DealerGate

More evidence comes in every day that the Chrysler dealerships chosen for closing were chosen based on their owners' political donations. The silent majority of the right is still slumbering, but the legal ramifications of these targeted closings can derail Obama's preferred bankruptcy outcome. We'll see.

Doug Ross, one of the most talented bloggers on our blogroll, has been leading this story with fantastic research and analysis. Others are contributing too - and Doug links to them in his posts.

Here is a sample of Doug's analysis in the Kansas City suburb of Lee's Summit. The dealership in the center that will remain open is owned by RLJ, the others owned by non-Obama supporters:

RLJ's owners "are Steve Landers (long-time car dealer, 4th-generation dealer), Thomas "Mack" McLarty (former Chief of Staff for President Clinton), and Robert Johnson (founder of Black Entertainment Television and co-owner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats)... McLarty campaigned for Obama in 2008, and Johnson has given countless amounts of money to Democrats over the years."

To date only one dealership whose owner contributed to Obama has shown up on the cut list. The owner gave $200 to the Obama campaign. Obviously not enough...

Here are Doug's posts so far:

May 25: RED ALERT: Did anti-Obama campaign contributions dictate which Chrysler dealers were shuttered?
May 27: Dealergate: Stats demonstrate that Chrysler Dealers likely shuttered on a partisan basis
May 28: Closing Chrysler's Dealerships: The Reader's Digest Version

Uncle Joe would be proud.

UPDATE 8:30pm: Doug's post from today: Dealergate: 40 Democrat-friendly Dealerships Become 42 After The Dust Settles; Their Competition Gutted As Well

UPDATE 6.1: More posts from May 31 that show it isn't just Obama supporters that are keeping their dealerships:
RED ALERT: Dealergate -- Quantitative Analysis Indicates Clinton Donors Rewarded By Selective Closings
Dealergate: Zero Hedge understated 'The Clinton Effect'