Don't Be Surprised If Bush Fails to Bail Out Auto Makers

When evaluating current events and the public's reaction to them, I seldom take the "common wisdom" as doctrine. The general public has a herd mentality which succumbs to the first reasonable analysis and goes no further to examine the nuances of the issues. The public is not stupid, just overly informed. No one has the time to redo or rethink the analysis that has already been spoon-fed to them by the mainstream media.

For example, the common wisdom is that the Bush administration will bail out the car makers when the congress refused to do so. Indeed, President Bush has said as much. An administration spokesman stated that they will release TARP funds for Detroit's Big Three in the form of a $14-15 billion bridge loan. But I have my doubts that this will actually happen.

Bush may want to be remembered as having helped rescue the automakers from collapse, but would that be the best course for the Republicans? I am almost certain that there must be a powerful Republican lobby persuading Bush behind the scenes, that the best course of action would be to let the Democrats inherit the mess.

The only thing that a Bush application of TARP funds to Detroit would accomplish is making the Democrats job that much easier come January 20th. Call me a cynic, but partisanship being what it is in Washington, I fear that the Republican strategy for getting back in control of the White House and the congress in 2012 is to have the democrats fail miserably on their platform of change.

During the recent campaign, the Democrats foolishly blamed all things bad about America on the Republicans. This, of course, is de rigeur in national politics. But it does little to engender bi-partisan support for solutions. They claimed that they would come into Washington with miracle cures for that which ails the country, and perhaps they will. But are the Republicans going to participate in a reform effort which has the goal of rectifying Republican folly?

Yes, I believe that, behind the scenes, Bush is being instructed to hold back on TARP funds for Detroit. The rationale will be that the TARP money was explicitly for financial institutions, not car manufacturers.

I hope that I'm wrong. We should know, one way or the other, this week.