NYC Letter: The Obama Economy, Part XIII -- Buy American

Day 953 of CHOPE

A "do as we say, not as we do" pattern emerges. Say:

If it were up to the candidates for president on the Republican side, we would be driving foreign cars; they would have let the auto industry in America go down the tubes.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL, 20th),
DNC chair and shameless hypocrite
WASHINGTON June 15, 2011 (Politico)

Do:

According to Florida motor vehicle records, the Wasserman Schultz household owns a 2010 Infiniti FX35, a Japanese car whose parent company is Nissan, another Japanese company. The car appears to be hers, since its license plate includes her initials.

Say:

We’ve got a lot of Americans driving Kias and Hyundais. I want folks in Korea driving Fords and Chevys and Chryslers. (Applause.) I’d like to see that. I want to see billions of dollars’ more products sold around the world stamped with three words: "Made in America." (Applause.) "Made in America."

Mr. Obama,
trying out brand new applause line for upcoming
taxpayer-funded "jobs plan" bus tour of battleground states
HOLLAND, Michigan August 11, 2011 (White House)

Do:

President Obama is barnstorming the heartland to boost US jobs in a taxpayer-financed luxury bus the government had custom built -- in Canada.

The $1.1 million vehicle, one of two that Quebec-based Prevost sold the government, has been tricked out by the Secret Service with state-of-the-art security features and creature comforts. It's a VIP H3-45 model, the company's top of the line, and is used by major traveling rock bands.

And three makes it a feature (not a bug). Say:

To show her support for American workers, President Obama's labor secretary, Hilda Solis, has junked the standard black limo and purchased a new Chevrolet Equinox to ride around Washington in. ... She was asked about why she traded the standard-issue limo for the SUV:

What better example could I set if I encouraged my staff to go and purchase and seek how we could acquire a vehicle that would for me would send a signal that we're for supporting our American workers, American-made products, fuel efficient as well.

Solis added that she was inspired to buy the Chevy because of the pride she saw in American auto workers during trips to U.S. car and truck plants. She said that she was wowed by "the pride that they take making our automobiles here in America."

Do:

The problem: the crossover SUV is built and assembled in Canada from parts also made in Canada. ... The car is made at two Canadian plants and has been so popular that General Motors has been hiring more workers in Canada to keep up with demand.

Ms. Solis charged her staff to "to go and purchase and seek how we could acquire a vehicle that would for me would send a signal that we're for supporting our American workers, American-made products". And her staff came up with -- a car that comes off the line in Canada. Even seeking to buy American, Team Barry can't manage a showcase purchase of an American car. Then, oblivious, they brag on their Canadian car as indicative of "the pride that [American workers] take making our automobiles here in America". [Incredulous snort.] That's ineptitude on stilts. Times two.

Ms. Wasserman Schultz is a dopey hypocrite, or as nemesis Allen West (R-FL, 22nd) says: "Debbie. Is. Not. Smart." Mr. Obama is an artless panderer without the political smarts to have at the least an administrative "Made In America" purchase policy in place before flaunting a "Made In America" applause line. Ms. Solis is only one more inept Team Barry minion bobbing into public view long enough to embarrass herself.

For Democrats, if they say it, you plebes are expected to swoon. [Pause.] From gratitude. Not laughter.

CHOPE.

Buy American: 100% American shinola.