Lee Iacocca endorses Romney

[LP2K12]

*Warning may cause nausea*

After a lifetime of voting for and supporting Democrats — and even declining appointment to the U.S. Senate from a Democratic governor — Lee Iacocca Thursday endorsed Republican Mitt Romney for president.

The blessings of the onetime Chrysler chairman are expected to help Romney in two highly competitive states: Pennsylvania, where the 88-year-old Iacocca was born and raised and is still widely respected, and in Michigan, where Iacocca rose to become a major figure in the auto industry and won international praise for cobbling together the government-backed loans that saved Chrysler in 1980.

What makes Iacocca’s endorsement of Romney particularly newsworthy is that, although he has long insisted he is an independent, the onetime auto titan has a history of supporting more Democrats than Republicans. He backed George W. Bush for president in 2000, but then backed John Kerry in 2004. Four years ago, he endorsed then-Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico for the Democratic nomination for president. In 1991, following the death of Sen. John Heinz (R-Ill.), Pennsylvania’s then-Democratic Gov. Bob Casey Sr. publicly voiced a desire to appoint Keystone State son Iacocca to fill the vacancy in the Senate. But Iacocca declined, and the appointment went to Democrat Harris Wofford.

Even more interesting about Iacocca lining up behind Romney is that, where the Republican nominee has been critical of the auto bailout, Iacocca told the Detroit News in 2010 that he supported the Obama administration’s plan to save General Motors and Chrysler. He did, however, say that the bailout plan cut out too many dealerships.

http://www.humanevents.com/2012/10/19/lee-iacocca-endorses-romney-for-president/

[DURHAM D]

1. No one cares. He is so last century.

and most voters have no clue who he is

[Happyhippychick]

2. Per DU rules you are only allowed to excerpt 4 paragraphs from a story. Please edit.

Thanks.

[LP2K12]

5. My apologies.

Fixed.

Didn't notice that. Still a strange rule. Seems like we'd want to avoid having to link to conservative sites when we can.

[Happyhippychick]

17. It saves DU from lawsuits (is my understanding). I just didn't want to get you or DU in trouble.

[JuveDem]

3. who is he ?

[lunatica]

7. He's the savior of the auto industry in pretty much the same way Obama is

Only he was the CEO, not a politician.

[skeewee08]

4. My hubby just asked me who

Lee Iacocca was ....hubby is 42 & life long union & democrat. Being from MI I know all about Iacocca

[lunatica]

6. Does he fucking have Dementia?

What else would explain his total loss of memory?!

Maybe he just has Romnesia.

[aletier_v]

8. not dementia. an invalid belief system

like jack welch, he is from a time and culture which are no longer relevant.

[sammytko]

9. Who?

[aletier_v]

10. from another time

Lee Iacocca is 88.
Clint Eastwood is 82.
Jack Welch is 76.
Mitt Romney is 65.

they're from another time, when the world was white people, inflation, production-constrained, analog. Now the world is brown, deflationary, income constrained and digital.

[Iggy]

11. Lee = SENILE DOOFUS

is this guy around 92 years old now?

gimme a break. he himself proceeded over at least one bailout of Chrysler by the fed gov't.

he apparently is suffering from long term memory loss as well as senility.

[John2]

12. Dinosaur

He is from the Reagan Era. That is what Mitt wants to return to. I heard his name but really didn't know anything about him. He had nothing to do with the U.S. Economy. The Policies of the Auto Industry, which got them in trouble were actually his Policies. So are we talking about helping the Industry get profits or jobs? I think the program about Sensata says it all. It is great that MS NBC informed us. CNN and FOX are running on goose chases in Libya. What Ed did last night was news. It shows you the true interests of CNN, owned by Ted Turner and FOX owned by Rupert Murdoch interests lay.

[aletier_v]

16. a function of biodiversity

when a species specializes and excels from an environmental niche, it rarely adapts well when that environment changes and their niche disappears. Iacocca, like Romney, are irrelevant precisely because they WERE so successful in the preceding epoche.

[LiberalElite]

13. Iacocca's full of caca n/t

[jsr]

14. Lee Iacocca is still alive?

[LTR]

15. Iaccoca's not living in reality

Wasn't it a Democratic Congress and President that bailed his ass out in the late 70s? If it wasn't for them, Chrysler would be long gone. Same with the most recent bailout.

If Romney was president then, with the Congress we have now, Iaccoca would have to find a new line of work.

As for getting rid of dealerships, that would have happened regardless, since the auto companies were paring down their brands anyway. As someone who once sold cars, even I thought there was too much overlap then, and a lot of really weak dealerships.

I think he's endorsing Romney because of his dad, who ran American Motors (which was later swallowed up by Chrysler). A fellow car guy. The old boys network.