Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Michelle Obama to Host New GM CEO, Dem Donor Mary Barra at SOTU



Michelle Obama to Host New GM CEO, Dem Donor Mary Barra at SOTU
by Elizabeth Sheld 28 Jan 2014, 1:42 PM PDT
Bloomberg BusinessWeek is reporting that newly minted General Motors CEO Mary Barra, the first woman ever to captain an American automaker, will attend tonight's speech as a guest of Michelle Obama's:

Mary Barra, who took the reins as General Motors Co. chief executive officer less than two weeks ago, will attend tonight’s State of the Union address as a guest of First Lady Michelle Obama, the White House said.

Barra, the first female CEO of a global automaker, will join the first lady for President Barack Obama’s nationally televised address that’s scheduled to begin at about 9 p.m. in Washington, according to a White House news release.

In a brash exercise of tone deafness, the White House announced Barra's attendance at the President's annual address to Congress in a blog post yesterday. General Motors, majority owned by the United State Treasury until December 2013 after filing for bankruptcy in 2009, lost almost $11 billion in taxpayer money as the result of mismanagement after receiving a federal bailout spanning two presidential administrations.

Is this really the economic policy example the President wants to highlight during his address tonight? Why not showcase the Healthcare.gov development team, too?

Barra's predecessor at General Motors, Dan Akerson, said at a National Press Club event last December that, not only did GM lose that money, the company shouldn't pay back taxpayers lest it subject itself to shareholder lawsuits:

Asked whether GM should pay the difference between the amount the government provided the company and the return from the sale of the shares, Akerson said the "die was cast" by Treasury when it decided to take shares. For GM to make up for any shortfall could result in lawsuits from other shareholders.

Mary Barra, by contrast, is constantly surrounded by handlers, and she doesn't really give up much in terms of interviews.

Two large bodyguards and public relations handlers fended off the [media] throng that chased her to the Cadillac exhibit, where she did a television interview. During the pursuit, one cameraman tripped over a couch and another ran into a post.... Reporters who chase Barra aren't getting much of anything out of her. Barra's answers are carefully scripted. That's a stark contrast with the man she replaces. Dan Akerson was known for blunt, off-the-cuff comments about his company and his competitors.

Will she open up for the Washington press corps tonight? Or will she and the First Lady reinforce the image that neither GM nor the Obama administration care about real transparency, that both love their propaganda too much to be troubled by little people?

Also of interest, Mary Barra gave $1,000 to Michigan Congressman Gary Peters on 9/26/2013.

Mary T. Barra
Mary T. Barra is the CEO for General Motors, and a director at the General Dynamics Corporation.

Note: Sidley Austin LLP was the lobby firm for General Motors.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
R. Eden Martin is counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
David D. Hiller was a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Thomas A. Cole is a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Charles W. Douglas is a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
John H. Bryan is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a director at General Motors.
Robert S. Osborne was a group VP for General Motors, and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Ellen J. Kullman was a director at General Motors, and a member of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.
Penny S. Pritzker was a member of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, the national finance chair, fundraiser for the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign, a co-chair for the 2009 Barack Obama inaugural committee, a fundraiser, national co-chair for the 2012 Barack Obama presidential campaign, a contributor for the 2013 Barack Obama inaugural committee, the host for the Barack Obama fund-raising dinner, 7/2/2008, a Obama-Biden economic advisory team member, and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
William A. Osborn is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a director at the General Dynamics Corporation.
J. Christopher Reyes is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a director at the General Dynamics Corporation.
James S. Crown is a director at the General Dynamics Corporation, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Lester Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, was a director at the General Dynamics Corporation, and a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank), and the Committee for Economic Development.
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, and the co-chair, national finance council for Ready for Hillary.
Thomas R. Pickering was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), the chairman of review board that investigated the 2012 attack on U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya in 2013.
Michael G. Mullen was vice chairman of review board that investigated the 2012 attack on U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya in 2013, and is a director at General Motors.
Patricia F. Russo is a director at General Motors, and a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.
Donna S. Morea was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, and the EVP for the CGI Group Inc.
CGI Group Inc. was the Obamacare contractor that developed Healthcare.gov web site.
Obamacare is Barack Obama’s signature policy initiative.
Barbara G. Fast was a VP for the CGI Group Inc, a VP at the Boeing Company, and is a friend of Keith B. Alexander.
W. James McNerney Jr. is the chairman & president & CEO for the Boeing Company, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Keith B. Alexander is a friend of Barbara G. Fast, and a director at the National Security Agency (NSA).
Edward Snowden leaked information about the National Security Agency (NSA), and an employee at Booz Allen Hamilton.
Charles O. Rossotti is a director at Booz Allen Hamilton, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Booz Allen Hamilton is a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA), and a contractor for Obamacare.
Robert S. Osborne is the EVP & general counsel for Booz Allen Hamilton, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a group VP for General Motors.
Sidley Austin LLP was the lobby firm for General Motors.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Mary T. Barra is the CEO for General Motors, and a director at the General Dynamics Corporation.
General Dynamics Corporation is a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).






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