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“I’m sure in the fullness of time we’ll all look back and think of things that might have been done differently, or perhaps should have been done differently.”
Presidential Task Force On The Automobiles Steve Rattner in an Automotive News [sub] piece on potential conflicts of interest created by the auto industry bailout.
20 Comments on “Quote Of The Day: I Smell A Rattner Edition...”
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Look back “in the fullness of time”? We’ve been looking back at things that Detroit should have done differently for 20 years or more! We’ve been looking at things that should have been done differently regarding the bailout since day one.
Why is this man smiling?
Because no matter how badly he does his job there are plenty of others he can blame for the disaster.
As was pointed out earlier, he’s gone native.
Is he now the clone of Fritz, the clone of Rick, clone of…it’s starting to sound like a Biblical geneology…?
I miss Lutz, he was bad, but in a fun way.
These clowns aren’t even entertaining.
Bunter
He reminds me of Martin Short. Which makes me think of Nathan Thurm and Ed Grimley, perhaps halfway between the two.
Regardless of who he might look like… just take a long look at him and then ask yourself… Would I want this guy to design my car? Would I buy a car that this guy designed?
Can you imagine having a guy like that who doesn’t “know a thing about cars” telling you what to do? I bet you’ve got to swallow a lot of pride to make that work.
Dude seems ready-made for the prop at Friday Night Midget Toss in the local watering hole in Flint.
I imagine when he says “fullness of time” he means, like, circa Re-Up-Obama 2012 time frame. Hold onto your wallets!
It is so easy to criticize but please stop to realize that this guy is telling you the truth.
Our country with its citizens who don’t save and easy credit caused a world wide economic disaster that may take many weak companies down.
Our government is trying many things to save jobs and re energize the economy and what he says is true – some of the ideas will work and some won’t.
I personally think that Chrysler and GM are beyond saving but who knows and what do we do with their 1,000’s of workers?
I personally think that Chrysler and GM are beyond saving but who knows and what do we do with their 1,000’s of workers?
For the money we’ve plowed into “saving” the Detroit crew in the name of jobs, you could have bought out every blue-collar employee of those outfits for deep six figures. Don’t levy income taxes (government can do that) on the payoffs and frankly I’m wishing I could lose my job like that too.
Our country with its citizens who don’t save and easy credit caused a world wide economic disaster that may take many weak companies down. – folkdancer
Those are legitimate concerns, but Joe Citizen is not directly responsible for Chrysler and GM finally going under. Don’t buy into their BS, and don’t indulge the Feds while they continue to prop up these failed systems. Everything was not fine in either company up until the recession, and continuing to pretend it was is the height of denial. I’ve yet to see anything that makes me think GM & Chrysler have been unNSFWed, and pretending their ills are a result of credit issues is delusional.
Help take this smug little schmoozeweasel down – boycott Government Motors!
Those are legitimate concerns, but Joe Citizen is not directly responsible for Chrysler and GM finally going under.
Sorry I wasn’t clear. I did not mean to blame Joe Citizen or our easy credit society for directly taking down Chrysler and GM. Joe Citizen and our banks took down the economy and many weak companies are failing because of this.
As you stated Chrysler and GM were failing systems long before the meltdown and they were therefore too weak to survive very long when the meltdown came. They went into bankruptcy quickly and we are now probably wasting a lot of money bailing them out.
The meltdown only speeded up their failure.
Help take this smug little schmoozeweasel down – boycott Government Motors!
As I said previously this man is telling us the truth. Some things being tried will work and some things won’t. We will have to wait and see what if anything did work.
Why are you calling him some strange name?
Someone tells you the truth and you call him names, strange. You want people to lie to you?
If you are angry at GM’s past management, the unions, the dealers, or our attempts to bail them out – fine but why get angry at the messenger?
Folkdancer, I figure there’s a 10% chance you aren’t carrying water for Team Obama. On that slim possibility, let me spell it out for you: Rattner is a getaway driver.
“I miss Lutz, he was bad, but in a fun way.”
You’re in luck, Lutz is back.
Lutz will have a clearly defined operating role with GM, the Free Press was told. A GM spokesman declined comment.
An announcement that Lutz will stay is reportedly expected to come Friday along with emergence of the new GM.
folkdancer, I agree with the second paragraph of your followup, except that I have no confidence the bailout will succeed in doing more than buying votes. I’d be much more positive if the government had stepped back, let the failures fail, and was ready to support whatever rose from the ashes. Doing so would’ve forced real change I can believe in.
@toasty
I have no confidence the bailout will succeed in doing more than buying votes
Excellent observation. GM’s survival clock is based on that calculation. When coddling the (new) stakeholders in GM costs more votes than it buys, tits up for GM. Rattner and the rest of the gang will be thrown under the bus if need be.
Given the little guy’s compact and flaccid physiology, tossing him under a bus should be quite easy…
The sad thing is the GM and Chrysler bailout may cost more jobs than it saves. How? The auto manufacturing market wants to consolidate and both GM and Chrysler have successful light truck operations. In a rational market a successful manufacturer without a truck line could buy the GM or Chrysler truck businesses from the liquidation. Instead, the government plans to “help” GM and Chrysler move away from their core competency in trucks and toward less profitable small cars. As GM and Chrysler are proped up Weekend at Bernie’s style through the 2012 election cycle, will their truck divisions survive?
Weekend at Bernie’s That’s perfect.
Short term expediency outweighs long term success.
Isn’t it obvious?
Then why not listen to more people today with experience in the auto business and make correct decisions now?
Idiot. He wouldn’t get hired as copy in the ad department and now he runs the show.
Then why not listen to more people today with experience in the auto business and make correct decisions now?
Because some of those experienced people are the ones that ran domestic autos into the ground, and it’s very easy for political folk to take pot shots at all of them, rather than just the deserving idiots. I’m certain there are managers around that could take control of what’s left in Detroit and build something worthwhile from the ruins, but with the yoke of government “non-interference”, fat chance that’ll happen.
Short term, votes will be got.
Long term, we’re screwed.
This is all a big lesson in nationalizing companies. Let’s hope the airlines keep it together/