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Friday, January 30, 2009
From Libertarian to Liberal: Auto Bigwig Sings Bailout Praises

It's the kind of turnaround talk that could make Rush Limbaugh's blood boil ...........self-styled uber-conservative automobile retail executive Mike Jackson of AutoNation kicked off the Philadelphia International Auto Show this morning with an impassioned plea for big government.

Jackson, chairman and chief executive of AutoNation Inc., has been in the center of the economic storm.  He's a big-scale car dealer.  And like dealers across the country, his business has taken a massive hit thanks to the Wall Street crash last year that made auto sales virtually screech to a halt.

"We’re in a huge mess, and as an almost Libertarian Republican, the next sentence is very hard to say," Jackson told Philadelphia-area automobile dealers during a speech at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. "We’re not gonna get out of this mess without some big help from Big Brother. Who knows? Before this is all over I may be a Democrat.”

 

AutoNation has 313 new vehicle franchises in 15 states.   The company used to have 25,000 employees, but with the recession Jackson says he's now down to 21,000.

 

“This is not a good environment for anyone -  I don’t care who you are. This is an epic, hundred-year event that we’re all living through and the job losses are extremely painful," Jackson said.

 

Jackson says he likes President Obama and his economic team, calling them "pragmatists" when it comes to finding a way to deal with the economic crisis.  He thinks a massive stimulus package and the government's willingness to help finance consumer loans for cars are essential if this thing is going to turn around by year's end.

 

Convention Center audio-video technician John Gilroy found the Big Government rhetoric a curious sign of the times.  While taking down a video camera after Jackson had stepped offf the stage, Gilroy muttered to himself: "It's funny how Republicans are changing."  The Havertown man is a registered Republican. 

 

Posted by Maria Panaritis @ 10:41 AM  Permalink | File Under: Auto Show | 3 comments
Comments   
Posted 11:36 AM, 01/30/2009
fafafooey
Putting his own business before what's good for the country, in my opinion... He's just another liberaltarian looking to suckle off the teet of the fat government sow. But this being "news" in the Inquirer/DN is not a suprise - they are nothing more than lapdogs for 0bama. Heck, Tierney is looking for a government bailout too. But that's what you get if the papers are more concerned about advocating the liberal viewpoint than reporting the news in a balanced fashion.
Posted 03:04 PM, 01/30/2009
tightlines
You know, maybe people would take you more seriously if you didn't refer to yourself as "fafafooey."
Posted 03:58 PM, 01/30/2009
janann
fafaphoney -I agree with tightlines..and what you post is the real phooey - But I am sure Rush Sean and Glenn are impressed with your parrotting of them. That's right, everybody is wtong but you. - and one more time, if the "papers" were advocating the so called Liberal view. we would never, ever, ever entered Iraq,,,,,, and we would have known alot more about John McCain and Niell Bush's involvement in the SAVINGS AND LOAN SCAM... Hurry Up Sean needs you now.
3 comments
About Mike Armstrong

Mike Armstrong, a business editor and writer for nearly two decades, is the Inquirer's business columnist and PhillyInc blog editor.
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