciles or they know the fix is in.

[Yavin4]

9. Don't The Republicans Know About The Internet?

This isn't 1988 where they can make shit up about Willie Horton to win an election. We have this thing called the internet where we store information and can quickly retrieve information refute bullshit.

[awoke_in_2003]

13. That happened more than 15 minutes ago...

so a lot of Americans had forget. If Americans had a good memory, politicians couldn't get away with spewing the BS they do.