One Christmas present the GOP really wanted out of the bailout mess....

[Are_grits_groceries]

The auto bailout or nonbailout is as convoluted a mess as I have seen in Congress. Ostensibly the GOP is trying to break the unions because the unions back the Dems consistently.

I also think there is other method to their madness. If you check out the “voting Shift” map, a great deal of the country was voting bluer. Even in a lot of the South there was a shift toward the Dems. They weren’t Democratic yet, but the numbers were growing. The Rethugs flatout lost VA, NC and FL and they had to spend more time in GA than they would have liked.

http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/map...

The South is the Rethug base, but because of population shifts, younger voters and a more concerted Dem effort, it is not a slam dunk anymore. Yes, I read all the Southern bashing threads, but there is some change afoot. I can tell you that from living here.

So what is a poor Rethug to do? Notice that the Senators out front on the auto bailout were Southern. They had auto plants in their states so that is a good reason for them to spout off. However, there were a lot of Senators who weren’t Southern who didn’t vote for the bailout who weren’t front and center.

I think those blowhards lead the way because A) They are good with hot air and it plays well with their constituents and B) What is a good way to upset the trends I pointed out? Yes – Start a regional war. If you pick on a region and not the specific people you are bound to get everybody up in arms. It is a defensive mechanism and it works well in the South because we have tended to bunch up anyway. So, make us all get mad and hunker down against the “Yankees” and voila. You may shift the map again.

It appears to be working. On DU, Southerners have been called every name in the book on threads. Instead of pushing back and trying to make a common cause, worker to worker, it’s easier to damn all of us. The South has a bitter history of trying to fight for unions. Look up textile mills and unions and you’ll see. I understand why people are madder than hell about the bailout. I think the auto industry should be helped.

A lot of politicians aren’t thinking about the economy and jobs. They are playing other games. In my opinion, they are also playing with fire if they let the auto industry dump in this economy.

Now, flame away.