An Autobailout Theory

I am not, as a rule, a cynic. I’m a realist, evened out with a healthy dose of cynicism and optimism that gives me a nice balance… but something about the way the auto bailout is unrolling is giving me pause.

Was this whole scenario designed to give “President” Bush an opportunity to ride in on his white horse and save the day – thus helping his ‘legacy’ and numbers?

Part of me thinks not, as the gop – evidenced in how they ran some of their campaigns this season – is NOT that calculated and coordinated…

But then I think, perhaps it was.

Consider that Senate republicans assured UAW President Ron Gettelfinger that the Senate would pass the auto loan bill, only to renege on their agreement to the UAW and kill the bill.

Then during this morning’s UAW press conference on the failed Senate bill, an announcement from the Treasury Department is released that says it will open TARP funds because Bush will not let the auto industry fail.

More indicative is that during Gettelfinger’s presser, he spoke about the manner in which he was mislead by the gop, saying the gop had lied to him and killed the loan guarantees bill. It was then that a reporter informed him that the Treasury Department, on Bush’s urging, had just pledged support from the TARP funds for the auto industry because the Senate had failed to reach an agreement.

Hmmmmm… interesting.

Granted, no one that has a brain and uses it is going to think better of Bush for “saving” the auto industry, they’re rightfully going to place the blame at the feet of the gop for sinking the rescue package, and the rust belt knows that.

Having said all that, if in fact there is collusion between Senate republicans and the White House, I think it still scores very few points for Bush.

But still… it’s ‘interesting’ to say the least.