GOP Senator Warns of 'Riots' if Automakers Are Bailed Out

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Business & Media Institure

Time and again we’ve heard about the lost jobs and economic impact of failing to bail out the beleaguered American auto manufacturers. But little mention has been made of the consequences of going through with the bailout, and how such an action would be viewed by other Americans.

In an interview following a Dec. 10 press conference where he and four other senators aired their opposition to the proposed bailout deal struck by congressional leaders and the White House (and approved by the U.S. House of Representatives 237-170 that evening), Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., warned that the perception that some industries are being bailed out and some aren’t could lead to violence.

“We’re going to have riots. There are already people rioting because they’re losing their jobs when everybody else is being bailed out. The fairness of it becomes more and more evident as we go along. The auto companies may be hurting,” he said, but “there are very few companies that aren’t hurting and they’re going to hurt. We don’t have enough money to bail everyone out.”

DeMint blamed the unions for pushing this issue as far as it has gotten. The senator said the notion that reorganization under bankruptcy would not work was generated by the unions for fear of losing their power.



Read more: http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/200812111...

---

What the hell is this clown smoking? I thought there were supposed to be riots when Obama was elected.

[truebrit71]

1. Um...no there won't be...there might well be riots if you DON'T bail them out though...

...I can think of three and a half million people that will be HIGHLY pissed off...

[RamboLiberal]

5. Yep in that case I hope UAW members & all others affected

shut down this country!

[AndyA]

2. You want to see riots? Let the auto industry in America die, and put 3+ million out of work,

out of their homes, and out of hope.

Then you'll see riots. The likes of which we've probably never seen before.

[sarcasmo]

81. I think this is the most possible scenario and a scary one it is.

[Ecumenist]

3. Fuck him!! It's alright to give a 700 billion dollar sweetheart deal

to the corrupt bankers with ABSOLUTELY NO OVERSIGHT but the average workers that are the underpinnings of our economy..SO RADICAL THAT THE COUNTRY WILL RIOT??!!! FUCK HIM, the horse he road in on and the fleas that they have!!

[WCGreen]

24. In all fairness, this guy was probably against any bailouts...

[blueclown]

4. More fear mongering from the radical right.

I'm tired of their garbage.

[bunkerbuster1]

6. DeMint, we're also confiscating yer guns!

And we'll make your son wear a dress and kiss boys.

[BunkerHill24]

17. LOL

[Warpy]

7. He's worried about a "riot" among GOP heavy contributors

who aren't going to see a bailout because the GOP will be out of power in 2009. I'm talking about large scale retailers, mining companies, and all their other corporate contributors who are going to be taking large hits in the coming few years.

The thought of all those packs of rabid, rioting corporate lawyers must send shivers down his spine.

[CBHagman]

8. He also said the market would fix this.

He and several like-minded (or mindless; you be the judge) GOP senators held a press conference the other day in which DeMint uttered a lulu of a pronouncement about the auto industry.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gop-senators-threat...


"We need to let the market fix this."

Yeah, we've all seen how delightfully well the unfetttered market has worked for Joe and Jane Average Citizen.

[Doctor_J]

9. Bring it on

As if those armchair warriors in the Hate Radio Brigade would actually stand up and fight.

[louis-t]

There they go again, repugs are perteckin' us.

"We don’t have enough money to bail everyone out.” Just YOUR friends eh, Jimmy?

[sasquatch]

10. !Muerte al Sur!

[Berry Cool]

11. "Oh, we can't do this or that. There will be a riot."

Yeah, right. Just like we couldn't elect Obama or there would be a riot. Then again, we couldn't NOT elect Obama because there would be a riot. Remember?? Either way, there was going to be a riot.

I'm still waiting...

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

12. Fearmonger

Just admit you're only interested in breaking the UAW and bolstering the foreign-owned auto factories in your state.

Douchebag.

[DJ13]

13. I hope he's right, & they are located in SC

Right in his own neighborhood.

[Waiting For Everyman]

14. Him and his buds will bang their silver spoons at their country club parties.

The Repubs are resisting every step of the way out of spite, because they're SO OVER!

[pinto]

16. Good answer.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[AlinPA]

29. There's that big wide paintbrush again. That jerk senator does not speak for all southerners.

[brentspeak]

65. Dumb Post of The Day

[wryter2000]

18. And, furthermore...

...the terra-ists will attack again! OBL is a union guy!

[JitterbugPerfume]

19. Those people live in bizarro world

There will be riots if the auto workers are allowed to lose everything . When they see their children hungry you can be assured there will be riots

[liberal N proud]

20. Let's see, 2 million people out of work with nothing to do vs....

the constituents of the Red Neck Senators from the south who work for less and take for granted all they do have because of the union workers.

Who has the most time to riot? Not the red necks.

[Lautremont]

21. The American people will riot

the day each and every one of them wakes up to find a Humboldt squid on their faces. Then you might see some screaming and running around. Anything short of that and it's Hey! American Idol's on!

[boomerbust]

22. Break the UAW

And yes there will be riots. What the hell I could use a little excitement right about now Jimmy. You want another North South battle Jimmy just keep it up and you will get exactly that.

[gizmo1979]

59. I'm with you brother

pick me up on the way.

[boomerbust]

68. gizmo

You would have to pick me up. I'm sitting here without a car for the last 7 months and it doesn't look good in the near future either.

[gizmo1979]

72. No problem I'll swing over

on our way.

[Algorem]

23. Cheney-'We better pass this or we'll be known as the Party of Herbert Hoover'

-is what Stephen Koff DC bureau chief , The Plain Dealer,said "an insider" told him Cheney said in the meeting about it with Rep. Congressional leaders:

also said Voinovich said they'd better pass it or there'd be a lot less R Senators after 2010 elections because they'll be blamed for the continued economic decline

heard this morning on Cleveland NPR show Reporters’ Roundtable,unfortunately audio link on page no work

http://www.wcpn.org/index.php/WCPN/soi/15642 /

[Wednesdays]

78. Gee, Unka Dick, ya think?

Oh wait, too late. You already ARE the party of Herbert Hoover. 'Cept in a few years it'll be known as the party of Fratboy Bush and Darth Cheney.

Have fun with your legacy.

[Timefortruth]

25. There were supposed to be riots

at the Democratic convention if Hillary wasn't the nominee. Then election night was going to be the end of the world as we know it whether or not Obama won.

They really want riots, and soon, unfortunately they have too successfully anaesthetised the population.

[CatholicEdHead]

58. Exactly, they want them no matter what

yet when it does not happen it enrages them even more as the sense of rejection gets worse.

[WCGreen]

26. This guy is Deminted....

Touched in the head, out in the sun too long...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

36. LOL!

[Hubert Flottz]

27. Wait till the auto workers lose three million more jobs and blame

the GOPers in the Senate...we might see the three million man march.

[Psephos]

38. There are fewer than 500,000 auto worker jobs to lose n/t

[Hubert Flottz]

45. How about all the jobs that support the auto industry?

How about the people who can't get their cars fixed anymore? The dealers? The Repo Men? The TV ad sales people?

The total I heard, was 3 million all told, if the big three crash.

[Psephos]

74. That's a totally valid point, but I was responding to the statement of direct employment.

I've seen the 3,000,000 figure, too.

I'm sure the impact would be broad and penetrating. The 3,000,000 is not, however, a hard statistic. No one really knows. Could be better, could be worse.

[LiberalFighter]

75. What people are forgetting also is that those 2-3 million jobs

Will be effecting families as well. It might effect anywhere from 2 million to 10 million people.

[Hubert Flottz]

79. What will we tell the children?

Eat You Family Values and shut up that crying?

[Javaman]

28. man, so fucking weird, how the right wing morons seem to pray for riots. nt

[OhioChick]

30. More like riots if the automakers are NOT helped out by a loan/bailout. n/t

[Romulox]

31. If you remember, they threatened riots if the TARP was NOT passed...nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

32. Since when are the Republicans all about fairness?

Give me a fucking break.

[OhioChick]

33. You got that right, CaliforniaPeggy. n/t

[Metta]

34. Jesus, what total bullshit.

Fear and darkness. Happy karma.

[MsLeopard]

35. Apathetic Americans Riot??

Oh please. We've sat around for eight years and watched bogus war, torture, mistreatment of our troops, the shredding of the Constitution, Katrina genocide, renditions, war crimes, the looting of our Treasury, the decimation of the middle class - and we've done nothing. Now we'll be in the street if the auto companies get a bailout? OMG, that is so lame it's laughable.

[stillcool]

70. Speak for yourself...

I am not an apathetic American. I have protested the war many times over the last 5 years. We actually had a protest every weekend..did you see us?

[ksimons]

37. I think we should be taxing religion. By NOT taxing everyone equally, we are cheating everyone

there, and that extra tax income oughta take care of the what ails the country. problem solved.

oh wait, where are the Republicans on this issue of fairness and equality?

[kath]

76. I'm with you on that - these mega-churches in particular - they own millions of dollars worth of

real estate, tax free, and they basically are tax-exempt social clubs, doing minimal, if any, charity work.

[Turbineguy]

39. It's the standard 'when illogic won't work" ploy

use fear.

[Festivito]

40. Yet, no one will be upset if we bail the guys who created the problelm.

Oh, yeah, I see.

[screembloodymurder]

41. We never should have let the South off the floor.

This is a new Civil War.

[depakid]

42. Hopefully, this is an early lesson for Obama

You cannot appease or work with right wing ideologues- they'll either not cooperate or stab you in the back every time.

Best to marginalize them and relegate them back to the fringe where they belong.

[The Backlash Cometh]

43. Another mushroom cloud speech.

[judasdisney]

80. Whereever possible, they'll stage that mushroom cloud

In other words, I'm expecting to see some Ashley Todd start that riot.

[sellitman]

44. All the GOP sells is FEAR.

It's the only thing they do now.

Fuck DeMint and all his Repug fear mongers!

[spoony]

82. Yep

Fear a black president.
Fear Muslims.
Fear the unwashed masses.
Fear...shoes.

[DebbieCDC]

46. I've said for years

Until Americans lose their Doritos and beer and NFL on TV, they won't get up off their sofas and riot. We all SHOULD HAVE BEEN rioting in the streets for the last 8 years, but hey "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" is on. Can't riot and watch TV at the same time. When the GOP succeeds in giving all the $$ to Wall Street bankers and says fuck you to the UAW and any other union that's still standing, and nobody can afford those Doritos and beer and TVs any longer, you just MIGHT see people take to the streets.

[Libertas1776]

47. Riots, Hah!

Un-Fucking-believable,

Yeah, just like all those riots we had when the govt bailed out the banks, right?

You wanna see riots, let the Automakers go under and Detroit will light up like a firecracker. Or better yet, maybe the riot will move down south to, i don't know, South Carolina or Georgia or one of those fucking non-union places, maybe right up to your fucking doorstep senator ass-wipe.

[UpInArms]

48. like this riot?

[earth mom]

49. What a clueless a$$hole! Too bad people didn't go all French on Congress with the Billion $ Bailout!

Because that's when the revolt should have happened.

Now the a$$hats in Congress are throwing the people-the workers of this country-a bone by helping the auto makers and this bozo thinks the people will riot?

Get a fucking clue asshole! The people of this country are smarter than you think!

And btw, you are lucky to still have a job in Congress!

[santamargarita]

50. Inciting a riot, arrest this right-wing shitbag!

Add him to the collection!

[freestyle]

51. This is all about union busting for them.

A $14 billion loan to auto companies is a drop compared to the $700 billion deal for the financial services industry that is having zero effect on foreclosures or unemployment. They see an oportunity to kill the UAW, or at least the auto industry portion of it, if GM and Chrysler are forced into bankruptcy. It is the same divide and conquer tactics against working people that the Republicans always use. At least they are consistent.

[Doremus]

52. Riot schmiot.

This guy wants to see a riot, watch what happens if the Big 3 go down and 3 million folks queue up in the unemployment line.

When he's seen that he'll know what a riot is.

Until then he's just one more repuke asshat.

[LiberalEsto]

53. CEOs & repukes will start hurling pate de foie gras

and busting champagne bottles all over the place during their "riot", no doubt.

[jetphixer]

54. A Post is More Intelegent

I really can't stand that crooked mouthed SOB from AL, an ill bet he is just as crooked as he looks This ass butt is about to send our country into a tail spinn I am praying the UAW Folks keep there job's but if they don't I'll bet the republican party is all over except for a few southern states.The ones who believe the bible is a literal work of god. The guy on the cloud who came down an typed the thing than took his typewriter back on the cloud with him. To be sure it would take several hundred yrs to find out where it fell out of the cloud.

[Hulk]

55. Let me see.....$700 billion to banks with NO STRINGS....$14 billion to the Big 3...

...with all sorts of strings attached....NO DICE! There will be rioting in the streets. There SHOULD HAVE BEEN RIOTING IN THE STREETS with the bank bail-out!....and there should still be investigations into wrong doing and a moratorium on bonuses, etc. to a failing bank industry.

Such a farce!!

[tridim]

56. I hope it's a freeper riot

Maybe a half-dozen will show up, with 15 porta-potties.

[BlueMTexpat]

57. Senator Who?

He had never come up on my radar before, but now I'll be paying more attention ... as should we all.

Love the "deMinted" comment upthread. It's a keeper.

One wonders whether there is a little mill that just rolls Republican clones like this out, election after election after election.

From his Wiki bio (he was elected to the US Senate in 2004):

<...>
DeMint stirred controversy during debates with Tenenbaum when he stated his belief that openly gay people should not be allowed to teach in public schools. When questioned by reporters, DeMint also stated that single mothers who live with their boyfriends should similarly be excluded from being educators. He later apologized for making the remarks without specifically retracting their substantive claims, saying they were "distracting from the main issues of the debate." He also noted that these were opinions based on his personal values, not issues he would or could deal with as a member of Congress.<2>
In an interview on NPR's Diane Rehm Show on January 31, 2008, he cited the prevalence of certain diseases among homosexuals as his reason for opposing gay marriage.
<...>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_DeMint

[sofa king]

60. There's no election to be stolen here, and nobody can afford Brooks Brothers.

[struggle4progress]

61. DeMint voted repeatedly to give Bush billions for Iraq with no strings attached: in 2003 and 2004

when he was still in the House, DeMint was happy to throw (say) $20 billion at Iraqi infrastructure

Bush has simply LOST more billions in Iraqi (in the sense that the money has vanished and is completely unaccounted for) than Congress is now proposing to lend to the auto industry -- and the lost money is money DeMint voted to hand over

The man's not a fiscal conservative: he's a lying hypocrite

[hootinholler]

62. Where are the riots?

"There are already people rioting because they’re losing their jobs when everybody else is being bailed out."

Where are they? I haven't heard about them, have you?

-Hoot

[Odin2005]

63. Sorry Pukes, if you think you can turn this into '68 2.0 you are sorely mistaken.

People aren't in the rioting mood, they are in the STRIKING MOOD!!!

[alfredo]

64. McConnell has come out against the loans, and declared it dead.

He just won reelection so it doesn't matter to him.

[natrat]

66. 8 trillion to the banks, 70 billion in bonuses,no strings,no oversight-what a bunch of crooks

[brentspeak]

67. Were there riots when S.C. gave Nissan a $300 million tax deferal benefit to move there?

DeDimtwit truly is a major-league clown.

[and-justice-for-all]

69. 'Warns of 'Riots' if Automakers Are Bailed Out'

WTF?

[DBoon]

71. isn't the using the threat of violence to influence govt actions terrorism?

so why isn't DeMint in Guantanamo?

[robinlynne]

73. Where were the riots when they bailed out banks against the will of the people?

90% of the population was AGAINST the first and second bailouts, as I recall.

[ovidsen]

77. Just another GOP looney tune

Reminds me of what a Georgia GOP Congressman said about Obama last month.

Georgia Congressman Paul Broun Wednesday stood by warnings that President-elect Barack Obama might set up a Gestapo-like civilian security force.

Broun says no apology for Obama label (from Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Actually, Broun used several ridiculous labels, comparing Obama to Stalin and Hitler. I've read no confirmation of rumors that Broun is either huffing gasoline, sniffing glue, or both.

Makes me proud to live in the Peach State.

edited for punctuation.

[ogneopasno]

83. WHY ON EARTH AREN'T THE LABOR-ENDORSED DEMOCRATS STANDING UP AND TELLING THIS MAN TO STFU?

Seriously, these Republicans are talking straight out of their scabby assholes and all the LABOR-ENDORSED DEMOCRATS are standing around going, "Oooo, for real?"

Labor should start holding back its endorsements and cash until it gets some real advocates. I am sick and tired of this.

[mbperrin]

86. Amen. The AFT works hard using their millions of members

to elect some of these folks.

NOW produce!

[rocktivity]

84. Candidate for this year's "You Call This NEWS?" award

Assuming that he's talking about the GOP rioting, that is.


rocknation

[KamaAina]

85. Please please please pretty please bring back Top Ten

How can we let this kind of over-the-top conservative idiocy go unrecognized?!