Paul Ryan Attacks Obama For Auto Plant That Closed When Bush Was President

Paul Ryan has his facts wrong, blaming President Obama for the closing of an auto plant that stopped producing GM vehicles in 2008.

Ryan blamed rising gas prices under Obama for the closing. He echoed the complaint in an interview with a local ABC affiliate, suggesting it showed that Obama’s auto rescue was a sham.

“It didn’t help Janesville,” he said. “They shut our plant down. It didn’t help Kenosha. I represent there; they shut down the Chrysler plant.”

Ryan claimed, “I remember President Obama visiting it when he was first running, saying he’ll keep that plant open.” But Obama did not make such a promise, and the last SUV rolled off the assembly line in December 2008.

Obama did speak at the plant in February 2008, and suggested that a government partnership with automakers could keep the plant open, but made no promises as Ryan suggested.

“I believe if our government is there to support you, and give you the assistance you need to re-tool and make this transition, that this plant will be here for another hundred years,” Obama said.

Ryan did vote for a bailout of GM and Chrysler LLC in December 2008, with no requirement that they file for bankruptcy, a plan that Mitt Romney opposed.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.