Wonderful Ironic New York Times Quote on "Government Motors" Takeover

Ronald Bailey | May 28, 2009

From a front page article in the New York Times yesterday reporting the imminent Federal government takeover (70 percent ownership) of General Motors:

There are cultural challenges, too. Can the government help turn around a company known for its bureaucratic approach to business?

It takes a Times reporter to write those sentences without noticing realizing their unintentional irony.*

 

*corrections added.

Comments

Flex Nasty B.I.G.|5.28.09 @ 12:30PM|#

Xeones, you gonna handle this?

|5.28.09 @ 12:34PM|#

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|5.28.09 @ 12:35PM|#

"Can the government help turn around a company known for its bureaucratic approach to business?"

When the right people are in charge of the machine, it'll run correctly.

Forty-Two|5.28.09 @ 12:37PM|#

not nearly as ironic as a black fly in your chardonnay, dontcha think?

|5.28.09 @ 12:39PM|#

Can the government help turn around a company known for its bureaucratic approach to business?

Who better to root out waste, fraud, and abuse?

Xeones|5.28.09 @ 12:43PM|#

I'm not your monkey, Flex.

JB|5.28.09 @ 12:49PM|#

GM is screwed. What moron would buy a car from Government Motors?

There are only so many NYT reporters in the world.

Warty|5.28.09 @ 12:49PM|#

Shut the fuck up, New York Times.

Spartacus|5.28.09 @ 12:53PM|#

Can the government help turn around a company known for its bureaucratic approach to business?

To ask the question is to answer it.

Flex Nasty B.I.G.|5.28.09 @ 12:54PM|#

Aright then, Xeones. I'll do it myself.

Yo, fuck the New York Times.

|5.28.09 @ 12:56PM|#

When the Treasury Dept accountants get done cooking cleaning up the books, GM will be profitable from day one.

|5.28.09 @ 12:56PM|#

"It's takes [...]"

Public education?

|5.28.09 @ 12:56PM|#

Just sit back, and watch the money roll in.

|5.28.09 @ 12:58PM|#

The feds running GM will redefine the term Chinese fuck story. If it were not such a waste of taxpayer money and an affront to those like me who think that failure should go unrewarded it would be funny as hell to watch.

The almost schizophrenic conflicting goals of the Obama administration vis a vis the big three almost guarantee a terabuck of wasted taxpayer money by fools too stubborn to face reality.

Spoonman|5.28.09 @ 12:59PM|#

Easy. Just make General Motors's market area a tax increment district.

|5.28.09 @ 1:00PM|#

Spelling Nazi: Thanks. Fixed. And yes. But even that doesn't explain how that pesky 's got in there.

|5.28.09 @ 1:01PM|#

Those apostrophes are sneaky little buggers.

|5.28.09 @ 1:04PM|#

Warty-

I see that you are giving the Times the Lonewacko treatment. As you probably know, IMO, such treatment is far more justified when directed at the former-hey, the New York Times pisses me off far more than 24DotCom.

Dello|5.28.09 @ 1:06PM|#

Step 1: Government takes over GM

Step 2:

Step 3: PROFIT!

|5.28.09 @ 1:07PM|#

Forty-Two, the Alanis Morissette references are NOT HELPING. Let the hurting stop and the healing begin.

|5.28.09 @ 1:10PM|#

So much for snowback sisterhood.

Warty|5.28.09 @ 1:17PM|#

libertymike, I figured that if Xeones was going to drop the ball, I might as well give my catchphrase some work.

|5.28.09 @ 1:19PM|#

As a gubermint employee, I can see the gov putting all their resources into electric cars...and suceeding!!! When the President orders a solution, the employees solute!!!

Department of Transportation announces electric car breakthrough!!!
"With out of the box thinking, we discovered that the solution was relatively simple...long, long, long, ...extension cords."

stuartl|5.28.09 @ 1:19PM|#

GM is screwed. What moron would buy a car from Government Motors?

There are only so many NYT reporters in the world.

Nah, they still buy Volvos and Prius's.

|5.28.09 @ 1:21PM|#

Sug, if you venture away from the many SF hotties- into, say, the pop music industry- you enter dangerous territory indeed. Not sure why the NYT feels the need to do further damage to the word "ironic." Alanis beat them to it.

|5.28.09 @ 1:35PM|#

"Can the government help turn around a company known for its bureaucratic approach to business?"

Can a crackhead help me quit smoking?

kinnath|5.28.09 @ 1:48PM|#

Back in the US . . Back in the U S . . Back in the U S S R . . .

Xeones|5.28.09 @ 1:53PM|#

Yo, go fuck yourself, Warty. A dude needs a break sometimes.

|5.28.09 @ 1:56PM|#

What moron would buy a car from Government Motors?

Liberals will always need limousines.

kinnath|5.28.09 @ 2:00PM|#

There was a news analysis earlier on CNN I think that said GM was going to kill at least 4 high performance cars (including the new Camaro) to meet the new CAFE standards.

It will be interesting to watch a governemnt-influenced (if not -run) GM run into the brick wall of the new government-imposed CAFE standards.

|5.28.09 @ 2:05PM|#

Xeones-

"A dude needs a break sometimes." I imagine the junior senator from Illinois must feel the same way.

Xeones|5.28.09 @ 2:20PM|#

I imagine the junior senator from Illinois must feel the same way.

Probably, Michael. But he's just the president -- i CREATED A MEME.

|5.28.09 @ 2:25PM|#

It will be interesting to watch a governemnt-influenced (if not -run) GM run into the brick wall of the new government-imposed CAFE standards.

It will be Teh Market's fault. Teh Market is the end result of the decisions of the cattle. If the cattle don't behave as expected, then any resulting problems are their (and thus the market's) fault. If they did as they were told, all would be golden.

Sean|5.28.09 @ 3:59PM|#

From the article, "Aides to President Obama have consistently said they would be reluctant shareholders, and they plan no operating role in the company." ... and that the UAW would retain 20%. So, who, exactly, IS going to run it? The remaining 10%? I leave this question for others.

|5.28.09 @ 4:42PM|#

"""Liberals will always need limousines."""

Are you calling Limbaugh and O'Reilly liberals?

I think Government Motors should come to an end by the people not buying another out of protest. Like that will ever happen.

|5.28.09 @ 5:01PM|#

And she'll have fun, fun, fun 'till Obama takes her T-Bird away.

Invisible Finger|5.28.09 @ 5:05PM|#

Would you buy a used car from any Congress critter?

JB|5.28.09 @ 10:18PM|#

I think Government Motors should come to an end by the people not buying another out of protest. Like that will ever happen.

I won't buy a car from GM or Chrysler. Encourage everyone you know to also avoid them and mock any who don't.

Jason|5.29.09 @ 1:31AM|#

Department of Transportation announces electric car breakthrough!!!
"With out of the box thinking, we discovered that the solution was relatively simple...long, long, long, ...extension cords."

Reminds me of an old joke:
Trabant brought out a new eco-car: Immediately available for delivery, cheap, quiet, environmentally friendly - with electric power train. The only problem was, the extension cord was only 20 meters long and not in stock.

|5.29.09 @ 6:19AM|#

After all these years, what's good for General Motors truly is good for the United States, and vice versa, because General Motors IS the United States -- an arm of its federal government, at least.

Coming soon, the Chevrolet Federale, and the resuscitated Oldsmobile's Amero (our answer to the Yugo!). For survivalists and suburbanites, no more Hummer. It's now the friendlier, smaller, more fuel-efficient Humor! ("Cause when the sky is falling, ya gotta laugh!")

Help me, Mr. Wizard!