While Detroit News columnist Daniel Howes gently chides Motown’s hometown heroes– even as they continue to bleed to death all over his carpet– The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank kicks the Big 2.8’s CEO while they’re down. But good. The WaPo scribe warms-up with a few gentle toe jabs, simply repeating the Big 2.8’s testimony regarding their recent travel arrangements. “There’s a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, D.C., and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hands,’ Rep. Gary L. Ackerman (D-N.Y.) advised the pampered executives at a hearing yesterday. ‘It’s almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high-hat and tuxedo. . . . I mean, couldn’t you all have downgraded to first class or jet-pooled or something to get here?” Fortress Detroit please note: no one mentioned the rejuvenating possibilities of a “convenient plane crash.” Oops.
“I’m going to ask the three executives here to raise their hand if they flew here commercial,’ he [Ackerman] said. All still at the witness table. ‘Second,’ he continued, ‘I’m going ask you to raise your hand if you’re planning to sell your jet . . . and fly back commercial.’ More stillness. ‘Let the record show no hands went up,’ Sherman grandstanded.” After this extended session of petard-related self-hoisting, Milbank really puts the boot in…
“It was a display of stone-cold tone-deafness by the automaker chiefs. In their telling, they have no responsibility for the auto industry’s current mess. Threatening the nation with economic Armageddon if they are not given government aid, they spent much of the session declaring what a fine job they’ve been doing in Detroit.”
Ay, there’s the rub. As the old Jewish expression goes, if you’re so smart, how come you’re not rich?
TTAC identified this dilemma from the git-go. Our Ken Elias exhorted the execs to “man-up” and tell the truth. But how could they do that? Admitting failure publicly would be like admitting failure publicly. In the “pay no attention to that man behind the curtain” culture of Detroit, admitting weakness is like cutting open an artery in shark-infested waters. Or allowing Dorothy to douse you in a bucket of water. Or letting yourself get hit by a freight train. If you catch my drift.
Back to Daniel Howes for a moment, for it’s clear that even Detroit cheerleaders understand that there’s a disconnect between the CEO’s Pumba-like prevarications (“you gotta put your behind in your past”) and their abject inability to sell a brighter future to their intended public benefactors.
“Added Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y.: ‘When my wife has a problem with the foreign car she drives, they bend over backwards for her. You all aren’t responsive to your customers. You don’t want to put your last tourniquet to a dead guy. Tell me what’s going to be different in three months.'”
The fact that Howes doesn’t even bother to list their reply, or answer the question on the CEOs behalf is, perhaps, the most telling part of his commentary. In this Howes mirrors Motown’s progress through the stages of grief. They’re out of denial, asking the right questions of themselves. But they’re just now entering the bargaining phase. Acceptance and hope is a long, long way off.
Meanwhile, that bridge loan to a brighter day is about to collapse. If it hasn’t already.
As in any great tragedy, the fundamental flaw that’s assured Detroit’s doom is hubris. Right from the the beginning of this do-or-die bailout campaign, GM’s Rick Wagoner decided to be the smartest guy in the room. His newly developed eye twitch betrayed his suprise that his machine gun bullet point assault failed to find its mark. Not to mention his accountant’s inability to grasp the bigger political picture.
“When Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.) tried to find out when GM would run out of cash, Wagoner hemmed and hawed until the lawmaker protested that “I don’t quite understand what the hell you just told me.” When Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) asked about GM’s outlook for the quarter, Wagoner informed him that “we don’t provide financial guidance in earnings.” Would Rick talk that way to a “normal” banker, as opposed to, say, the United State taxpayer? The sad part: yes, he would. The even sadder part: they listened. Well, right until they didn’t.
And them Milbank absolutely buries the troika of bailout beggars.
“So it was hard to feel sorry for the executives when Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), late in the hearing, reminded them again that “the symbolism of the private jet is difficult,” and mischievously asked the witnesses whether, in another symbolic gesture, they would be willing to work for $1 a year, as Nardelli has offered to do.
‘I don’t have a position on that today,’ demurred Wagoner (2007 total compensation: $15.7 million).
‘I understand the intent, but I think where we are is okay,’ said Mulally ($21.7 million).
‘I’m asking about you,’ Roskam pressed.
‘I think I’m okay where I am,’ Mulally said.”
Think again, boys. Think again.
Those greedy mother f*ckers will never give up their perks because they’ve “earned” them. Amazing to think they are asking for billions and yet will give up nothing but employees as collateral.
Yes indeed. The concept of personal responsibility died long ago. Actually, that’s probably not true. It’s just that it never really blossomed in a lot of people, particularly not the ones devious enough to make it to the top of large, bureaucratic corporations.
Yet, somehow we (as the people) are made responsible for the decline of the North American auto industry because we didn’t buy domestic vehicles. Sorry but if the big wigs can’t take responsibilty why should I. If GM, Ford and Chrysler are looking for money, try firing these ‘big wigs’ and save millions.
And here is the end of Detroit. Both executives and UAW don’t want to give up a dime. Someone should let them know if they had any support from taxpayers before the meeting, it is gone now. Someone should also tell GM to drop the internet ad asking for signatures to Congress to allow the loans. After their performance the past two days, I doubt anyone not working for them would sign it.
My guess is if they make it to the new administration, the loans are going to have very stiff conditions. These guys will wish they rode coach to D.C that day.
It’s a case of pot calling kettle black.
How much money and traveling do politicians spend getting electied, and do they fly coach while campaigning?
It’s all grandstanding by those who are running this country into financial ruin, and they want to lecture on fiscal restraint?
This is the pot calling the kettle black. What perks have the D.C. clowns given up as they spend more money we don’t have? The morons in D.C. are no better and IMHO much worse.
Why would they admit defeat? Part of their plan is to STAY in power. These jokers can kiss my a**… let them keep flying in their pampered jets and wasting money… it shows how “committed” they are to true reform of their industry. Which is to say that they are not.
I should lead with an example before going off again: I just returned home from a business trip to TX. My rental was a Hyundai Sonata “Premium” V-6. Beautifully constructed. Really. Good materials and colors chosen for the interior, it was quiet, mannered, and well laid out. Again, this was a Hyundai. Look at how far a company can come in 20 years. Now, let’s think back to the Detroit manufacturers… hmmm.
Now, on to my company provided car (2006 Chevy Equinox AWD, 34K miles) that I returned to at the airport. It had been sitting for 3 days in a parking garage. It sputtered to life, the engine light came on (again), and on the freeway home the electric power steering stopped working. At 10pm, in a VERY bad neighborhood. I pulled over, shut the car off, restarted the engine and *poof* it started working again. There’s a bit of quality for you. It has an engine that dates directly back to the 1980 Chevy Citation. Remember those? Quite the progress we’ve made in the last 30 years, right Mr. Wagoner?
The workers deserve the sympathy, but the companies are dead.
At least Ford has shown significant steps towards downsizing (or as they describe “right sizing”) their business. Still, if Ford wants MY money it is NOT going to be for executive pay. But at least they have a fighting chance.
OK TTAC readers and bloggers… we are still a democracy here in the USA… how many of you have contacted your representatives and senators to let them know how you feel? Maybe you should reference the blog posts and suggestions that you’ve made here. They need to hear how you feel. It’s the only way the taxpayers (and our children, grand-children, etc) who are going to have to pay for this bloody mess will have a voice.
I was completely disappointed with both sides of the Senate hearings. It was if both sides had no intention of accomplishing anything this week. The CEOs were not going to do anything in the future but business as usual and the Senators have been cheering against Detroit for years already.
Sen. Shelby from Alabama may have been the worst offender with: “We don’t need government subsidies for manufacturing in this country.” Yeah, except for the subsidies that his home state has given to Hyundai, Mercedes, Honda, and Toyota to set up the new US auto industry in the South.
With the private jet indecent, all remaining sympathy left in the American public has been officially snuffed out.
The government should not subsidize *anyone*.
I never thought I would live to see the day when the statement above would seem unusual to any American.
I’m calling Class Envy and Cheap Shots on the entire company plane deal.
CEO of a global company is a 24/7 job. (You may not agree with how they do the job but it’s 24/7) These guys’ jobs and lives are one and the same. …and they live on the road a good portion of the year. There’s no question they need a jet. (I’m referring to the CEO’s; not Gettlefinger).
Do you think their stockholders really want them burning through $70K a day (Mulally’s ~deal) standing in a cattle call line at Metro. I don’t.
And how much yelling and screaming would there have been if they were a 1/2 day late to their date with destiny because Northwest screwed up another flight (….but that’s for a Truth About Northwest site)
All that said, should they have had some wise counsel that foresaw this PR debacle in the making(a mile away)? Absolutely.
For this one (realllly important)trip could they have figured out some alternative that wouldn’t have come across as so tone-deaf. Yep, no dout they could have.
If Gettlefinger, Mulally, Nardelli and Wagoner had any sense of the moment, they would call all of these Congressman’s bluff and hold a press conference on the steps of the Capitol at noon today and announce that:
1: We have agreed to enact the 2010 UAW Labor Agreement on January 1st 2009 thereby launching the new contract savings now and putting us on par with the transplant’s labor costs.
2: All three of us have agreed to work for $1.00 until we have a profitable business quarter, and with federal accounting standards imposed so that the Congress can believe our numbers are accurate.
3: If that is not satisfactory we have instructed our BoDs to start an executive search to find our replacements by Jan. 1st 2009.
4: We are instructing our respective HR departments to enact a 20% across the board wage and salary cut to all workers beginning January 1st, 2009.
5: We have instructed our R&D departments to achieve the 2020 CAFE requirement of 35mpg, by 2015, a full 5 years ahead of schedule.
And with that, they would ask for the mercy of the Congress and the Administration to re-consider their loan requests…and they would all walk down the steps of the Capitol and get into Volts and Hybrids and drive back to MoTown…But none of them have vision or a sense of the moment…Okay maybe Mulally…but certainly not the others.
It would be neat to see them try it though!!
Enough with the “private jet stigma”. Flying in on a private jet is the least of the problems when it comes to top heavy corporations and I agree that this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. In many companies,when times get tough, the people at the top forgo their salaries and some perks but it seems that no one wants to step up and do what needs to be done. I’m not against bailing the auto industry out if that means a legislated restructuring of the industry and that has to include the power to renegotiate and in some cases void some provisions in union contracts and limit executive compensation. If they are handed a blank check it will be more of the same and we will revisit this same scenario in the future.
Well, you have to give Mullaly props for being gutsy enough not to make symbolic, if empty, gesture (like Nardelli) or prevaricate (like Wagoner) with regards to their salary. The “One Dollar Compensation” is effectively a useless tool for people who a) already are multimillionaries and b) are compensated well in any number of other ways.
The corporate jet is another red herring. Yes, they could have flown coach, or paid out of pocket, but it would have been as empty a gesture as Nardelli’s compensation. Corporate jets and executive salaries look bad, but they’re not the reason for the bail-out, nor would their elimination be the cure. Harping on them is posturing.
That said, Wagoner’s behaviour is incredulous. He should have had an answer–any answer–ready. It’s very telling, in his non-responses, what the problem is at GM.
Like perhaps many, I pray for the hasty demise of Chrysler, General Motors, and to a lesser extent Ford in their current form to speed the day all three fill their dealerships with very desirable cars.
However, after displaying gross arrogance, incompetence, and ineptitude going back decades, why is there any believe these people have within them one iota of brilliance (I’d settle for common sense) for the decisions that must be made in a managed bankruptcy?
If history is any indication, one or more will fumble the deal all the way to liquidation.
Let the record show that personal responsibility is for losers. Now I know that to a certain extent that attitude on the part of every party to this debacle led to it in the first place, but its the nature of the country we live in.
Symbolism can be distracting from the “real” issues, but it can also absolutely bury a public figure such as an automotive executive. That’s what Detroit’s fearless leaders appear to have done to themselves. The political impact of these hearings would appear to rival those of the automotive safety hearings of the mid-1960s. Nice job of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, guys.
It will be very interesting to see what each automaker does from here. GM in particular would seem ripe for some quick staffing changes. Ford? Come on, Mullaly, you need to give blood. Take a pay cut, dude.
Mulally needs to distance himself as far from these crooks as possible. His comment on pay was the only honest answer. He is being compensated for doing a job, this is the market rate, He is doing his job. Nardelli made an empty, symbolic gesture. He probably has someone wipe his ass with $100 bills after dropping the kids off at the pool. Wagoner is just an idiot. Enough said.
Forget the whole plane thing. Whether it’s a private plane or a plane that the little people fly on. These guys are in charge of truck car companies. I don’t get why none of them could drive from Detroit to Washington. Google maps reports it as 524 miles, and about 9 hours. They could have piled themselves and their staff into one of their fine SUVs or Crossovers and made it look like they were regular people. But they’re not, so they didn’t. I did see that Alan Mulally drove up in a Ford Fusion hybrid, but that’s pretty much meaningless.
Did taking the company jet look bad? Yes. But flying commercial for an auto exec would be even dumber.
I can’t believe how bad both sides look. Just a dog and pony show for congressmen who’s main job is to do nothing and waste trillions on things they know nothing about.
I can’t believe this whole thing might hinge on their GD jet flights. Way to see the big picture everyone.
‘I think I’m okay where I am,’ Mulally said.”
OK, I take back anything nice I ever said about Mulally.
I like Stu Sidoti’s idea, and am pained that none of these multi-million dollar per year men could see fit to do it. I think the Detroit gang figures that since AIG is getting so much money (another issue, but an infuriating one) that they should be an easy shoe-in for a little of the same. They seem to have missed the contrary lesson of Lehman Brothers, sometimes the gov’t doesn’t step in to bail out big boys.
There is an old principle that you had best make friends and build your reputation in the good times, because when things get really bad and you need the support of your friends … they aren’t going to be there if you have been a jackass to them in the past. Detroit has routinely treated customers, employees, taxpayers and elected representatives with glib disdain for decades. What is amazing is that even now when they are in fact going to Washington hat in hand they still are the very models of hubris and disdain. Basically they are threatening further economic Armageddon if they don’t get what they want and on their terms. Does anyone disagree with me now that they guys are idiots? I’ve taken a bit of heat for calling them that in the past, but is there anyone who still wants to paint Red Ink Rick as a wise and brilliant leader?
The whole private jets thing dovetails nicely with Hollywood celebrities going to conferences to fight global warming but using their private jets to get there.
“Private Jets Against Global Warming!”
Sure its all symbolic by symbolism matters (and they could have jet-pooled.)
Hey I’m just surprised Wagoner didn’t start arguing that, if Detroit implodes, it’ll take the luxury private jet industry down with it!
@ Jerome10:
I understand the frustration with thinking the focus on flights is the wrong thing. I don’t hear anyone saying that is the reason why the D3 are in the mess they’re in. RF’s point (I believe) is that the arrogance, inflexibility, deflection of blame and the inability to sacrifice one nickel of their millions they earn every year to demonstrate they’re committed to winning is reflective of the bigger problem with the D3 cultures. They want something for nothing – they want taxpayers to fund their business functions and executive perks that have not been earned through solid performance, but are a factor of having friends in high places.
For taxpayers that have seen their retirements, college savings, savings for a first home, etc. cut in 1/2 over the last year, the D3 leadership attitude is 100% unacceptable.
If you’re on the taxpayer dole, as these guys want to be, you play by different rules. Why should our representatives give them any of our money if it’s just business as usual?
A Powerbar is more expensive than a share of Ford Motor Company.
Wow.
A timely story about a golfer’s honesty costing him a lot. Alan, are you reading this?
http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/devil_ball_golf/post/J-P-Hayes-is-as-honest-as-we-like-to-think-we-a?urn=golf,123304
Strangely enough, Mulally was acting like he didn’t actually come for the money – as in, “we’ll cash the check, but we’re just dandy without it”. And he’s not dumb – people of his caliber don’t get to the point where they are without some political skills.
It therefore appears to me that the primary reason for Mulally to be there together with the other two is to ensure that NOBODY gets a bailout. All the BS about “failure of competitors being catastrophic for us” is exactly that. Mulally doesn’t want them to get the bailout, it seems.
Hence the “I’m fine where I am” stance. He IS fine where he is, and so is Ford. By sabotaging the bailout meeting, Mulally ensures that Ford will be the only US manufacturer standing by the time Obama gets in the office. From that point on, Ford can enjoy retooling loans, hybrid tax credits, and a whole lot more money for nothing, without having to share.
If I’m right, Mulally deserves quite a bit more than lousy 20-30 mil. Ford should pay him a hundred million a year, gold-plate his jet and start weekly sacrifice of mid-level executives at his doorstep, for he might very well be saving them countless millions for every word he says at that bailout meeting.
1. The auto execs don’t want to make any changes.
2. The UAW don’t want to make any changes.
3. The dealers don’t want to make any changes.
They just want business as usual, and for the government to keep supporting their habit and the tax payers to be their enablers.
1996MEdition :
Agreed. Mullaly needs to cut these guys loose.
Time to stand up and say “I didn’t make this mess, I gave up a superb position and salary to try to fix it. If you don’t want to pay me I got better things to do.”
alex_rashev :If I’m right, Mulally deserves quite a bit more than lousy 20-30 mil. Ford should pay him a a hundred million a year, gold-plate his jet and start weekly sacrifice of mid-level executives at his doorstep, for he might very well be saving them countless millions for every word he says at that bailout meeting.
Thank God I wasn’t drinking when I read that! Beautiful.
We have to stop thinking about these companies like they are the same just because they are in the same city. Honda and Isuzu are both Japanese. Follow?
Big Al gave up a great position to try and do a very tough, perhaps impossible job. That deserves respect and, yes, big-time compensation.
Bunter
Perception folks perception, whether we like it or not many in the U.S. make their opinions known and votes as such because of perception, not details. CNN spent an entire news segment this morning on the subject of the Detroit boys flying to the hearings in individual private jets. CNN was essentially mocking the auto execs. The news segment highlighted the thousands and thousands of e-mails they have received from Americans very upset the auto companies wanted bail out money while living a life of luxury. It may be a red herring issue to some, but this is the most played part of the hearings during the news cucles, and after the AIG fiasco and everything else, Americans are pissed off. Just like one person being shot and killed unleashed the built up frustration and anger that started WWI, there is a huge amount of frustration and anger built up at the corporate executies living high on the hog while their companies go insolvent and then beg the taxpayers to bail them out, without the executives sacrificing also. It would have been appropriate for the executive to fly business class to the meetings, and drive up to the capitol in their hybrid vehicles.
IMO, the Detroit fools further unleashed a great deal of anger and resentment toward their companies. As the old ad said “You don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression.”
They absolutely blew it.
If Gettlefinger, Mulally, Nardelli and Wagoner had any sense of the moment,…
That’s exactly the problem, isn’t it? Rick Wagoner looks like a man who has never had an adverse conversation (“What? They are not eating out of my hand? Now, what do I do?”) in his life. Makes you realize just how insulated the Island of Detroit is. Explains some of the shock coming out of that city as well.
If GM goes Chapter 11 (or worse…), it would be in part because they are HQed in Detroit, where no one can afford to tell the king he has no clothes on. Moving the HQ to NYC (or better yet, car crazy LA) would do wonders for the corporate culture.
Several comments have expressed opinions about the hypocrisy of the politicians grilling the CEO’s over their salaries & private jets & etc. Of course in some narrow view of principle I suppose you could say they are “right”, but to quote and old movie script: “This ain’t Yale! A good fight is one you WIN!”
Would you show up at traffic court to fight a DUI dressed in a beer-stained, smelly t-shirt? I can just see the judges reaction.
The pols may have all long since sold their own souls to the devil, but even the devil knows that appearances are important. If you go begging, it helps to be sufficiently contrite, to kiss ass without reservation, and not look like you just stepped off the cover of GQ.
I think Mulally’s comments on his salary may have torpedoed any deal for all three, but maybe he did on purpose. Ford seems to be in the best shape.
alex_rashev :
November 20th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Strangely enough, Mulally was acting like he didn’t actually come for the money – as in, “we’ll cash the check, but we’re just dandy without it”. And he’s not dumb – people of his caliber don’t get to the point where they are without some political skills.
It therefore appears to me that the primary reason for Mulally to be there together with the other two is to ensure that NOBODY gets a bailout. All the BS about “failure of competitors being catastrophic for us” is exactly that. Mulally doesn’t want them to get the bailout, it seems.
Hence the “I’m fine where I am” stance. He IS fine where he is, and so is Ford. By sabotaging the bailout meeting, Mulally ensures that Ford will be the only US manufacturer standing by the time Obama gets in the office. From that point on, Ford can enjoy retooling loans, hybrid tax credits, and a whole lot more money for nothing, without having to share.
If I’m right, Mulally deserves quite a bit more than lousy 20-30 mil. Ford should pay him a hundred million a year, gold-plate his jet and start weekly sacrifice of mid-level executives at his doorstep, for he might very well be saving them countless millions for every word he says at that bailout meeting.
I think you are exactly right. There will be winners and losers here; not all three Detroit companies will simply disappear. Ford will survive, and possibly thrive, since a lot of the people who would have bought a GM or Chrysler product will buy a Ford product after one or both ot them go Poof! and disappear. It is probably in Ford’s best interests to sabotage the bailout and any other plan to keep GM and Chrysler solvent.
Meanwhile 1.6 million federal employees earn an avg salary of over $66,000, benefits up the wazoo, including 25% “retention fees”, http://usgovinfo.about.com/blbenefits.htm.
While all those GS employees are sucking at the federal teat, congresscritters get free travel (anyone want to calculate how much Biden’s daily commute on Amtrak costs taxpayers?):
The rules for congressional travel on military aircraft are contained in Defense Department Directive 4515.12.
Congressional access to military passenger jets is generally restricted to official trips abroad, or for domestic flights to military bases or events to which the Pentagon invited the lawmaker. Al Qaeda attacks on the U.S. changed the procedure in the case of the speaker.
U.S. Air Force travel for VIPs such as members of Congress is first-rate. The planes are staffed with stewards who serve meals and tend an open bar. Communications suites allow members to conduct business while traveling.
Such flights are one of Congress’ cherished perquisites, providing lawmakers a chance to visit foreign lands at government expense. Official duties are often mixed with sightseeing and fine dining.
Ronnie Schreiber : Meanwhile 1.6 million federal employees earn an avg salary of over $66,000, benefits up the wazoo, including 25% “retention fees”, http://usgovinfo.about.com/blbenefits.htm.
While all those GS employees are sucking at the federal teat,
Wow, such vitriol for Federal employees!
The web site you posted says Federal employees receive such great benefits as Social Security, a 401k-type retirement plan, and (oooh, look)Medicare part A. Wow, sign me up!
As you all know, I am against the bail outs, think Rick’s been a lousy CEO, and (if you have been around here long enough) am a pilot and plane owner.
I suppose it would look good for these guys to have flown commercial. It may have been the right decision from a PR standpoint. However, the congressman that pulled that stunt needs to go back to Cali and go back to smoking weed and impressing young girls of whatever little games he likes to play rather than playing at leading our country.
Business jets are not just a perk. They are a productivity tool. Government officials of much less importance than these CEO’s use private planes every day, at our expense, and with the approval of congress.
If Senator Obama REALLY intends to change Washington, he should call this Congressman on the carpet for a public dressing down. While there are lots of people living parasitically off of domestic car and airline businesses, the general aviation people have been producing value, innovating, and leading the world in their industry.
We lost the yacht business when these disgusting little power freaks went after them. Hundreds of businesses were destroyed. An entire industry died. What did a bunch of guys in Wichita, KS, who build airplanes for a living, do so wrong that this slime ball thought he should attack their livelihood? Why can’t we elect anyone to Congress with any sense? When can we have our politicians lead us rather than REALLY stoking up hate?
Landcrusher, I can see you are passionate about this issue, but
1) Everyone acknowldges that the private plan issue is symbolic, nevertheless, you’d have to have truly no sense of interactions with other people to come asking for money in such a way. “Insular culture” is the apt phrase here.
2) No one (that I have read) says corporate executives shouldn’t have private planes simply not ones from virtually-bankrupt companies asking for a gift. (i.e. Toyota execs “fly to your heart’s content, you’ve earned it”)
3) You are watching Congress making legal sausage, look away if you have a weak stomach!
The private jet was a beautifully staged scene by just another Washington buffoon. “Here’s our chance to flog the Big 3! This will temporarily take the spotlight off Capitol Hill!” Hey, those guys mismanage three car companies. We only mismanage one country. Yipee!
I know I should know better, but why is it asking too much? OTOH, we should expect it, but OTOH, we should DEMAND better.
He could have so easily tagged them for taking a Gulfstream instead of something more functional. At any rate, the whole attack was completely unfair because he knows that no matter what they said in their defense, it would have made them look worse. He and they are trained by the same experts on how to handle those attacks. He and they both know that he used a tactic that should be completely out of bounds.
Next time, they will now have to bring a staff of 24 people along so that they can show how they saved money by bringing their own jet. Or they will fly commercial, which is just stupid at their level. Or they will sell those planes off at bargain basement prices (assuming they own them).
Congress people constantly have to vote in ways that many of their constituents don’t understand and can’t be explained in a sound bite. Their opponents then use it against them come election time. As far as I am concerned, the gloves are completely off for this idiot. He can bet that the aviation alphabet groups (AOPA, NBAA, etc.) have already set aside funds for his opponent in 2010. If he thinks he is going to get any slack, he is wrong. There are less than a million of us, but we happent to be smarter than he is.
Well, I can’t edit my bad spelling if I can’t get my post to show up. I guess I “happent” not to be any smarter than Rep. Dufus after all!