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Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 4:55 pm
by FangKC
The Ford F-150, made at the Claycomo plant here in Kansas City, has been named Motor Trend's "Truck of the Year."
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/b ... e_kan_rdup
http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/tru ... ord_f_150/
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 7:45 am
by FangKC
January car sales highest since 2007, and this looks to be a good year for auto sales.
The Chrysler Group beat forecasts with a 44 percent increase in monthly sales. On the truck side, Chrysler had a 47 percent increase in truck sales, and Ford had an 8 percent increase in January 2012 compared to January 2011. Of note in the truck sales increases is speculation that construction and housing are making a slow comeback, since 30 to 40 percent of truck sales are estimated to be to construction and contractors.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/busin ... f=business
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 6:24 pm
by FangKC
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 6:29 pm
by FangKC
Clint Eastwood's Superbowl Ad for Chrysler: "It's half-time in America."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhfp3v-X ... re=related
Some say it was political, but I didn't perceive it that way. I saw it more as a cheerleading ad for America.
http://autos.aol.com/article/is-chrysle ... d%3D133270
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 6:37 pm
by KCMax
Hilarious its being taken as political. I guess coming together and doing what's right is only a liberal platform?
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 7:06 pm
by FangKC
What's really crazy is people act like the government subsidizing the auto industry is a rarity. Most foreign governments work with their auto industries to remain competitive.
Many would argue you can't let the domestic auto industry die because of national defense reasons.
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 7:14 pm
by aknowledgeableperson
Please say it ain't so. Dirty Harry can't be some dang blang liberal.
In the past he has supported both parties and backed McCain in '08. He probalby considers himself more of a Libertarian according to Wiki.
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:06 pm
by mean
Seemed pretty obviously political to me. Not obvious enough to call it a "political ad", but the rhetoric was very similar to Obama's of late. "Half time in America" seemed an almost painfully obvious metaphor for being between two (potential) Obama terms. Which frankly, I think is just fine. If Karl Rove were running the PR for a current republican president, he'd have done the same thing.
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:12 pm
by FangKC
Eastwood is fiscally conservative but socially more liberal. He supports gay marriage for example, and thinks Republicans are being stupid for opposing it.
Clint Eastwood: I was an Eisenhower Republican when I started out at 21, because he promised to get us out of the Korean War. And over the years, I realized there was a Republican philosophy that I liked. And then they lost it. And libertarians had more of it. Because what I really believe is, Let's spend a little more time leaving everybody alone. These people who are making a big deal out of gay marriage? I don't give a fuck about who wants to get married to anybody else! Why not?! We're making a big deal out of things we shouldn't be making a deal out of.
...
Clint Eastwood: They go on and on with all this bullshit about "sanctity"—don't give me that sanctity crap! Just give everybody the chance to have the life they want.
http://www.gq.com/entertainment/movies- ... ry-article
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:16 pm
by FangKC
mean wrote:Seemed pretty obviously political to me. Not obvious enough to call it a "political ad", but the rhetoric was very similar to Obama's of late. "Half time in America" seemed an almost painfully obvious metaphor for being between two (potential) Obama terms. Which frankly, I think is just fine. If Karl Rove were running the PR for a current republican president, he'd have done the same thing.
Yet, Karl Rove says he was "offended" by the ad. But I agree with you, Karl Rove would have done the same thing if he were doing it for a Republican.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/201 ... er-ad.html
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:18 pm
by mean
Yeah, he's only "offended" by it because it's not his guy that's going to reap the benefits of the ad.
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:52 pm
by FangKC
Karl Rove is a tool. He has no business criticizing anyone or anything for being political. He is the king of making everything political, and mining the worst of human prejudices for political gain. Rove is the perfect example of what it wrong in American politics.
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 9:47 pm
by mean
FangKC wrote:Rove is the perfect example of what it wrong in American politics.
Depends on whether he's backing your guy, though, doesn't it? I mean, I think he's a scumbag, but if he had crafted that ad for my guy I would probably think it was brilliant.
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:30 pm
by FangKC
It's not about his ability to craft an ad. It's that he has used appeals to base human prejudices and hate to promote his brand of politics (race, homosexuality, xenophobia), and that he promotes the politics of division and demonization of groups and people. It's the slash and burn approach to politics.
No longer is political dialogue about solutions or who has the best ideas. This trend had let us to the point that we can't get anything accomplished in this country.
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 11:02 pm
by shinatoo
FangKC wrote:What's really crazy is people act like the government subsidizing the auto industry is a rarity. Most foreign governments work with their auto industries to remain competitive.
Many would argue you can't let the domestic auto industry die because of national defense reasons.
We have supported the auto industry by the way we build automotive infrastructure and fund big oil. Why not do it directly. Plus how bad can it be, GM is set to post a $10billion profit.
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:01 am
by KCMax
FangKC wrote:Eastwood is fiscally conservative but socially more liberal. He supports gay marriage for example, and thinks Republicans are being stupid for opposing it.
Clint Eastwood: I was an Eisenhower Republican when I started out at 21, because he promised to get us out of the Korean War. And over the years, I realized there was a Republican philosophy that I liked. And then they lost it. And libertarians had more of it. Because what I really believe is, Let's spend a little more time leaving everybody alone. These people who are making a big deal out of gay marriage? I don't give a fuck about who wants to get married to anybody else! Why not?! We're making a big deal out of things we shouldn't be making a deal out of.
...
Clint Eastwood: They go on and on with all this bullshit about "sanctity"—don't give me that sanctity crap! Just give everybody the chance to have the life they want.
http://www.gq.com/entertainment/movies- ... ry-article
He also opposed the auto bailout, which is why it was curious he was in the ad.
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:28 am
by FangKC
KCMax, yes, I was curious about that as well. I would like to know how he was convinced to do the ad based on his earlier opposition to the bailout.
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:39 am
by mean
Perhaps, unlike most others who opposed it, he can acknowledge that it saved hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of jobs?
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 6:14 pm
by aknowledgeableperson
FangKC wrote: I would like to know how he was convinced to do the ad based on his earlier opposition to the bailout.
Paycheck.
Re: Domestic Auto Industry
Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 6:39 pm
by FangKC
Ford's Claycomo plant is the top-producing US assembly plant.
Claycomo turned out 460,338 cars last year, helped by Ford deciding to boost Escape production before the new 2013 model went on sale in the summer. The plant also makes Ford F-150 trucks.
GM's Fairfax Assembly Plant is No. 10 on the list of top plants--producing 279,250 cars last year.
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/b ... 2012-07-05