Who is this asshole? "Caterpillar CEO Refutes Obama"

[Thickasabrick]

Feb. 12, 2009—

At a Caterpillar Inc. plant in Peoria, Ill., today, President Obama said that his proposed economic stimulus would allow the company's CEO to rehire recently laid-off employees. But the head of the company said he will have to fire more workers before he can rehire anyone who has been let go.

Obama has said twice in the past two days that Caterpillar CEO James Owens indicated his company would be able to rehire some of the 20,000 recently laid-off employees.

"Yesterday, Jim, the head of Caterpillar, said that if Congress passes our plan, this company will be able to rehire some of the folks who were just laid off," Obama said today in Peoria.

But when asked today if the stimulus could do that, Owens said, "I think, realistically, no. The honest reality is we're probably going to have more layoffs before we start hiring again."

Caterpillar announced last month that it will lose 20,000 jobs worldwide through layoffs and attrition, of which 15,000 had already occurred in 2008 or were in the process of happening. Caterpillar also reported that profits fell 32 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 as a result of sharply declining sales.

Four days after that Jan. 26 layoff announcement, Caterpillar said it would let go of an additional 2,110 Illinois-based employees, including 584 at the Peoria plant. Caterpillar has lowered its profit expectations for 2009 as the global economic woes dampen the demand for heavy equipment. The company is betting on $40 billion in sales for this year, which would be a 22 percent drop from 2008.

Owens also cautioned that even if a stimulus is passed within the next month, the effects will not be immediate and are more likely to impact construction activity at the end of 2009 or spring 2010.

Why would Obama say this? This guy was a friend of Bush so I think it's a setup.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=6866995&page=1

[Barack_America]

1. Jake Tapper. The asshole is Jake Tapper.

Who is pretending that Obama said that all of the laid-off workers would be rehired immediately.

Obama never said that. And now that the owner is saying something completely in-line with what Obama said, Tapper is branding this a "refutation", which it is not.

[Thickasabrick]

7. Wow, thank you. I though Tapper was one of the good ones....I guess

there aren't any. :(

[madfloridian]

10. No, not really.

He's pretty much a GOP guy.

[Radical Activist]

30. He's a stealth rush limbaugh.

he pretends to have credibility but he's merely more subtle about his agenda.

[Thrill]

2. Typical Jack Tapper

[tularetom]

3. Fuck him - the next big roaring yellow machine I buy will be from anybody BUT Caterpillar

[Thothmes]

11. Japanese, or something Chinese Made.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

18. You can get it cheap at Wal-Mart

Organized Labor invested close to half a Billion dollars, worked hundreds of thousands of man hours, (mainly on a volunteer basis) to elect President Obama and just as importantly, to gain Senate seats, and this is your response?

Thanks for your support.

[Thothmes]

25. Union Men go back to work

when people start buying the products they make. Until that point happens, it does not make a rats ass how many hours they volunteered for any candidate. People saying they are not going to buy an American made machine because they do not like the owner of the company is maybe one reason those employees are laid off.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

28. People saying they are not going to buy

American made machines because they do not like the owner of ONE company and decide to buy something "Japanese, or Chinese Made" is maybe another reason those employees are laid off.

http://search.globalspec.com/ProductFinder/FindProducts?query=construction%20equipment?frmtrk=dart&dartid=480713

Are you looking for a company with construction equipment in its name?

Building and Construction Equipment - (254 companies)
Building and construction equipment is used in a wide variety of construction projects. Product types include earth-moving equipment, cement mixers, elevators, and tower cranes. Learn more about Building and Construction Equipment

Earth Moving and Landscaping Equipment - (530 companies)
Earth moving and landscaping equipment is used to prepare construction sites, and to maintain developed property around industrial buildings, office parks, and commercial centers. Learn more about Earth Moving and Landscaping Equipment

Mass Finishing Equipment and Tumblers - (94 companies)
Mass finishing equipment uses loose abrasives or tumbling media combined with cleaning or polishing compounds to bulk-finish parts. Search by Specification | Learn more about Mass Finishing Equipment and Tumblers

Sprayers and Spray Coating Equipment - (239 companies)
Sprayers and spray coating equipment are used to apply or dispense coatings, paints, fluids, cleaners, chemicals, powders or other industrial materials. Search by Specification | Learn more about Sprayers and Spray Coating Equipment

Welding, Brazing and Soldering Equipment - (666 companies)
Welding machines and joining machines include all manner of devices used for welding, brazing and soldering. Search by Specification | Learn more about Welding, Brazing and Soldering Equipment

Industrial Filtration Equipment - (845 companies)
Industrial filtration equipment is used to filter, thicken or clarify a mixture of different elements. Search by Specification | Learn more about Industrial Filtration Equipment

Process Dryers - (457 companies)
Process dryers are used to remove liquids or moisture from bulk solids, powders, parts, continuous sheets or other liquids by evaporation or sublimation. Search by Specification | Learn more about Process Dryers

Spray Painting Equipment (Paint Sprayers) - (202 companies)
Spray painting equipment (paint sprayers) is used to apply coatings on discrete products or components. In most cases these devices atomize the liquid media before applying it. Search by Specification | Learn more about Spray Painting Equipment (Paint Sprayers)

Packaging Machinery - (1787 companies)
Packaging machinery is used to package products or components, including equipment that forms, fills, seals, wraps, cleans and packages at different levels of automation. Search by Specification | Learn more about Packaging Machinery

Wastewater Treatment Equipment - (99 companies)
Wastewater treatment equipment is used to treat, remediate, and process effluent wastewater. Learn more about Wastewater Treatment Equipment

Polymer Test Equipment - (24 companies)
Polymer test equipment includes melt flow indexers, extrusiometers, and other specialized instruments for determining the processability and properties of plastics and elastomer materials. Search by Specification | Learn more about Polymer Test Equipment

Carrying Cases and Equipment Cases - (258 companies)
Carrying cases and equipment cases protect contents from impact, shock, vibration, rain, and dust. Search by Specification | Learn more about Carrying Cases and Equipment Cases

Automation Equipment and System Integrators - (2151 companies)
Automation equipment and system integrators provide equipment and solutions for automating manufacturing processes. Search by Specification | Learn more about Automation Equipment and System Integrators

Crushers and Mills - (387 companies)
Crushers and mills are used to reduce chemicals, materials or other products to a desired particle or aggregate size range. Search by Specification | Learn more about Crushers and Mills

Asphalt Testing Equipment - (15 companies)
Asphalt test equipment includes specialized testers, instruments and devices for evaluating the properties of asphalt or other types of pavement materials. Learn more about Asphalt Testing Equipment


Next 15 results >

[Jackpine Radical]

27. I just bought a John Deere diesel last summer.

Great tractor. Not yellow, though. I don't have any yellow tractors. My other 2 tractors are red, American & more than 40 years old.

[notadmblnd]

4. yeah they're setting him up and trying to make him look like a fool.

I don't know how long it's going to take for Obama to figure out that you can't be nice to these pricks. Get their statements in writing, or invite them to make the statements publicly themselves. Else, don't repeat anything they tell you.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

16. I hate

to have to agree with you.

You can only extend a hand and get it bitten so many times before the doctor who is stitching up your hand explains to you that rabid dogs bite - that's what they do - they're rabid dogs.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

19. + 1 n/t

[rwheeler31]

5. These business people are such greedy creeps,they always

lie.

[OHdem10]

6. Not defending the CEO of Caterpillar, but he needs to sell those

big "dirt movers", you know machines. He probably is concerned
that the amount of money directed to Construction etc, is not
large enough. I read or heard this tonight someplace.

[BlooInBloo]

8. Someone who won't get a 2nd chance to betray, I'm thinking.

[NYC_SKP]

9. Everyone wants to jump on Catepillar when this is all about misreporting.

So much fucking unnecessary drama.

Focus MSM, focus.

And if they can't, then we need to focus, don't believe everything that's put out there...

[Thickasabrick]

12. If this is wrong then we need to jump on the comments over there -

it's like an Obama hate fest. If this Tapper guy made it up then we need to start writing letters to ABC.

[NYC_SKP]

20. We're seeing their true colors now that a dem is in.

Most of these idiots came the limelight post-Clinton.

Tapper, rawstory, politico, anything for ratings...

[Thickasabrick]

22. I hope you are right. Another article (almost identical) is on

Forbes. I really am starting to think he was set up. In the Forbes article it seemed like there was a direct conversation between Obama and Owens and when asked about the contradiction, Owens said something stupid like "nuances". I have been so frustrated lately because all that gets out there are republican talking points. I'm not a tinfoil hat person but I'm really starting to wonder.

[NYC_SKP]

24. So many snippets taken out of context, it's possible nobody was lying...

Yet those at ABC are happy to let a "journalist" declare all manner of deception, while there's really nothing to it.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

21. Posted this in the Labor forum yesterday

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=367x17333

Today, the chairman and CEO of Caterpillar said that if the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan passes, his company would be able to rehire some of those employees," said Obama. The president is scheduled to visit a Caterpillar plant in East Peoria, Illinois, on Thursday.

The Peoria Journal Star newspaper reported on Wednesday that Caterpillar Chairman Jim Owens would promise Obama on Thursday that his company would begin recalling laid-off employees if Congress passes an acceptable stimulus package.

Caterpillar declined to confirm the report, and the White House had no immediate comment on the source of Obama's information. (Editing by Brian Moss)


http://www.reuters.com/article/americasRegulatoryNews/idUSN1137890320090211

[Incitatus]

13. I wonder that the chances are that any rehires would get the same pay and benefits.

If they fire thousands of people before hiring again. They could start them at lower wages and with less/no benefits.

[deaniac21]

14. The President is going through some on the job training.

[Barack_America]

17. Perhaps. But the story here is the MSM taking liberties with the truth.

Which is nothing new.

[deaniac21]

23. perhaps

[orfannkyl]

15. interesting

interesting

[Joe Fields]

26. Isn't the Caterpillar plant in Peoria where they just had a massive spill

of several hundreds of thousands of gallons of used oil sludge, which wasn't reported on for quite some time?

[murielm99]

29. I thought that was in Des Plaines,

unless there was another oil spill we did not hear about.

Des Plaines is not near Peoria.

[exboyfil]

31. Since Cat is a major competitor

I guess I am not too upset about the CEO creating friction with the Obama administration. I was alarmed a little bit when I saw the Cat CEO had Obama's ear.

I am surprised that the CEO did not throw Obama a bone though. I think it shows how much trouble Cat is really in.

It appears that Cat has tried to share the pain throughout its organization. If people are not buying earthmoving equipment, then I am not sure what they can do. They did exit some markets that are still doing well awhile ago (of course those are probably going to go belly up soon as well). My company's focus sector is always a lagging indicator. I just hope my skills can be translated to wind power if necessary. Also I hope between buy outs etc that I may be still standing. The crazy thing is we are still hiring folks.

[Enthusiast]

32. The only good Republican is a

You know the rest. There are no GOOD Republicans! Obama better wake up.