No credit? No problem. "We are working intensively with the auto finance companies to increase the flow of credit to both consumers and dealers," Obambsalesinchief pledged.
The salesinchief had promised car buyers everything but rich Corinthian leather seats -- and reporters leaving the Grand Foyer got in the spirit of the day. "Zero money down!" proposed one. "Will he throw in a few oil changes?" wondered another.
NBC's Chuck Todd, during White House press secretary Robert Gibbs's afternoon briefing, observed that "the salesinchief stood up there almost like an advertisement."
Gibbs responded by supplementing the salesinchief's pitch. "No person that goes out today to buy a Jeep -- which I love to drive, I used to have a Jeep -- if somebody wants to go buy a Jeep, they should not hesitate to do so, because that warranty will be insured. . . . If somebody wants to go buy, as the president said, the Motor Trend Car of the Year, they can go do that."
As the briefing went on, Gibbs tried to close the deal. "You know, Chevy Malibu was the 2008 Motor Trend Car of the Year or North American Car of the Year," he repeated. "I think it bears mentioning that, in the recent dependability study that was put out, you know, Buick was tied for first."
Too late, the salesinchief's press secretary tried to soften the sales pitch. "I don't want to turn this into an advertisement," he said. |
