Eastwood and Obama: A fistful of bailouts

What’s it like to live in a country where state capitalism — rather than free-market, entrepreneurial capitalism — is ascendant? Well, it’s one where car commercials morph into reelection ads for the incumbent president. It’s clear Team Obama wants to make the bailout of the U.S. auto industry a big selling point to voters. (In Obamaland, American workers at U.S.-based factories of foreign automakers — like the 400,000 folks who work at plants, design centers, and dealership for Toyota, Honda and Nissan — don’t really count as being part of the U.S. auto industry.)

Here’s what the president said recently at the Washington Auto Show: “”When you look at all these cars, it is testimony to the outstanding work that’s been done by workers — American workers, American designers. The U.S. auto industry is back … And it’s good to remember that the fact that there were some folks who were willing to let this industry die. Because of folks coming together, we are now back in a place where we can compete with any car company in the world.”

Obama: “Because of folks coming together …”

Eastwood: “But we all pulled together …”

You get the picture.