The meltdown of America’s automakers has frayed its fair share of nerves in the autoblogosphere lately. Which is fairly understandable. Folks who used to get paid for online automotive PDAs are now being forced to confront the fact that their advertisers beloved domestic firms have been failing for years and are desperately trying to survive on federal handouts. And this isn’t easy. From Autoblog’s Comic Life captions (must. not. dignify. with. snark.) to Jalopnik’s ongoing “Carpocalypse Now” series, autobloggers are desperately trying to turn the sad news into good old intarweb lulz. And few walk the tortuous line between credibility (calling Detroit’s woes as they are) and goof-tainment with more schizophrenic abandon than Jalopnik’s Ray Wert. The former Jennifer Granholm staffer just can’t escape his Detroit apologist roots, but his pro-bailout spin is generating enough centrifugal force to launch a Ford Excursion into the stratosphere. And it appears to be taking his already-tenuous definition of the term “irony” with it. Having already inexplicably defended the leadership of Rick Wagoner, and termed the bailout bill “Bankruptcy Lite,” Wert is causing more head asplosion this morning by hailing the House passage of said bill with a Ronald Reagan “Morning In America” campaign video. Dude, check it out: Reagan believed in markets. He would not have seen this unconscionable waste of of taxpayer money as “Morning In America.” And before you even claim that somehow the video is “ironic,” I want you to stop and brush up on the concept. Doing something idiotic and then claiming irony whe you are called out doesn’t make it clever. Irony is found in intellectual tension, not asinine non-sequitors. But by all means, bash back.
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“Ray Wert Idiocy Watch 1”?
A lot of people just can’t seem to get their heads around the whole idea.
I don’t get it.
I noticed a while back that 95% of the jalopnik stories and features I enjoy come from the lovely and bearded Ms. Martin.
Make that: “Mourning In America”
Jebbus, freaking Ronald Reagan?! What next?, commentary from Rush Limbaugh and Fox News?
Anyway, as my daddy used to say:
“Capitalism was a good idea; too bad it isn’t working.”
I would, except everytime I write in that Wert’s a even-moderately-NSFW, it gets deleted.
Something about him has Always screamed corporate-brown-noser, hygiene-product-commercial to me.
That was my gut instinct. Something about a Melissa Francis tv commentator spot made me think of it.
Why bother? Does anyone really take Jalopnik seriously (Other than their owners)?
Awesome!
Thanks,I needed to hear his voice.
too bad there is no one left that can speak the language.
Mr.Niedermeyer,I will give you a lot of credits for this….
Not that it much matters….
“and so it goes” to quote Kirt
I love the imagery. I’ve always said that in the Bush II Era that we have become the Soviet Union:
* Toppling regimes and installing puppets? Check
* Suspension of Due Process & Habeas Corpus? Check.
* Surveillance of our own citizens? Check.
* Restrictions on Travel? (almost!)
* Gulags in hostile environments? Check.
* Party control of the media? Check Fox News!
* Rigged Elections? Check!
And of course the clearest sign of all:
* Sending steroid-pumped Pro Athletes to the Olympics?
CHECK!
Good thing Ronnie’s Alzheimer’s kept him happily ignorant in his declining years, but I’m sure he started spinning once in the ground.
–chuck