re: #336 soxfan4life

If Ford is able to remain solvent and competitive while 0bama is bailing out GM and Chrysler while also giving tax breaks to people to buy GM and Chrysler vehicles I’ll write in William Clay Ford for POTUS in 2012.

For what it’s worth, Chrysler’s bailouts are done - they’re in the hands of the bankruptcy court now, and all those billions that were tossed at them to keep them out of bankruptcy court are streaming through the sewers. Looks more and more likely that GM will be following them, with similar results. Finally, any incentives will be applied to all cars meeting the target fuel standards, not just those company’s products that have received Federal funds.

Still, between renegotiation of union contracts (including union pension funding), elimination of debt owed suppliers and paring down dealership networks to a reasonable size, Ford is going to be facing some very unbalanced competition. The family wants to retain control of the company, a desire that has kept it out of bankruptcy court and away from the government trough up to this point; it will be increasingly difficult for them to keep following that path, though, in a soft market flooded with excess competitor inventory.