Ford caves to White House demand to pull ad ripping on tarp bailouts

This is unreal:

For the only Detroit automaker that “didn’t take the money” of the federal auto bailouts, Ford Motor Co. keeps paying a price for its comparative success and self-reliant turnaround.

There’s no help from American taxpayers to help lighten its debt load, giving crosstown rivals comparatively better credit ratings and a financial edge Ford is working diligently to erase all on its own.

There’s no clause barring a strike by hourly workers amid this fall’s national contract talks with the United Auto Workers — a by-product of the taxpayer-financed bailout that General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC retain until 2015.

And there’s no assurance the Dearborn automaker can use the commercially advantageous fact that it didn’t “take the money” proffered by the Obama Treasury Department and use it in TV ads angling to sell cars and trucks. Not if the campaign takes a whack at its Detroit rivals and suggests that Ford no longer supports the Obama administration bailouts it backed in public statements and sworn congressional testimony.

As part of a campaign featuring “real people” explaining their decision to buy the Blue Oval, a guy named “Chris” says he “wasn’t going to buy another car that was bailed out by our government,” according the text of the ad, launched in early September.

“I was going to buy from a manufacturer that’s standing on their own: win, lose, or draw. That’s what America is about is taking the chance to succeed and understanding when you fail that you gotta’ pick yourself up and go back to work.”

That’s what some of America is about, evidently. Because Ford pulled the ad after individuals inside the White House questioned whether the copy was publicly denigrating the controversial bailout policy CEO Alan Mulally repeatedly supported in the dark days of late 2008, in early ’09 and again when the ad flap arose. And more.

via Columnists | Ford pulls its ad on bailouts | The Detroit News.

I would and could carp on about this one; but I will simply say this — this here, my friends, is why you do not elect totalitarian Presidential Administrations who are not too fond of criticism.    I know Bush did it too; to a point, but not nearly as bad as this bunch in the White House. This President is much worse. Further more, Bush’s issue was with the liberal media and never, ever with private business.

I also have to wonder; how much of this was the Union’s doing? I wonder if Ford received a threatening phone call from the President of the AFL-CIO and was told, “You either pull that ad or you are going have a huge labor walkout on your hands!” I cannot prove that in a court of law. But I would be willing to bet money that is what happened.

Again, as I am prone to saying here, quite a bit. Remember this dumb nonsense come 2012; because no President or White House should ever, and I do mean EVER be able to pressure any business to pull advertising. We are a free Republic; and not some damned Communist dictatorship; this has to stop and I hope like the dickens that Republicans pick the right guy to beat Obama in 2012.  Because crap like this, has go to go and I mean go quickly.

Others: Hit & Run, Mediaite, Big Government, Ben Smith’s Blog, National Review, Patterico’s Pontifications, Wake up America, LaborUnionReport.com, Hot Air, theblogprof, Weasel Zippers, Weekly Standard, JammieWearingFool and Cold Fury (via Memeorandum)