Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) was a guest on the Ed Schultz show today.
He said that the White House is being "recalcitrant" regarding the auto industry bailout because George Bush wants to punish Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio for voting blue.
This was the first I have heard of such an assertion, and it was made in a very point-blank way by Rep. Clyburn.
You can listen to the audio here at www.edschultzshow.com. I don't know how to embed this or isolate it. Go the link, to the upper left of the home page and click on 01 of the Audio/Video archive. Mouse over Ed's picture for the "play" button after you click on 01.
My transcript of the conversation is below.
ES: The Republicans, why are they so much against this? It's a commercial loan!
JC: I'm telling you, you know it's almost as if we are going to punish all of the consuming public, we are going to punish all of the folks who are dependent upon jobs, just because we are angry with the managers. But you know, Ed, I don't think that's what they are angry about. I think that for some strange reason they feel that because Michigan and Indiana and Ohio and Wisconsin - these states - ah, well three of them - turned blue. Two of them did. And two of them were blue before. But I really believe that all of this is about politics. They just can't really get beyond politics. They have politicized the justice department. They have politicized the department of agriculture, they have politicized consumer protection. They politicized Wall Street. And here we are with all of this stuff spinning out here, all these crises. And they are still locked in the political mode, rather than making some decisions that are good for this country.
ES: So you think this is a get-back on Michigan and Ohio and Indiana for going blue?
JC: That's exactly what I feel. I really feel that. And I think that the people of Ohio and Indiana ought to keep this in their minds as we go forward. Because this is what it's all about. These are political decisions being made by this White House rather than what's best for this country.
ES: House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, South Carolina, here on the Ed Schultz show.
Yes, George Bush is a first-class frat boy prick right up until the very end.
Country first!
These comments from Rep. Clyburn have moved me from undecided on the auto industry bailout to strongly in favor.
And here's to the voters of Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana understanding that the GOP is now trying to screw them over, and remembering it for every future election.