Bi-Partisan Stupidity

TW: Really not much to say about this bi-partisan pile of dung. One of the reasons the American auto industry is dying are massive legacy costs such as these. Republican Grassley IA is sponsoring the Senate bill, such stupidity. This is how nations decline, entrenched interests which stopped adding value years ago refuse to go away. Perhaps the Dems would pass this garbage by themselves but the Republicans being huge buddies with the dealers are right there at the trough with them on this one.

From the Detroit News:
A majority of House members have signed onto a bill to reverse the closing of 789 Chrysler dealerships and block General Motors Corp. from closing more than 1,300.
The Automobile Dealer Economic Rights Restoration Act of 2009, sponsored by Rep Daniel Maffei, D-N.Y., now has 221 cosponsors — a majority of the 435-member House.
Idiots.

This comes via Jim Manzi who explains pithily: "The practical effect would be to reverse or prevent the vast majority of dealer closings that were a key component of the auto restructuring plans. This seems only fair, as the dealers paid good money for these politicians."

This is a wholly nonideological porkfest, with 133 Democratic cosponsors and 88 Republican cosponsors. (So far.) Which just goes to show: under the right circumstances, bipartisanship isn't dead after all. David Broder should be thrilled.