Dirty as It Gets -- Campaign Contributions MAY Have Helped Decide Dealership Closings Updated & Bumped

MIDNIGHT RIDER MUSICAL UPDATE (aw, c'mon, you knew I'd get there sooner or later)

For all you Dealers staying open because of campaign contributions

And for all the sonsabitches who got ahead because of those contributions

So what's that make you, you sonsabitches? If politics is the second oldest profession, then you got 1 and 2 covered. . .

AC/DC

MONEY TALKS

MIDNIGHT RIDER UPDATE: BUMPED AGAIN

Looks like some more news outlets are taking notice and starting to ask questions about this. In this case, Ken Timmerman at NewsMax:


Republican Donors Hit by Chrysler Closings
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:04 PM

By: Kenneth R. Timmerman

Increasing numbers of Chrysler dealers are disputing the bankrupt automaker’s claim that it selected dealerships for closure on purely economic grounds, and they have filed a suit against

the automaker in U.S. bankruptcy court.

"My business is being stolen from me under the guise of the bankruptcy laws [and] given to another dealer down the street," Jim Anderer, owner of Island Jeep in Lindenhurst, N.Y., told Reuters.

Like many of the 789 Chrysler dealerships slated for closure, Anderer claims his retail outlet was profitable.

Many of the closed dealers were also major donors to Republican candidates and political action committees, a review of campaign finance data from the Federal Election Commission shows.

This has led to accusations, which Rush Limbaugh aired last week, that President Obama's auto task force has been playing political favorites, first by forcing Chrysler into bankruptcy, and then by targeting dealerships for closure that funded the president’s political enemies.

An attorney representing some of the dealers, Leonard Bellavia, came close to supporting those allegations himself after deposing Chrysler President Jim Press on Tuesday.

“It became clear to us that Chrysler does not see the wisdom of terminating 25 percent of its dealers," Bellavia said. "It really wasn't Chrysler's decision. They are under enormous pressure from the president's automotive task force." . . .

. . .Other prominent Republican donors whose successful Chrysler dealerships will be shut down include Russ Darrow, owner of Darrow Chrysler Jeep of Menomenee Falls, Wis. Darrow spent $2.7 million of his own money to finance an unsuccessful challenge to incumbent Democratic Sen. Russell Feingold of Wisconsin in 2004.

Many dealers, however, gave to both political parties; some, such as Alan Spitzer, owner of Spitzer Dodge in Elyria, Ohio, gave only to Democrats . . .

. . .One blogger, who claimed to work for one of the soon-to-be closed dealerships, reported on the blog Cars.com that his dealership was “in the top 125 out of the 3,500 dealerships nationwide . . . yet we are on the list. We are not small nor are we rural. We are in a large major metropolitan area. Our new vehicle inventory alone is well over $4 million.”

In addition,“Chrysler is already 'shopping' for dealers to take over the open 'points' (another name for franchise) left by closed dealership,” he added. “This is so much more than 'just business.' This is about control and power by our present administration in Washington.” . . .

. . .One company that stands to benefit in a major way from the Chrysler restructuring is called RLJ-McLarty-Landers, a start-up owned by Democratic Party insiders that operates six Chrysler dealerships throughout the South.

Co-owners Robert L. Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television, and Mack McLarty, chief of staff to president Bill Clinton, provided capital and political clout to the partnership, which they formed in September 2007.

Johnson is a major donor to Democrat party causes but sharply criticized Obama during the primaries for his admitted drug use as a young man. He later apologized to Obama for the personal attack.

According to another blog, RLJ-McCarty-Landers will retain all of its six dealerships, while “eight competing dealerships [will be] totally eliminated from three of their markets.”

ANOTHER PASTORIUS UPDATE - BUMPED AGAIN:

As I wrote earlier,

We need some corroboration here on whether the dealerships which were closed were indeed, profitable, or if, perhaps, they were somehow profitable for themselves, but, at the same time, not profitable for Chrysler.

If they were, indeed, profitable across the board, then I would say, we have captured the essence of a burning smell, if not the smoking gun itself.

It looks now as if the corroboration is coming in, in the form of testimony from Congressman themselves. Read on.

From Gateway Pundit:

Even GOP Congressman Loses Chrysler Dealership ...Plus Peoria GOP Supporter Losing "5 Star" Business

More Hope and Change...
** Earlier it was reported that the Obama Administration may have targeted GOP donors in deciding which Chrysler dealerships would have to close their doors.
** Last night it was discovered that a Big Dem Donor Group was allowed to keep all 6 Chrysler dealerships open.... And, their local competitors wereeliminated by Obama's task force.
** The closings also tend to be in "Red" Counties where Obama lost.

Now this...
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla) lost his Chrysler dealership in Florida.

Rep. Buchanan found out about it from a fellow colleague.
Again... It was Obama's task force who made the decision about which dealerships would close and which would stay open.
News 10 reported:

Even a member of Congress is on Chrysler's dealership hit list.

Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., a businessman who has owned car dealerships since 1992, learned Thursday that his Venice, Fla., Dodge dealership was among those scheduled to be terminated.

"It's an outrage. It's not about me. I'm going to be fine," said Buchanan, the dealership's majority owner. "You're talking over 100,000 jobs. We're supposed to be in the business of creating jobs, not killing jobs."

Buchanan owns five dealership locations in Florida and North Carolina. He once owned 23 car franchises and sold off about 60 percent of his car dealerships before entering Congress. His Dodge dealership in Venice also includes a Nissan store.

"This doesn't do anything but hurt Chrysler. This doesn't help Chrysler. And they're going to be hurting a lot of working families," said Buchanan, who was first elected to Congress in 2006 to a seat previously held by Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Fla.

While many dealers learned the news through United Parcel Service letters, Buchanan found out from a House colleague.

Then there are the Uftring dealerships in Peoria, Illinois...

Car dealer Gary Uftring speaks during a press conference in front Uftring Chrysler in Peoria Sunday morning. The Uftring Chrysler dealership is one of the thousands of dealerships being forced to close by bankruptcy proceedings against the ailing automaker. Congressman Aaron Schock, left, has joined with several of his colleagues to officially question the forced closures that will be affecting local economies across the nation. (PJStar)

Rep. Aaron Schock's supporter Gary Uftring from Peoria, Illinois is losing two of his franchises even though they are "5 Star Dealerships" that make money.

PJSTar reported:

U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock blasted Chrysler's decision to shutter nearly 800 dealerships across the country, including two here that he and others say are making money and not costing the automaker a dime.

Joined by Gary Uftring, owner of Uftring Auto Mall, Schock stressed that there should be greater accountability of the governmental task force tapped by the Obama administration to review the overhaul of the domestic auto industry.

"This happened not because they failed, not because of market pressure, but because of a third party, the government, which intervened," the congressman said, saying the government shouldn't be in the business of dictating business decisions to an entire industry.

To him, the decision to close shop makes no sense. He claims he met all sales expectations and never cost Chrysler money. Rather, he said, he was a "Five Star" dealership, the highest rating Chrysler gives, and one of the better-selling dealerships.

Terry Allen, whose Chrysler dealership in Mason City will be eliminated, said his business was the top sales tax generator in the area. He, like Uftring, said he met or exceeded all expectations from the car maker but in the end, has about three weeks left as a dealer.

More... George W.Bush attended Aaron's fundraiser. Local libs threw a fit about the cost for security. Aaron left his campaign to return to Peoria to announce he'd pay for it, other costs were covered through the fundraiser.

More On Chrysler Closings-- Did Team Obama Target Red Counties?

** Earlier it was reported that the Obama Administration may have targeted GOP donors in deciding which Chrysler dealerships would have to close their doors.

** Last night it was discovered that a Big Dem Donor Group was allowed to keep all 6 Chrysler dealerships open.... And, their local competitors wereeliminated by Obama's task force!!


2008 Red and Blue Counties (Flickr)

Now here is the latest on the Chrysler closings-- I was sent this earlier today:

I have obtained two pdf files from the bankruptcy court.

One is the list of dealers to close and the other is the list to stay open.

I am in the process right now of editing the data into comma delimited format for import to Excell and am about 2/3rd of the way through the closure listing.

I haven't done any donation cross references yet and that will come.

This has to be done manually ,which is very time consuming due to formatting issues with the data.

But, so far in the shutdown list there is an extremely high correlation between dealers closing and congressional districts BHO lost.

Texas is getting killed and Blue States are sliding by. Florida is also taking major hits and nearly all are in Republican Congressional Districts.

Little West Virginia is getting hammered.

I will know much better when I start doing all the cross reference work after I finally get the data into Excel, but that is going to take time since the data has to be formatted up manually and there are over 2000 dealers involved between the two lists.

So far what I see smells big time.

And, Reboot Congress is asking for some assistance:

I’ve created a list of the cut dealers that *simplifies* the process of gathering donation information from OpenSecrets. It’s a partial solution that needs lots of help from folks on the web. It’s a crowd sourced project.

Shock! Big Dem Donor Group Allowed to Keep Their 6 Chrysler Dealerships Open ...Update: Their Local Competitors Eliminated!!

Are we looking at the biggest political scandal since Watergate?

Big Dem Donor Group allowed to keep all 6 Chrysler dealerships open.... Local competitors eliminated by Obama's task force!!

Earlier it was reported that the Obama Administration may have targeted GOP donors in deciding which Chrysler dealerships would have to close their doors.

Now there's this...
RLJ-McLarty-Landers is owned by three men.
One was the former Chief of Staff for President Clinton.
One is the founder of Black Entertainment Television and a huge Obama supporter.
All 6 of their Chrysler dealerships will remain open.
And, get this... Their local competitors have been eliminated!

Joey Smith reported tonight that a Democratic donor group in the Midwest and South will not have to close any of their Chrysler dealerships:

The company is called RLJ-McLarty-Landers, and it operates six Chrysler dealerships throughout the South. All six dealerships are safe from closing. The dealer locations are:

Bentonville, AR (northwest Arkansas)
Lee's Summit, MO (south of Kansas City, MO)
Branson, MO
Olathe, KS (near Kansas City)
Bossier City, LA (near Shreveport)
Huntsville, AL

The interesting part is who the three main owners of the company are. The owners are Steve Landers (long-time car dealer, 4th-generation dealer), Thomas "Mack" McLarty (former Chief of Staff for President Clinton), and Robert Johnson (founder of Black Entertainment Television and co-owner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats). Landers has given money to Republicans in the past, but McLarty campaigned for Obama in 2008, and Johnson has given countless amounts of money to Democrats over the years.

More... The decision to close the dealerships was made by Obama officials and not Chrysler.

Doug Ross first reported on this scandal and has several updates.

Previously:
Hope, Change & Marxism: Did Obama Target GOP Donors In Chrysler Dealer Closings? (Video)

PASTORIUS UPDATE - BUMPED:

Here's the Cavuto video. The question we should be asking is not did Obama punish anti-Obama donors or favor pro-Obama donors but WHY THE HELL IS THE GOVERNMENT INVOLVED IN THIS AT ALL?

WATCH THIS VIDEO -

Cavuto quotes Mr. Anderer as saying he's making a good deal of money. I guess we can't be sure that that means he's turning a profit for himself or Chrysler.

However, let's be clear, Mr. Anderer seems to have wanted to keep his business going. If his business were not successful, one would think he would welcome a liquidation of some sort. He could then take the money he had earned and put it into something from which he could make a profit.

No one wants to run a business that is not turning a profit. You might as well throw your money into a hole.

We need some corroboration here on whether the dealerships which were closed were indeed, profitable, or if, perhaps, they were somehow profitable for themselves, but, at the same time, not profitable for Chrysler.

If they were, indeed, profitable across the board, then I would say, we have captured the essence of a burning smell, if not the smoking gun itself.

More from Reliapundit at the Astute Bloggers:

BOMBSHELL: DEALER'S LAWYER WHO DEPOSED CHRYSLER EXEC: DECISION TO CLOSE DEALERS WAS BY PRESIDENT'S TASK FORCE, NOT BY CHRYSLER

REUTERS:

A lawyer for Chrysler dealers facing closure as part of the automaker's bankruptcy reorganization said on Tuesday he believes Chrysler executives do not support a plan to eliminate a quarter of its retail outlets.

Lawyer Leonard Bellavia, of Bellavia Gentile & Associates, who represents some of the terminated dealers, said he deposed Chrysler President Jim Press on Tuesday and came away with the impression that Press did not support the plan.

"It became clear to us that Chrysler does not see the wisdom of terminating 25 percent of its dealers," Bellavia said. "It really wasn't Chrysler's decision. They are under enormous pressure from the President's automotive task force."

THE PRESIDENT'S TASK FORCE LED BY POLITICAL APPOINTEE AND MONEYBAGS RATNER.

IF THIS IS TRUE, THEN IT MEANS THAT CLOSING THESE DEALERSHIPS WAS A POLITICAL DECISION, NOT A COMMERICAL ONE.

OF SO, THEN IT'S OUTRAGEOUS - AND EVERY BIT AS BAD AS MUGABE SEIZING FARMS IN ZIMBABWE OR CASTRO SEIZING BUSNESSES IN CUBA.

OR STALIN. OR KRISTALLNACHT.

UPDATE -- I received an email from In Mary's Image. A blog has ben started to track the correlation between campaign donations and dealership closings.

Chrysler Dealership Campaign Donation Information

This story may have legs and definately bears watching.

End Update

If this is true -- and I have no reason to doubt it -- this is about as dirty and crummy as politics gets.

Neither Obama nor the Administration had any business forcing Chrysler to bankruptcy and certainly no damn place in the decision making of which, if any, dealerships should be closed.

And if they did so, all or in part, based on past donorship to their campaign, and has Chrysler seizing and shutting down privately owned businesses, many of which are thriving, with or without compensation, that they are in contravention with the Constitution and American Law and need to be (legally) removed from office immediately.

from Doug Ross at Director Blue:

Red State, American Thinker and Joey Smith provide anecdotal and quantitative evidence that would appear to confirm a decided bias against dealers who donated to GOP causes or to anti-Obama Democrats.

Special note for moonbats: no one here is saying that the sole criterion for closing a dealership was partisan. What we ask is: does it seem odd that the list of closed dealerships appears to have contributed a grand total of $200 to Barack Obama and millions to GOP candidates/causes?

A tipster alerted me to an interesting assertion. A cursory review by that person showed that many of the Chrysler dealers on the closing list were heavy Republican donors.

To quickly review the situation, I took all dealer owners whose names appeared more than once in the list. And, of those who contributed to political campaigns, every single one had donated almost exclusively to GOP candidates. While this isn't an exhaustive review, it does have some ominous implications if it can be verified.

However, I also found additional research online at Scribd (author unknown), which also appears to point to a highly partisan decision-making process. . .

. . . have thus far found only a single Obama donor (and a minor one at that: $200 from Jeffrey Hunter of Waco, Texas) on the closing list.

Chrysler claimed that its formula for determining whether a dealership should close or not included "sales volume, customer service scores, local market share and average household income in the immediate area.

"In fact, there may have been other criteria involved: politics may have played a part. If this data can be validated, it would appear to be further proof that the Obama administration is willing to step over any line to advance its agenda.

It bodes poorly for America and the rule of law.

all of it here

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Also note: Atlas and Gateway Pundit have video of an interview Neil Cavuto did with Jim Anderer, one of the dealerships closed. From Atlas:

Despite multiple letters, emails and phones calls, Anderer has been given no explanation as to why his dealership was targeted. On Neil Cavuto's show, Anderer said "They won't give us a solid explanation. They come up with all these reasons, but none of them seem to make sense" and "but I think there is a lot of favored dealers, there is some collusion."

Anderer continued with: "This is insanity. The government is stealing my business. Well, I cannot accept that as a patriotic American. I was raised in this country to believe that if I work hard and I achieve what I was going after — and I did! I did it! I got it, and now all of a sudden because, you know, we have a president who pushes Chrysler into bankruptcy and puts all of the UAW workers out...? Didn't have to. Maybe some would have to go out but not all of them, okay.

This doesn't happen in America. This is still America, I think.

I mean, this isn't Stalinist Russia. This is not Nazi Germany where the troopers say you're out and their buddies are in. That's what I'm faced with."

h/t Atlas & Gateway Pundit

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Here's the Cavuto video. The question we should be asking is not did Obama punish anti-Obama donors or favor pro-Obama donors but WHY THE HELL IS THE GOVERNMENT INVOLVED IN THIS AT ALL?