Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Gov. Daniels Celebrating GM Jobs, After Opposing GM Restructuring

from the Indiana Democratic Party

A great many Hoosiers are celebrating the wonderful news that General Motors will be adding hundreds of jobs to the automakers' Southern Indiana plant in Bedford. In addition, GM plants in Marion and Fort Wayne have also added hundreds of jobs.

As you recall, back in March of 2009 President Obama laid out a framework for General Motors to once again achieve economic viability. GM, one of the most recognizable and largest businesses in the world was one of the auto companies assisted through the President's Auto Restructuring Initiative.

Governor Mitch Daniels was never shy about his strong opposition to this plan and repeatedly spoke out against it, saying essentially that it was a waste of taxpayer money and would never succeed.

However, we are now seeing the beginnings of the resurgence of General Motors, as hundreds of jobs once thought to be lost are returning to the Hoosier state.

And despite Governor Daniels' negative assertions about the Auto Restructuring Initiative, GM's Chief Financial Officer recently stated that remarkably, the company has a reasonable chance of turning a full-year profit in 2010.

What's ironic in all of this celebrated news is that Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman announced that she is going to be joining with GM executives for today's job announcement event at the Bedford facility. Ironic in that the Governor's office has been so critical of this plan all along.

It appears that Mitch Daniels and his office want to revel in the benefits of the President's Auto Restructuring Initiative after being so strongly against it. How can that be?

Mitch Daniels has been adamant and outspoken in his opposition of the Auto Restructuring plan. In fact, Daniels stated back in 2008 that he was "skeptical that Congress can help the struggling U.S. auto industry." And that "the only thing we know for certain is the way they've been doing business does not work and throwing taxpayer dollars after it won't make it work."

Governor Daniels could not be more wrong and is clearly trying to have it both ways on this issue.

He can't be against the Auto Restructuring Initiative - slamming it and the President's efforts on this front in the press, then send his Lt. Governor to a ceremony celebrating new jobs created by the New General Motors.

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