The Detroit News reports that House Minority Leader John Boehner isn’t happy about the way their hometown heroes have been running things for the last, oh, three decades.
When it comes to the auto companies, they’ve avoided making the tough decisions for 30 years—and that’s why they’ve ended up where they are. Until I’m convinced they’re willing to make the tough decisions that stakeholders, their bondholders, their employees—everyone is willing to step up and do what they have to do, I’m not willing to commit taxpayer funds.
Boehner’s right. But this statement has enough wiggle room to hide Jeff for all time—“willing to make” instead of “make.” And speaking of weasel words . . . where does a federal politician get off lecturing Detroit on its refusal to make “tough decisions”? In fact, what does John Boehner know about business?
As far as we can Google, the Ohio republican worked as a bartender and janitor (at Richards and Merrell pharmaceuticals) in Cincinnati from 1972 to 1976. On that that most bicentennial of years, Boehner joined a paper and (later) plastics company called Nucite, in some unspecified capacity.
In ’77, after an unspecified number of years of study, Boehner finished his BSBA at the Jesuit Xavier University. Fourteen years later, after an unspecified career within the company doing unspecified things, Boehner left Nucite as an extremely wealthy co-owner, entered politics and never looked back.
There’s a lot of blanks in that background. Perhaps The DetN, crusader for truth that it is, would like to fill them in? After all, Boehner IS the anti-Christ, is he not? Oh, and did I mention that the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is similarly mounted on his elevated equine?
At least at this stage, the companies are not doing what needs to be done to save the companies. So that puts us on a long-term policy of the government simply propping up this industry endlessly. They’ve doubled their request from December. So the question is not whether we want to save the automobile business, but how do you best do that?
And what business experience or acumen does Senator McConnell bring to bear on this issue? None. What experience does he have propping-up industries with pork barrel projects, subsidies and tax breaks? Lots.
Lord knows I’m no friend of the Detroit bailout buffet, but with political allies like these, who needs enemies?
Fourteen years later, after an unspecified career within the company doing unspecified things, Boehner left Nucite as an extremely wealthy co-owner, entered politics and never looked back.
He started out in middle management and ended up being president of the company as well as co-owner. He actually started in local politics while still at the company, first town trustee, then state legislator in Ohio. It was only when elected to Congress that he stepped down as president of Nucite.
And what business experience or acumen does Senator McConnell bring to bear on this issue? None.
Unlike Boehner, who seems considerably better than most in Congress when it comes to business experience (and small business experience, not just politically-connected giant contractors and consultants, or Goldman Sachs). He started out in middle management with a BS degree, rose to be president of the small company, and seems to have not run it into the ground. Congratulations, in the land of the blind, he’s the one-eyed king.
What experience does he have propping-up industries with pork barrel projects, subsidies and tax breaks? Lots.
Very true about McConnell, who brags about the amount of pork he brings Kentucky. Also something that Boehner’s pretty good about, as he famously has never requested an earmark. He also opposed the stupid 2002 farm bill, something that wins points for me in opposing something stupid that his own party did. Of course, he has his share of idiocies, like anyone in Congress.
johnthacker
He started out in middle management and ended up being president of the company as well as co-owner.
Can you be any more vague?
I’ve read multiple sources concerning Boehner’s very tight relationship with student loan companies. Here are a couple of links.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-1_11_06_FH.html
http://www.generationdebt.org/2005/12/robbing_joe_college_to_pay_sal.html
It’ll be a cold day in hell when he gets blasted out of office though. I lived in his district for a couple of years and now live just across the Indiana line in the district ‘represented’ by Mike Pence. Pence was a talk show host who ran for congress and lost. Ran again and lost again. Ran again and went negative and won. Needless to say he’s a super Christian type. Ignorance reigns supreme in this part of the country.
He know business the way Siemens knows business: bribes.
“In late June of 1995 then-GOP Conference Chairman John Boehner handed out “about a half-dozen” checks from the political action committee of tobacco company Brown & Williamson Corp. to fellow Republicans on the floor of the House.”
“Since 2000, Boehner’s political action committee, the Freedom Project, has raised approximately $32,000 from four of Jack Abramoff’s tribal clients.”
“On February 8, 2006 the Washington Post reported that John Boehner rents a Capitol Hill basement apartment from a lobbyist whose clients lobby on issues that came before Boehner when he chaired the Education and Workforce Committee.”
“His biggest donors were the political action committees of lobbying firms, drug and cigarette makers, banks, health insurers, oil companies, military contractors, and Native American tribes. Despite high scrutiny on congressional trip-taking, Boehner flew to a golf resort in Boca Raton, Florida in March 2006 for a convention of commodities traders, who have contributed more than $100,000 to his campaigns and are currently lobbying against a proposed tax on futures transactions.”
http://www.sourcewatch.org
I’m not sure I quite understand the point of this post Robert. On the one hand, you’ve been very vocal about the lack of opposition to any detroit bailout from Washington, yet, now that you have it from some of the most powerful men in Washington, you’re complaining about it.
Boehner has more business experience than you or I. (FYI, he worked in business for 23 years, a good chunk of which he was President of the company) He’s certainly not the most qualified man to criticize business, but, he’s eminently more qualified than that blowhard Barney Frank. (who’s only qualification, it seems, was that he slept with the CEO of Fannie Mae)
Let’s be honest here Robert; we should be taking any criticism of the Detroit bailout that we can get, regardless of who it comes from.
Droid800:
The thing that set me off: the arrogant tone of Boehner’s remark. Like Mad Max’ “You want the juice, you come to me.” Only worse.
That’s quite a statement. If he does have the power of life or death over Detroit, what qualifies him for that responsibility? As an investigative journalist, the lack of info about Boehner’s working life (14 years at Nucite) makes me very, very curious.
Through every fauly of my own, I have painted myself as the scourge of Detroit. But my wish to see the company survive and thrive has never wavered.
As you might tell from last night’s GMDW, it galls me that politicians are calling the shots now. They are some of my least favorite people.
RF,
Sorry you are so “in knots” here. Perhaps we should just let the Community Organizer-in-Chief do what his experience indicates is best? You know, cause – just like community organization funds – taxpayer funds are “for a good cause.”
But your post does make one miss the days when folks like George Schultz who had actually run businesses were at least advising the CiC. Now it’s all folks who are theorists on community organizing – at best; tax-dodgers at the median and terrorists at worst.
So….Mitt in 2012, then?
Robert: Like Mad Max’ “You want the juice, you come to me.” Only worse.
THAT is exactly Boehner’s arrogance that infuses his “briefings.” We have way too many ego-filled, small-talent people in government incapable (or unwilling) to do the smart thing. Let’s start “ego-testing” our candidates: the lower the score the better, as I’m convinced high EQ’s conceal low IQ’s.
I am surprised the read the implication that anybody who has no great business track record is unqualified to be in government.
I thought that argument was so old hat that nobody used it anymore. I mean, gosh, it’s what people brought up against Kennedy, and for that matter, against Eisenhower.
Or did I miss something here?
Imagine if GM posted a $1 trillion loss.
Did anyone think any of these a*holes ever ran a business?
Carly Fiona got skewered last fall when asked if the then presidential candidates could be the CEO of a major corporation. She answered no, and got thrown under the bus by the McCain campaign shortly afterwards.
I’m just now learning to appreciate some of the photos that RF digs up to accompany TTAC posts. The one above is classic!
That is the problem when the government becomes so powerful. A seat in government is worth millions to the owner.
The voters voted for big government and the government encouraged it. The governments and the unions really have no money and now as the golden goose that they so loved to tax and regulate dies, they try desperately to save it.
Funny if it wasn’t so tragic.
So the US government owned GM lost over 9 billion in the fourth quarter. Let’s see the government fix that.
Maybe John Boehner should have been a community activist? It seems that was a qualification to be president.
carlos.negros: He know business the way Siemens knows business: bribes.
I hate to burst your bubble carlos, but both parties operate this way. If you really believe that the Democrats don’t do this, too, you just fell off the turnip truck. Rep. Boehner is hardly unique among members of Congress – Republican or Democrat.
Spending just a few minutes on Google, I found these gems on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi:
“In 2004 a political action committee (PAC), Team Majority, controlled by Pelosi was fined $21,000 for improperly accepting donations over federal limits, according to records and interviews. Pelosi used two PACs, including Team Majority, to raise money for her colleagues during the 2002 election. The fine came from Pelosi’s use of multiple PACs to exceed donation limits to other members campaign committees. Two Democratic lawmakers, Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Julie Thomas (D-Md.), paid fines of $2,500 each for receiving illegal contributions from Pelosi’s PAC. Team Majority ceased operating before the fine was issued.”
And then there was this:
“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has directed nearly $100,000 from her political action committee to her husband’s real estate and investment firm over the past decade, a practice of paying a spouse with political donations that she supported banning last year.
Financial Leasing Services Inc. (FLS), owned by Paul F. Pelosi, has received $99,000 in rent, utilities and accounting fees from the speaker’s “PAC to the Future” over the PAC’s nine-year history.
The payments have quadrupled since Mr. Pelosi took over as treasurer of his wife’s committee in 2007, Federal Election Commission records show. FLS is on track to take in $48,000 in payments this year alone – eight times as much as it received annually from 2000 to 2005, when the committee was run by another treasurer.”
She hardly looks purer than the driven snow when it comes to ethics…
Robert Farago: Lord knows I’m no friend of the Detroit bailout buffet, but with political allies like these, who needs enemies?
Well, Robert, that is what makes politics so messy…and unattractive to some people. You have to take your allies where you find them. And it often isn’t pretty.
Now we need to look at President touchy feely change’s community organizers credentials.
Lets ask this question. What do ANY of the clowns in washington REALLY know about ANYTHING they pass laws regulating? I would be willing to bet that it is precious little. And the electorate seems to know even LESS about who they send to washington. we are doomed.
The American people would be better served if they elected more businessmen, MD’s, and scientists (and fewer lawyers).
It be interesting to sort US and state elected officials by profession, party affiliation, education, credit rating, and criminal record(s). Voting groups could then develop statistically sound quality (or degeneracy) ratings.
Financing campaigns via public funds would fix SO many problems; at least until the politicians figured out a way to wiggle through them. The current system is legal bribery; we should not be surprised at the results.
Sorry, but because of the nature of people, and because of the characteristics of money, there is simply not any way to keep money from influencing politics.