Chrysler has a blog and on it they posted a digital copy of that stupid "thank you America" ad they spent $100k of your money running. The comments on the post speak convincingly about the depth of anger felt by the vast majority, probably 98%, of people on this subject as evidenced by what they are posting.
"Hey Crysler! You're not welcome. You took my hard earned tax dollars without congressional approval. This is not the time for a "thank you." This would be a good time for a refund...and an apology. "
"Bob Nardelli - thanking Americans for stealing their money is NOT something to boast about on your website."
"Obviously nothing has changed. Chrysler is still making stupid decisions by wasting its stolen taxpayer money on useless ads."
GM's Fastlane blog has a similar statement about the bridge loans but the comments are markedly more measured. I think this reflects a couple of factors, the first being that Fastlane is much more respected in the automotive world as a blog about cars on GM's site, whereas the Chrysler blog is simply a marketing exercise. The distinction is subtle because technically both are marketing tools but the Fastlane blog has substance that is conspicuously lacking in the Chrysler blog.
The second factor is likely the anger about the ad that Chrysler ran, which show further tone deafness about the displeasure that the American public feels about these bailouts. Chrysler also has two other problems, Cerberus and Bob Nardelli. The former being a private equity firm represents to many people a symbol for why our global economy is in the shitter to begin with, and the latter is a reviled man in many corners for his outrageous severance package at Home Depot and also because he's not a "car guy" so he is viewed as an interloper.
Chrysler would do well to shut down the blog at this point. There is no way the comments will turn positive and because they can't whitewash them away, the comments only serve to reinforce the negativity surrounding this company.
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