This comes from the usually politics-free pages of AutoBlog:

The far right wing of the American political spectrum has begun channeling its displeasure over the federal government’s involvement in the restructuring of General Motors into calls for a boycott of the company’s products. Reportedly spearheaded by right wing pundits and radio show hosts, the boycott would be a response to the U.S. government taking a 60% stake in GM in exchange for forgiving most of the tens of billions of dollars loaned to the company over the last six months.

Reading through the comments is educational. I hadn’t realized that the only reason that someone might be opposed to “saving” GM was because that person would like to see the country and Obama fail regardless of the cost to the nation. Philosophical and pragmatic worries about government involvement in private industry are entirely beside the point. Patriotic folks who care about jobs and the economic health of the company are well advised to tow the party line--even if it isn’t their party and even if it defies their principles and beliefs about what our government’s role should be when faced with failing companies (even ones as big as General Motors).

As I’ve said before, I’m not much for boycotts. But I won’t buy a car from a company that is being run like British Leyland back in the seventies. I also believe that our government at least twice overstepped proper bounds in dealing with the collapsing General Motors and Chrysler--first when the bailout plan under the Bush administration and second with the Obama administration’s handling of both GM and Chrysler in their bankruptcies. We could take specific points of contention, but that would be sidling past the point: I’m not skeptical about these deals because of Obama or any latent hatred of working class folks, it’s because I think the plans and our government’s involvement is bad for the companies, bad for the nation, and will ultimately be bad for the products.

Which apparently makes me a member of the “far right wing.”

Read the rest. And, remember: “dissent is the highest form of patriotism” is so 2007.

Update: Lotsa fringe right-wingers out there:

Fifty-one percent (51%) of Americans nationwide say they are now more likely to buy a Ford since that company did not take any bailout funding. Only 12% are less likely to buy from Ford.

There is an interesting political twist to the attitudes about buying GM. Currently, among those who hold populist or Mainstream political views, 46% own a GM car. But just 15% of those in the Mainstream are Very Likely to buy their next car from GM.

That’s a hell of a lot of fringe, indeed. I saw a picture of my mom in her 60’s leather hippy gear and it didn’t have that much fringe.

It was close, though.