Obama's automotive history rewrite

Thanks to the Swamp for posting on the absolutely most important issue facing America. At last we can openly discuss the issue seen as a make or break for America.

The planet is dying.
So are innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We seem to have killed enough in Iraq and ruined their culture to get most of them to leave.
This is the problem with our economy--we're not spending the military mad money on retooling.

Why let the truth stand in the way of a good story?
.
Why let the facts cloud the issue?

It's the war for the oil pipeline. It always the war that prompted this 'downturn'-the media and the administration are focusing on ONE factor.

You can bet that if Bush said this it would be on "The Daily Show" and probably a funny calendar at Borders Book Store.

It sounded good. Plus, I'm sure if you asked Obama he would credit Ford with the invention, even though Ford was most well known for his contribution to the separation of labor and assembly lines.

Facts for Obama and Co. Pffftt!

I am not a big Obama supporter, but come on! Maybe the U.S. didn't invent the car but Ford certainly made the car a device for everyman when he unleashed mass production of vehicles on the world. If not for Ford, and Detroit, the car would have been the plaything of the rich. Give Obama a break - his message was right onQ

This was just Obama's personal publisist clarifying one of the Chosen Ones mis-speaks.

But we invented the Gran Torino.

I looking to purchase a hybrid truck but the American designs are behind the imports. What happens to warranties if a company goes bankrupt? They will get the money (union support and votes) but can this go on forever? Also the maintainability and reliability are questionable and the initial investment is considerable. Since the new auto WH bailout gents mostly drive foreign cars should that be a tip-off? Do what I say, not what I do. Will the new energy plan, can we expect greater tax credits or government assistance with a purchase? I fear gas prices will be sky-high this summer. Maybe one should wait but that not helping to spur the auto sales and the industry. This is a dilemma, should I just take a big gulp of kool aid and go along with the inevitable Obamamania? Nah, I am going to hold steady, keep what I have, we got a new spending bill containing 7.7B is "no earmarks". Same ole', same ole', just words, nothing changing and we wonder why there is so little confidence and much fear.

More empty suit. Obama has a faulty writer hidden some where in the White House.

Just proof positive that he's only another brain dead POLITICIAN who can not or will not get his facts straight before opening his mouth and sticking his foot in it. Gee, wasn't the political career of Quayle sidelined because of a misspelled word?

Obama is about a brilliant as a rock.

But it doesn''t matter to his Oba-morons, as long as Barry says it then that his the "truth".

"There is no pork in this bill"

Mr. President, what about the 30 million for the SF swamp mouse?

Uh, umm, hmm, uhhh, mmmh, ummm, now, uh, hmmm, RACIST! Yeah, thats the ticket.

Remember when President Bush said, "We know where the WMDs are"? Compare that to President Obama's error - which incorrect statement impacts the American people more?

And here I thought Obama was smart.

Truth was an evasive feature of Obama's campaign and he thinks he can continue his obfuscation as president. That's what happens when it's Amateur Hour at the top.

No one thinks obama is actually stupid. He has shown a great deal of ignornance, however, in both his historical knowledge and economic acumen. Is is sacrilege to point that out?

grow up Tribune. Time to get real.

This has nothing to do with keeping american auto manufacturers from folding, this has to do with paying back the unions who have wrecked the american auto manufacturers. I have owned gm cars my entire life, but i have made up my mind not to buy another one. When i pay my chevy avalanche off i'm buying my first ever foreign truck, a toyota.

Keep bailing 'em out Obama, your only forcing people like me to never buy an american car again.

What did you expect... most of what Obama says is a lie!

I don't read Mark enough to know if this is "snark", but I will say up fron that my answer definately is SNARK.

This is the line in question:
""I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it,'' "

Let me explain this like Bush use to talk to his captive audiences during the 2004 campaign( like a bunch of 8 year olds) DONG!

What Obama said , while not true in the sense of the 'FIRST" automobile, was Henry Ford(an American) invented the auto assembly line that allowed the automobile industry to thrive and produce cars in quantity.

Picky, Picky, Picky

This batch of clown in Washington love to rewright history. The lemming that voted for them are too stupid or lazy to care.

I was surprised to hear that error in his speech. Obama is usually careful enough to avoid those mistakes. His speech writer ignored the fact check in favor of a sound bite. They have been better about that in the past. Don't let it become a habit.

Not the first automobile, but most certainly the first automobile ASSEMBLY LINE!

While it may seem like an insignificant detail, it does speak to an underlying tendency of Obama to disregard facts in lieu of a good soundbite/speech. Begs the question, what else is inaccurate in his speech? Answer, a pretty fair amount according to the fact check on NPR this morning.

Can you get any more petty!

What? No school today? Seems all the kids are in the Swamp. When do the grown ups get here?

No one thinks obama is actually stupid. He has shown a great deal of ignornance, however, in both his historical knowledge and economic acumen. Is is sacrilege to point that out?
Posted by: Ed | February 25, 2009 10:06 AM
Axelrod could possibly be the brain behind Obama.

You may want to check your facts, as well. Although Henry started building the Model T in 1908, the assembly line didn't come until 1914. He did not, as you say, "put the assembly line to work in 1908". I'm no Obama fan, but if you're going to check his facts, check yours.

get a life, all you posters. Recognize an interesting and unique story when you read one.

As long as UAW idiots are running the U.S. Auto makers they will never be vialble.

Buy a Toyota!

Again, pick up the clue phone folks! What is the true meaning to this funny little story?

The true meaning is that our President has once again misdirected his real purpose by telling us he's going to crack down on bad policy's, bad decision's, gonna tell those dumb business folks how to run their companies or they won't get a piece of the Obama pie.

It's all rehetoric - he's still in campaign mode and Americans are still believing the hype. He's telling people what they wan to hear but doing the opposite.

Case in point, that mysterious web site that was going to give all Americans the opportunity to read through the Pork Bill before shoving it down our throats. That didn't happen but he's making the same promise again on the spending side and the sheeple believe him?

Case in point - he's slopping out his guarantee that "no irresponsible people who bought homes they knew they could never afford and those speculators that thought they would get rich quick off the failing housing market will NOT get access to the mortgage bail out moneys". Guess what, the head of the FDIC has already stated publicly that those promises are pie in the sky hype, can't be done, impossible to ferret out irresponsible lenders and loan recipients, let alone identify "speculators", she called it forensic financing - not gonna happen, can't happen.

Our president is great at telling these stories and making promises.

This story is the smoke screen. Get us to think more about "who invented the automobile" instead of "can he actually do what he's telling us"?

Why is this petty? If HRC had said this during the campaign, if John McCain would have said this during the campaign, if BUSH had said this at any point -- you people now excusing Obama would have been all over it! Those others would have been pilloried on Huffington post, on youtube, everywhere.

But because your chosen savior made a really stupid mistake -- and the fact checker ought to be fired -- it's OK. It's petty for this whopper to be pointed out.

Ha Ha Ha. Obama is an idiot moron and is too stupid to be president.

This is how Bush would be treated for making a similarly ill-informed statement.

So let us call out Obama for being a stupid idiot dumb ignorant unqualified President!

A lot of Nicolas Cugnot fans seem to be posting here today, enraged that Obama did not properly credit their man. I bet that if everyone posting on this page was asked where the car was invented they would have said America.

As usual, the President (insert your favorite politician here) and the posters alike have missed the main point.
Our automakers are in dire straits to a large extent owing to the government's constant interference with them and our government's long-standing lassitude in the enforcement of bilateral requirements in our trade agreements.
President Obama has had little to do with any of that as he has spent the last five years seeking higher office and has, therefore, paid little attention to the duties of any office which he held. Now he will have to pay attention.
I wish him the best. I think he will be an enormous failure; but I hope that I am wrong.
Cheers.

I cringed when I heard it, but it is irrelevant to the sprit of the statement. America embraced the automobile faster and on a larger scale than the rest of the world.

Other than that small gaff, it was a very good speech. He needs to stay out there talking directly to the American people. He can't rely on his own spokespersons to do much of a job, and he certainly can't let the likes of Rush, Jindal and Barbour define him.

I cringed when I heard it, but it is irrelevant to the sprit of the statement. America embraced the automobile faster and on a larger scale than the rest of the world.

Other than that small gaff, it was a very good speech. He needs to stay out there talking directly to the American people. He can't rely on his own spokespersons to do much of a job, and he certainly can't let the likes of Rush, Jindal and Barbour define him.

The Annoying One has never let the truth get in the way of his public utterances.

Paul: "Gee, wasn't the political career of Quayle sidelined because of a misspelled word?"
No, it was sidelined because Republicans ALWAYS have to blame someone for a loss, and Quale was 1992s excuse.

LogicalUS : "30 million for the SF swamp mouse?"
Show me the passage, or shut up!

dalmatian847: "And here I thought Obama was smart.:
World according to Dalmation847( one of the stupidest dogs in the dog world)- anybody who has made a mistake is not smart; we are all STUPID!(except dalmation)

By far, my favorite: "That's what happens when it's Amateur Hour at the top." DONG!
Danforth said that. Obviously, to any one with a brain, who doesn't vote Republican, this one would win the prize for "best review from a different universe".

I am now listening to James Imhoff(R) okl on tv. Now there is someone who is probably a great candidate for Danforth.

Anybody pushing hybrids is out of their mind. Is just an expensive ($$ and environmentally) way to make the gasline engine a little more efficient by allowing it to operate in a narrow RPM range. Big deal. Outlaw these SUV monstrosities, and accomplish more. The real problem - greed.

If we go full force on these electric cars, how does one recharge it when parked on a neighborhood street or parking lot behind your building? Not all of us have garages to plug into!

You get up there in front of congress and the world and get every fact correct. He made one simple misstep and you're all over the guy. We didn't invent the automobile but we all can agree we perfected it and made it available for the "everyman"

Hey barkleyg, Obama made a mistake, plain and simple. Now that you've attacked all of those other posters, do you feel better?

current american automakers are done. junk is not profitable. Let's put the money into creating a new auto company. Let's make those darn electric cars or how about a solar car. Let's getr done! let make something that works and sells and people want. And stop all the wars. what's up with war?

I caught the comment as soon as he said it. This is why I think the history of the automobile matters. President Obama is a gifted and eloquent speaker, but just because he says something doesn't mean it's right. Some fact checker on the white house staff should have caught that and that line should have been tweaked. Not, "The nation that invented the automobile" but maybe the "the nation that made the automobile industry effective" (olds: first mass produced and ford the assembly line).,

this was his first important speech in front of congress and the nation and every word mattered. They should all be correct.

The Duryea brothers were Illinois natives. In collaboration with John Miller of Peoria, much of their work and research was done in that area.

A president who confuses history. That explains a lot.

BarleyG: " '30 million for the SF swamp mouse?"
Show me the passage, or shut up!'

I believe that's actually the 50 million earmar...allocation for "watershed rehabilitation" (there's also $30,000,000 for the purchase of floodplain easements ). The Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse will most likely be one of the beneficiaries, so if it was a stretch to say that this earmar...allocation was for the mouse, then please tell me which member of congress has never made a stretch to illustrate a point.

Can you imagine how the entire MSM would be aghast if Bush said something at all similarly wrong? You know the Germans make great stuff.

The car misstep is as funny as Jindals' magic "magnetic train" remark. The train doesn't exist and it is not in the stimulus. I also found it funny that he said the republicans went along with the big spending. Went along? Who was in charge when they "went" along with it?

Sharon D: "I believe that's actually the 50 million earmar...allocation for "watershed rehabilitation" (there's also $30,000,000 for the purchase of floodplain easements ). The Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse will most likely be one of the beneficiaries, so if it was a stretch to say that this earmar.."

Well then, on that stretch of thought, the Republicans were right to get rid of $200 million for contraception, because that would help only street hookers who need them, and not good little girls like Bristol, who KNOW abstinence is the only way for love, until married.

Oh, and Max Sherwood: I DON'T feel better, because there ARE so many people out there who don't seem to be living in the same world, and more importantly, the same country as me.

I'm sure this isn't the only bit of history Obama plans to re-write...

actually this is an ambiguous history at best. automobile is a vbroad term with many types and histories. obama was not incorrect any more than you are. read up on the full history of various vehicles and invetions as well as production thereof before you go promoting fact that doesnt exist.

Obama is one up on Al Gore, though. Sure, this is yet another embarrasing gaffe but at least he didn't claim to be the inventor of the automobile.

Educated, you're not very. Silva actually does a good job of summing up the history of the invention of the automobile. It's disputed alright. Disputed between France and Germany. The US wasn't even close. So, in all honesty, it's you who is "promoting fact that doesn't exist."

Why let the facts cloud the issue?

Posted by: Terry | February 25, 2009 8:55 AM

Here's a factually WRONG quote by your buddy President Bush:

"We know where the WMDs are".