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Automotive News & Views Dude, where did all the dealerships go?
650 messages, Last post on Nov 08, 2009 at 5:47 PM
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Replying to: dtownfb (May 26, 2009 4:48 pm) Doug Ross looked at the possibility that the Obama Administration may have targeted GOP donors in deciding which Chrysler dealerships would have to close their doors. Doug noted that every single dealer he checked out except one were either GOP donors or donated to Obama's rivals in the democratic primary. UPDATE: Chrysler Dealership owner Jim Anderer was on with Neil Cavuto. Jim's dealership is being shut down. Anderer noted that the closings didn't make any sense and that many of them were profitable. Anderer says the country was shutting down his business. He couldn't understand how they were making their decision on which dealerships they were closing: Here is the list Doug put together: • Vernon G. Buchanan: $147,450 to GOP candidates and organizations • Wallace D. Alley and Family: $4,500 to GOP. • Robert Archer: $4,600 to GOP and conservative causes. • Homer S. Higginbotham and Family: $2950 to GOP. • James Auffenberg and Family: $28,000 to GOP; $6,000 to one Democrat candidate. • Michael Maroone and Family: $60,000 to GOP; $8,500 to two Democrat candidates. • Jerome Fader: $6,500 to Democrats; $2,500 to Independent Joe Lieberman. • Stephen Fay and Family: $13,500 to GOP. • William Numrich: $20,000 to GOP. • Robert Carver: $10,000 to Democrats including $1,950 to Hillary Clinton, nothing to Barack Obama. • Robert and Linda Rohrman: $24,000 to GOP. • Frank Boucher, Jr. and Family: $18,000 to GOP, $1,000 to one Democrat candidate. • Scott Bossier: $4,300 to GOP. • Todd Reardon: $17,000 to GOP; $2,000 to one Democrat candidate. • Russ Darrow and Family: $78,000 to GOP. • Bradford Deery and Family: $24,700 to GOP. • Charles Gabus and Family: $30,000 to GOP. • Brian Smith: $15,500 to GOP. • Michael Schlossman: $14,000 to GOP; $14,000 to three Democrats ($12,500 to Sen. Russ Feingold). • Don Hill: $11,000 to GOP; $12,800 to conservative incumbent Rep. Heath Shuler. • Don Miller: $2,000 to GOP; $1,000 to Feingold. • Eddie Cordes: $2,150 to GOP. • Robert Edwards: $1,100 to GOP. • James Crowley: $19,100 to GOP. • Stanley Graff: $2,200 to John Edwards (2008 Presidential Run); $500 to GOP. • John Stewart: $10,500 to GOP. • John Fitzgerald and Family: $4,600 to John McCain (2008); $2,000 to Hillary Clinton (2008); nothing to Barack Obama. • William Churchill and Family: $3,500 to GOP. • Thomas Ganley: $9.450 to GOP. • Gary Miller: $20,000 to GOP. • Kevin and Gene Beltz: $18,500 to GOP. • Arthur Grayson: $14,000 to GOP. • Eric Grubbs and Family: $26,000 to GOP. • Michael Leep and Family: $19,500 to GOP; $4,800 to three Democrats including Sen. Evan Bayh. • Harry Green, Jr.: $10,000 to GOP. • Ronald Hoover: $5,250 to GOP. • Ray Huffines and Family: $18,500 to GOP. • John O. Stevenson: $1,500 to GOP.• James Marsh: $8,200 to GOP. • Max Pearson and Family: $112,000 to GOP. Hope and Change is only for those that fall in line with the administration.
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Replying to: gagrice (May 28, 2009 6:12 am) I'm just going to cling to my religion and guns 
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Replying to: gagrice (May 28, 2009 6:12 am) if you really want to make your case you need to show that those dealers who survived gave less to Republicans and/or more to the Democrats. I don't have any numbers but I have a hard time believing this. I'd guess that most if not all dealers - being small business owners - would be more inclined to support Republicans. Everything is possible in politics, of course, but what you propose smells too much like a conspiracy theory for my taste. |
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Replying to: gagrice (May 28, 2009 6:12 am) Smart businesses who want to wield political influence contribute to both parties.
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Replying to: gagrice (May 28, 2009 6:12 am)
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Replying to: fintail (May 28, 2009 8:29 am) I agree that to make the case, you need to know who the surviving dealers supported with their donations. Smart businesses support both parties. Also as pointed out by a previous poster and quoted in an article on Autonews, Jim Press did make that threat to the Chrysler dealerships who did not order new cars in February. I suspected that the closing of the dealerships would not be based on profit, sales, customer satisfaction, or some other objective measurement. Right now, nothing would surprise me. |
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Replying to: dtownfb (May 28, 2009 11:14 am) But those ones listed must have been at least somewhat profitable for their proprietors to be pissing away money on political causes.
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Replying to: fintail (May 28, 2009 12:49 pm) But those ones listed must have been at least somewhat profitable for their proprietors to be pissing away money on political causes. Even dealerships losing money somehow find ways to donate in their community. I think folks within Chrysler had an axe to grind with some of these dealers. I think some of these are legitimate, strategic closures. The big question is after all these deep discounts are done over the next 2-3 weeks, can Fiat/Chrysler sell cars? Right now Chrysler is moving cars because of the big rebates and dealerships slashing prices. I don't know if Americans are ready to buy an Italian/POS American car for regular price. I don't see this merger working well. I have been wrong before........ |
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Furor grows over partisan car dealer closings By: Mark Tapscott Editorial Page Editor 05/27/09 3:37 PM EDT Evidence appears to be mounting that the Obama administration has systematically targeted for closing Chrysler dealers who contributed to Repubicans. What started earlier this week as mainly a rumbling on the Right side of the Blogosphere has gathered some steam today with revelations that among the dealers being shut down are a GOP congressman and closing of competitors to a dealership chain partly owned by former Clinton White House chief of staff Mack McLarty. The basic issue raised here is this: How do we account for the fact millions of dollars were contributed to GOP candidates by Chrysler who are being closed by the government, but only one has been found so far that is being closed that contributed to the Obama campaign in 2008? Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan learned from a House colleague that his Venice, Florida, dealership is on the hit list. Buchanan also has a Nissan franchise paired with the Chrysler facility in Venice. "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 told News 10, a local Florida television station. Buchanan, who succeeded former Rep. Katharine Harris in 2006, reportedly learned of his dealership's termination from Rep.Candace Miller, R-MI. Buchanan owns a total of 23 dealerships in Florida and North Carolina. Also fueling the controversy is the fact the RLJ-McCarty-Landers chain of Arkansas and Missouri dealerships aren't being closed, but many of their local competitors are being eliminated. Go here for a detailed look at this situation. McClarty is the former Clinton senior aide. The "J" is Robert Johnson, founder of the Black Entertainment Television, a heavy Democratic contributor. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Furor-grows- -over-partisan-car-dealer-closings-46261447.html http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/05/shock-big-dem-donor-group-gets-to-keep- .html
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Replying to: gagrice (May 28, 2009 3:08 pm) Plan to ax dealers not Chrysler's decision -lawyer * Dealers call termination plan 'unconstitutional' By Nick Zieminski NEW YORK, May 26 (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." He added the government task force, which he criticized for having no members with retail experience was, in effect, attacking U.S. entrepreneurs. http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN2632731920090- 526 Dealers failing by natural attrition seems so much more logical to me.
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