Did Obama Kill Pontiac ?

Growing up in the 'burbs, there was nothing more significant than turning 16 and having the ability to get one's learner's permit. My 16th birthday party took place down on the beach one evening, and one of the older girls was ribbing me about being ready to drive. Declaring that I was more than ready, this chick tossed me the keys to her car and said, "C'mon, birthday boy, I'll let ya drive me around the parking lot."

So we get to the lot and she points to her wheels - a deep red Pontiac Firebird, complete with the screaming "hood bird". So I put it into gear, hit the gas, and the 4.9 liter V8 came to life with a gutteral roar.

I fell in love that day (with the car, not the girl). In my mind, there was nothing like American Muscle - Firebirds, Cameros, Corvettes, Mustangs, and of course the Pontiac GTO. So how crushed was I to learn that my first hearthtrob is dead, and that my arch nemesis, one Barack Hussein Obama, was the likely culprit?

CNN, dated 4/24:

General Motors is preparing to announce that the Pontiac car brand, once marketed as GM's "Excitement division," will be killed off, according to a source familiar with the decision...

...Pontiac, which in 2008 was the third-best selling brand behind Chevrolet and GMC. That year the brand sold more than Cadillac and twice as many vehicles as Buick.

Any plans to return Pontiac to the heavy-horsepower days of the '70s ended as gas prices rose and Congress prepared stricter fuel economy rules for the industry.

So despite Pontiac selling more cars than both Caddy and Buick (see chart below), it's being eliminated because...traditional American Muscle does not fit into Barack's "Green America". So despite its popularity, GM is killing it off. But make no mistake - GM may be the trigger man, but it's Barack Obama Soprano that put out the hit, to eliminate a line that doesn't mesh with his ideological agenda, despite its sales strength and contributions to American automotive history.

2008 GM Vehicle Sales

Chevrolet: 1,801,131
GMC: 376,996
Pontiac: 267,348
Saturn: 188,004
Cadillac: 161,159
Buick: 137,197
Hummer: 27,485
Saab: 21,368

Total: 2,980,688

Good bye, my first love. We all have to go sometime, but to see you killed off for nothing more than political expediency is heartbreaking. There can be no vengance, alas, as the king's rule is absolute, but I will honor your memory by gunning the engine of my Jeep Liberty Renegade's oversized 210 horsepower 3.7liter v6 at every red light I hit today....