As part of his on-going effort to reduce carbon emissions – or perhaps in an effort to charm a conservative-leaning audience that’s skeptical of his health care plans – President Obama, Wednesday, honored Jimmie Johnson, the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, and extolled the virtues of this “uniquely American sport.” It’s not a sport he appears to have much liking for: his jokes were labored and he butchered the name of one of the honorees.
Presidents have to do a lot of this sort of thing, of course, and it is hard to blame the President for so evidently finding the job a chore. But he didn’t have to take the next step. During an accompanying interview with ESPN, he proffered the belief that Ford, GM, and Chrysler should stay associated with NASCAR:
It’s about as good advertising as you can get . . . . If somebody’s excited about NASCAR, that means their excited about cars. We want to make sure people know what great American cars are. . . . Over the long term if you look 5, 10 years out I think they’re going to come back stronger than ever and I think their association with NASCAR makes a great difference.
Now, frankly, how can he know that? He might be right. But he has no background in advertising, or NASCAR, or the car industry, and no idea how much being involved with NASCAR costs each of the formerly Big Three. After all, running a car in a sport like NASCAR is not just an easy way to get free advertising – otherwise, everyone would do it.
What the President has actually done is, in this off the cuff way, to tell the managers of GM – a company in which the US government is the majority shareowner – that he expects them to stick with NASCAR, whether or not it’s actually a commercially sensible thing to do. Ford and Chrysler, too, can be expected to pay attention.
As we pointed out months ago, the government will use the power that its ownership of GM confers. Worse, the ways in which the government will use this power – perhaps without even intending to do so – are endless. Once politicians start owning businesses, their words stop carrying merely moral weight and become a factor in the decisions that managers have to make. Obama’s beliefs about NASCAR’s value should be entirely irrelevant to their assessment. Right now, they are not.
Here is my point again. Government has no business running our private industry, including our private health care because they have no common sense. You have to have this to be sucessful in business. You can listen to advisers that you trust, but it comes down to when you are the owner of a big corporation or a small business you have to have common sense, business experience or you will not be sucessful.
Government Motors (GM). Totally unconstitutional no matter how you slice it! How is this happening? Why aren't we the People stopping this? What more will this Administration do as they have shown total disreguard for Our Constitution!
What is it going to take for the Citizens of Oz to wake up and see the man behind the curtain. Because he said it, it must be true, regardless of his experience, knowledge, research, etc. and he will say whatever it takes to achieve his goal.
Rules for Radicals revisited!
What scares me is the possibility that the Administration and Congress are pushing so hard for single payer Health Care to divert American citizens attention away from the real country killer, "The Cap and Trade Bill". We can't let up on fighting "Obamacare" but please don't get tunnel vision. Our friendly Demoncratic Party might slip one past us if we don't stay alert.
It's all a ploy. When things are looking good, as artificial as it will be, Obama will turn against NASCAR, saying it is in violation of the global warming regulations. He shows his two faces quite often.
The obamanation BS goes on and on!
It is especially good if the Not-So-Big Three and NASCAR advertising can be funneled through AKPD. With a name like Axelrod it seems to be a good fit, don't you think.
Obama and NASCAR, Obama and Tiger Woods, Obama and the Chicago White Sox, Obama and Obama has never stopped looking for votes for the next election. It is the only thing he does well. He has proven this. Just how does big Pharma, NASCAR, Hospitals and whatever the next industry he turns against. think they are amune from Obama. I'll bet those auto dealers think they will get their money from Obama too. [Just like the Chrysler bond holders.]
I read some writings saying "Indy Races Go Green" with great fanfare it announced that the "Indy" race cars switched to alochol fuel.
This was done long ago, no new thing because of the high compression engines used in race cars they have long been using alcohol as fuel since alcohol will not not produce engine "knocking" with high compression engines. The same is true of drag racers where there are two classes one allowing alcohol fuels and one requiring gasoline.
Another bogus attempt to say one thing publicly while he is doing the opposite behind the scenes. Obama supports NASCAR as much as he supports our freedoms and liberty.
I never thought anyone would be able to make themselves more irrelevant through their own words and deeds than Bubba Clinton. Mao-Bama you have stolen Bubba's legacy out from under his feet. congratulations!
I can see it now, the new, fuel efficient NASCAR racers. Solar powered, plastic and cellophane muscle cars roaring down the track at an astonishing 46 mph.
Yeah man, now there's a Saturday afternoon's entertainment.
Cows may Come and Cows May Go, but DANGEROUS BULL in Washington DC Goes On Forever!!!!
Obama at Nascar, what a joke. He is just trying to kiss up to a new source of people. Us diehard race fans are too loyal to our base to fall for his B.S. Given the chance he will turn on us too. Let`s hope he ends up in the DNF Department. P.S. Glen Beck Rocks. 1 term is enough.
JUST WORDS!
ChicagObama is trying to market himself to a crowd that really knows just how much BS comes out of Washington. His attempts are a sly way of forcing illegal Government Motors (the former GM) and Chrysler to continue subsidizing NASCAR profits and advertising budgets using taxpayer money. WTF?
Supporters have looked behind the curtain of Oz (aka White House) and do not like what we see looking back. It's time for him to get out now!
I just want to comment on the Nascar deal. I follow Nascar and after YoBama took over Gov. Motors, there were two races where the #1 Impalla, driven by Martin Truex Jr. was solid Green with a total sponsor of, guess who? GE. That really ticks me off, with Immelt being in the Whitehouse. This is the most corrupt Govenrment in the World!!!