Obama a Socialist? No, not him!

Obama a Socialist? No, not him! Oh, the irony. On the very day, during the very week, when the NY Times was telling us over and over about who to vote for, and what the real message of the elections was, I found the ultimate irony in their business section. In an article entitled “In G.M.’s Comeback Story, a Pivotal Role Played by Washington” the Times repeatedly discusses the fact that, for all intents and purposes, the President and his team are running General Motors and have been. “Yet interviews with G.M. and federal officials show decisions by the government have played a pivotal role in shaping the automaker’s leadership, its business strategies, and now it’s initial stock offering…” “People familiar with the contact between G.M. and the Treasury Department say Ron Bloom, a senior adviser to the Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, is told about actions that G.M. management and the board are contemplating before they occur.” “To ensure a fresh start for the company, the GOVERNEMENT CHOSE A NEW CHAIRMAN AND SEVERAL NEW DIRECTORS FOR ITS BOARD (my emphasis), which in turn picked two of its members to serve as successive chiefs of the company.” “The government also set parameters for G.M.’s strategic direction – FEWER BRANDS AND MODELS, A LEANER ORGANIZATION, AND A SWEEPING OVERHAUL OF ITS PLODDING CORPORATE CULTURE (my emphasis).” When I referred to the structural changes Obama has wrought, this is exactly what I was referring. Even the current stock offering is being run by the government in such a way as to give the appearance of ceding control, when in fact, there would be no loss of government control. Sigh, more of the same… Obama a Socialist? No, not him! Oh, the irony. On the very day, during the very week, when the NY Times was telling us over and over about who to vote for, and what the real message of the elections was, I found the ultimate irony in their business section. In an article entitled “In G.M.’s Comeback Story, a Pivotal Role Played by Washington” the Times repeatedly discusses the fact that, for all intents and purposes, the President and his team are running General Motors and have been. “Yet interviews with G.M. and federal officials show decisions by the government have played a pivotal role in shaping the automaker’s leadership, its business strategies, and now it’s initial stock offering…” “People familiar with the contact between G.M. and the Treasury Department say Ron Bloom, a senior adviser to the Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, is told about actions that G.M. management and the board are contemplating before they occur.” “To ensure a fresh start for the company, the GOVERNEMENT CHOSE A NEW CHAIRMAN AND SEVERAL NEW DIRECTORS FOR ITS BOARD (my emphasis), which in turn picked two of its members to serve as successive chiefs of the company.” “The government also set parameters for G.M.’s strategic direction – FEWER BRANDS AND MODELS, A LEANER ORGANIZATION, AND A SWEEPING OVERHAUL OF ITS PLODDING CORPORATE CULTURE (my emphasis).” When I referred to the structural changes Obama has wrought, this is exactly what I was referring. Even the current stock offering is being run by the government in such a way as to give the appearance of ceding control, when in fact, there would be no loss of government control. Sigh, more of the same…