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Columnist: Al Gore should buy Chrysler Group

04/11/2007, 1:48 PM

By admin

Of all the possible Chrysler Group buyers — including General Motors, Kirk Kerkorian, and Magna — no one would be better suited to save the the troubled automaker (and the environment) than former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, says Michigan Live columnist Rick Haglund.

“It’s time for him to stop relying on the bully pulpit and the big screen, and put some skin in the game,” writes Haglund. “He should buy Chrysler, which parent DaimlerChrysler put up for sale in February, and make it the greenest automaker on the planet.”

Mr. Haglund argues Gore’s work as chairman of private equity firm Generation Management LLC is proof he could also oversee the much-needed financial restructuring of the Chrysler Group.

“Raising the cash should be a cinch,” writes Haglund. “Numerous eco-celebrity activists, such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Salma Hayek, who are probably getting tired of squeezing their butts into those little Toyota Prius hybrids on Oscar night, could likely be counted on as major investors.”

Analysts say Chrysler needs an owner that can make good with the UAW. “If anyone could do that, it’s probably Democrat Gore,” Haglund reckons.

[Read the full story: Gore should make a play for Chrysler - Rick Haglund]

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04/11, 1:52 PM

posted by:

lotusfire

wow.

04/11, 1:57 PM

posted by:

roadmaster96

I thought LLN was automotive news, not satire. If Chrysler cars would accelerate as fast as AL Gore talks you would have the World’s slowest car company.
As long as the LX/LY platform cars survive I don’t care what they do to the rest of the lineup when someone buys it. The Sebring’s profile started to grow on me though.

04/11, 2:00 PM

posted by:

nowei

Superficially, that seems like a good idea. But isn’t Gore doing more to affect change by hoping to influence people, and (theoretically) therefore, the laws that will ultimately do the most to impact climate change?

Furthermore, how much sense would it make for Gore to acquire Chrysler Group only to have to pay down its debts and completely revamp its product lineup and, therefore, manufacturing processes?

Honestly, if I were an investor circling around any of the big three right now, about the only thing I would be interested in would be acquiring naming rights. As far as I’m concerned, the brand recognition that the big three have are their biggest assets, and I don’t even know if that’s saying much.

04/11, 2:22 PM

posted by:

wetstuff

Even the media in Michigan is out of ideas. Shut Up and Play is a mimic, or creative theft, of Shut Up and Sing, said about the Dixie Chicks. Al Gore is somewhat more evolved than he was when he lost to Bush but still runs underclocked in a 24FPS world.

04/11, 2:24 PM

posted by:

RSPINAJR

This is actually a good idea…For him. I dont know how much Chrysler products would benefit from it. It really would be nice to see a politician put his money where his slow moving mouth is.

04/11, 2:27 PM

posted by:

Ricardo Head

LMAO. Call the fat-ass Gore on the carpet. Put up or shut up, Al! I love it. Stick it up Al’s “carbon-neutral,” methane-positive ass.
.
Al Gore is such a dip****. Remind’s me of the joke I heard in 1993 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of bumping off JFK:
…..Q) What does Clinton have now that JFK didn’t have until
……….just before the end of his presidency?
….A) Half a brain, and Gore on his back.
.
That’s one of the greatest political jokes ever.

04/11, 2:35 PM

posted by:

dalemf

That would be expecting a lot for an uber-liberal like Gore to put his money where his mouth is and actually do something, rather than just talk a big game and criticize others. He’s loaded and could probably afford it, and he is, afterall, smarter than everyone else. So come on Al, give it a shot. You and your fellow leftwing enviro nut jobs have always said how easy it would be to make more fuel-efficient cars, how the manufacturers are in bed with the oil companies, how they’re keeping the technology from the people that can save the planet. Buy the company and lead by example. If you can invent the internet, running a car company should be a piece of cake. Unless, of course, you’re too concerned that the pollution YOUR factories would produce would go beyond the ability of your phony Carbon Offset Credits to negate, or that you’d have to step out of the limelight of your new status as a “prophet” and have to start worrying about making a “profit”.

04/11, 2:36 PM

posted by:

lilcua

el gore like to smell his owen fart

04/11, 2:41 PM

posted by:

The Stig

The greenest automaker on the planet is an oxymoron if green isn’t about money.

04/11, 2:45 PM

posted by:

bolex

“el gore like to smell his owen fart”

what the hell?!…lol..kind of comment….anyways

Al Gore is a cool guy who i believe is really passionate about his goals….BUT to run Chrysler HELL NO. electric powered Hemi’s?! the whole lineup would be Prius’s with dodge logos. HELL NO…but Gore is cool tho’

04/11, 2:55 PM

posted by:

ArchAngel

“el gore like to smell his owen fart”
“what the hell?!…lol..kind of comment….anyways”

it’s from south park. ondescending environmentalist hybrid owners were shown to “like the smell of his own fart.” hilarious episode.

04/11, 3:03 PM

posted by:

Bush

gbb = non-adult

This would be very interesting if possible. Why not? Time to break out of the envelope. The same old BS creates more BS (GM).

04/11, 3:16 PM

posted by:

davebo

Probably not as easy as it sounds for Gore and a couple of environmentally conscious celebs to raise that kind of scratch. Just because someone wears a suit and tie doesn’t mean they have 5 billion dollars sitting around.

04/11, 3:17 PM

posted by:

bolex

“el gore like to smell his owen fart”
“what the hell?!…lol..kind of comment….anyways”

ArchAngel, thanks for clearing taht up . musta been funny coz i was sittin there like WTF? lol

04/11, 3:19 PM

posted by:

Sabon

“Numerous eco-celebrity activists, such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Salma Hayek, who are probably getting tired of squeezing their butts into those little Toyota Prius hybrids on Oscar night, could likely be counted on as major investors.”

I think Mr. Haglund needs to actually sit in a Prius and find out that either he has a really fat ass or Prii actually are a lot bigger than he thinks they are. They have a LOT more room than I thought too but I was very wrong.

04/11, 3:50 PM

posted by:

gumby

ok, there’s no way gore could save chrysler, Dodge and Jeep would be in the ****ter, chrysler is the ownly viable save, bye bye to the Ram, srt line, and especially the Viper, not to mention every jeep except that compass POS

04/11, 3:57 PM

posted by:

jackdev73

No! I dont want to have to stop buying Chrysler products! The man is a loon. I didnt vote for him and I wouldnt buy a car from him. Although he would make the perfect untrustworthy lying car salesman.

04/11, 3:58 PM

posted by:

golf4me

The only thing Gore will EVER be president of is the Flat Earth Society. That theory holds as much weight as human caused global warming. Hmmm I dunno, 25 years ago, when I was learning science, all the talk was about the coming ice age, as we were cooling then and supposedly WE were causing the cooling…wonder what happened to that?

04/11, 4:32 PM

posted by:

global_lightning

Ehh, the greenest automaker on the planet?
That would be Honda, followed by Toyota, who are building new factories in the USA even as the Big Three are closing plants. Let these dinosaurs die off after DECADES of lousy business decisions, designs, engineering, assembly, and service. There is no hope for Chrysler; it should have died off in the ’80s instead of getting bailed out by the government (ironic, given the topic…)

04/11, 4:35 PM

posted by:

swamprat

The only thing that Al Gore could build is a baloney sandwich.

04/11, 5:48 PM

posted by:

1c3d0g

No, he’d ruin the Hemi engine performance-wise. No, no, NO! Chrysler is still the best one out of the Big 3, and it should be handled carefully. Saying/suggesting crap like this does not help.

04/11, 5:49 PM

posted by:

jonmiles

Right on

04/11, 5:55 PM

posted by:

ottacontrol

alright if he did that then what would happen to all of our country’s rams, hemi’s and turbo diesals would they be running on like grapefruits? i dont beloive in running our beautiful automobiles on electric we need a alternate fuel source that will perform to the same standards as good old gasoline. like vegatable oil,ethonol otherwise all you will be hearing from the exaust is a pre recorded exust note.

04/11, 6:26 PM

posted by:

Captain Spadaro

Running an equity firm and running a car company are two very different things. I don’t think Gore would be able to handle it.

04/11, 6:49 PM

posted by:

F451

At this point, I say to let Chrysler die off too. GM said it is worth nothing; Kerkorian has come to the table with one of the better solutions; Haglund is simply pushing is own agenda. Maybe through all this Daimler really doesn’t want Chrysler to live, and is simply going through the motions to what will inevitably lead to the dead of Chrysler? There is nothing in Chrysler to be missed that isn’t already out—and done better—by another manufacturer. Also, why we are at, why not take Iacocca to trial for screwing the American taxpayer? Chrysler would have already been dead if were not for Iacocca.

04/11, 7:18 PM

posted by:

Hyperion

This isn’t a good idea.

04/11, 7:24 PM

posted by:

rey323

Although this would never happen it does give pause some interesting ideas though. Motor technology existentially hasn’t changed in a 100 years. Why hasn’t it changed? Well… we all know that. Yet that isn’t to say that there isn’t new technology available. Several examples include the Massive Yet Tiny engine, the mini cooper that has electric motors on each wheel to supplement a small gas engine, or the Li-ion tecnology used in Tesla’s all electric car… on and on there are so many alternatives out there. But those “extreme ” alternatives never get picked up because we are dominated by the huge automotive industry their relationship with the oil industry (for simplicity sake, lets ignore the unions, government, middle east)

If a bunch of environmentally conscientious investors really want to make an impact in changing why not buy an auto company to leverage their low costs of manufacturing, implement the new technology (whatever it is) and enact real change at an affordable price for everyone. Certainly not saying this is something that can be easily accomplished, far from it. But it would be an interesting venture to watch, for sure.

04/11, 8:00 PM

posted by:

Blakkarr

This is a joke right?

Al is a politician and environmentalist not a giga-bucks businessman. I could see him as an executive on the board of directors or some such but not buying the company.

That said, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Chrysler reborn and reset as a eco-friendly company… even if my father went and got a new 300C SRT8 yesterday.

Okay. Is this a joke?

04/11, 10:33 PM

posted by:

Shawn1982

Hahaha…

04/11, 11:57 PM

posted by:

Menace

Gore = hypocritical ignorant leftist asshole

04/12, 12:16 AM

posted by:

dpoleskier32

This is the stupidest idea ive ever heard! The fact is Gore hates cars.

04/12, 12:29 AM

posted by:

Menace

Hey, why doesn’t Gore hook up with Belinda Stronach now that she quit the politics cause she sucks (and also sucks politicians and Hockey players) and is now head of Magna for daddy war bucks. Oh, but then they may have kids and they’d all be retarded or idiots or democrats or God forbid, all of the above. I’m going to barf now…

04/12, 7:23 AM

posted by:

Get Real

Did I miss April Fools Day ????

04/12, 9:23 AM

posted by:

Piablo

It’s nice to know at least the majority of us feel the same way when it comes to Albert Gore.

04/12, 11:46 AM

posted by:

Impulsive

I’d hire him …. best salesman in the world.

04/12, 1:28 PM

posted by:

Shawn1982

So many Gore haters… He’s ok IMO but buying Chrysler is an ignorant idea.

04/12, 3:54 PM

posted by:

nowei

Politics aside, Dubya, Cheney, and Clinton are all as uncool as Al Gore. I suppose Cheney gets some points for shooting that dude in the face, but it still doesn’t make up for his uncanny resemblance to The Penguin, who is, incidentally, the lamest of all Batman villains.

04/12, 5:25 PM

posted by:

BMan1113VR

Bye Bye SRT anything.

04/12, 10:31 PM

posted by:

V-series

This isn’t car news at all. Put a homo democrat in charge of a major auto company, in an industry in which he has no experience… rediculous. Get some real news!

 
 
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