Bush nominates Ohio industrialist to be envoy to Germany

[cmd]

Timmy goes abroad. He resigned his directorship at Diebold in early July.

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-18/1121800514236940.xml&storylist=cleveland


WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush has nominated William Robert Timken Jr., an Ohio industrialist and influential Republican donor, to be the next U.S. ambassador to Germany, the White House announced Tuesday.

Timken, 66, serves as executive chairman of the board of the Canton, Ohio-based Timken Co., an alloy steel and bearings manufacturer. He assumed the post after retiring from day-to-day management of the company at the end of 2003.

He succeeds Daniel Coates, whose term ended earlier this year.

Timken, who must be confirmed by the Senate, helped raise funds for Bush's successful re-election campaign.


http://www.veteransforpeace.org/Diebolds_political_030504.htm
Diebold's Political Machine

O'Dell has defended his actions, telling the Cleveland Plain Dealer "I'm not doing anything wrong or complicated." But he also promised to lower his political profile and "try to be more sensitive." But the Diebold boss' partisan cards are squarely on the table. And, when it comes to the Diebold board room, O'Dell is hardly alone in his generous support of the GOP. One of the longest-serving Diebold directors is W.R. "Tim" Timken. Like O'Dell, Timken is a Republican loyalist and a major contributor to GOP candidates. Since 1991 the Timken Company and members of the Timken family have contributed more than a million dollars to the Republican Party and to GOP presidential candidates such as George W. Bush. Between 2000 and 2002 alone, Timken's Canton-based bearing and steel company gave more than $350,000 to Republican causes, while Timken himself gave more than $120,000. This year, he is one of George W. Bush's campaign Pioneers, and has already pulled in more than $350,000 for the president's reelection bid.

[xultar]

1. WTMUTHERFUCKER?

:nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke:
:nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke:
:nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke:
:nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke:
:nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke:
:nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke:
:nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke:

[Botany]

2. Brought out his employees for a bush rally .....

.... then laid 'em off 2 months later.

[mandomom]

4. This tidbit

needs to get big air time. It's like a template of Bushworld.
Use 'em with a smile and screw 'em royally when the photo op is over.
Can we locate a few hundred of those employees? Maybe they'll have something to say about the nominee. Something dignified, of course.

[Botany]

6. I am sure the Canton Repositry would have the story of the lay offs

although to * that would be a sign of strength.

[cmd]

8. Here is what is happening on that issue

The three bearing plants were to be closed unless the union made concessions.

http://www.ebearing.com/news2005/062201.htm
June 22, 2005
Steelworkers Reject Timken Contract Offer

Members of United Steelworkers of America Local 1123 have voted down the contract offer recently worked out with Timken. The agreement covers Timken's three troubled Canton-area bearing plants, the steel plant, and a small contingent remaining at a steel finishing and warehouse operation in Wooster.
• article: USWA and Timken reach Canton contract agreement
( includes history and background )
Contract negotiations reopened 18 months early, in May 2004, after Timken announced it would be closing the three Canton-area bearing plants as no longer competitive within Timken's worldwide array of manufacturing operations. The three Canton-area plants are Canton Industrial Bearing, Gambrinus Industrial Bearing, and Gambrinus Roller Bearing.
USWA leadership professed to be at a loss as to why the proposed four-year contract, which union leaders endorsed unanimously, went down to defeat -- 1,129 for vs. 895 against, out of approximately 2,800 eligible to vote.
(snip)
With more than three months left on the existing contract, no one is expecting Timken or the USWA will face any real problems getting the agreement ratified as the expiration date draws nearer.
eBearing heard from several Timken employees who said they felt the company's health care and pension offers were below par, but the financial side -- 3% raises each year over the life of the contract, and maintaining the COLA -- was in many ways more than they had come to expect.
There were some grumblings about job security provisions for the bearing plants not being part of the steel plant package -- bearing plant workers could transfer to an opening in steel, maintaining full seniority -- but most complaints centered around the health insurance package.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. Makes me wonder if it's Olson for SC - they flaunt their stolen elections.

[DeepModem Mom]

9. And Roberts, according to CNN, did have a major role in the FL recount. nt

[clydefrand]

5. Pay back time, eh?

[Cassandra]

7. Does he need to skip town?

Is he involved in Coingate or anything else?

[OzarkDem]

10. Not yet

But they're just starting to scratch the surface. Who knows what evil he'll be up to in Germany.

[leesa]

11. Steal an election...get an Ambassadorship! Let's put this guy in jail.

[VegasWolf]

12. Jail, Leesa, this is capitalism in its finest hour! Actually, we probably

do the same thing too.

[Supersedeas]

17. Quid pro quo

[Algorem]

13. Blatant!

[Algorem]

14. REALLY blatant!

[Hav]

15. .

I heard he speaks no German at all(not a single word according to the news) and has no experience as an ambassador.
So all in all, a good choice I guess.

[Kellanved]

16. yup

Truth be told: he can't do much worse than his precedessor. Coats already was a superlative in incompetence.

It is a month old, but a pretty gut article about the Timken-thing:

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,362387,00.html