Yoo hoo! 538.com and Keefus Olbermann: Congressional members of both parties react to Dealergate

Despite the mainstream media's best efforts at suppressing the scandalous and selective closings of Chrysler dealerships -- also known as Dealergate -- Congress is now involved in the debacle. The Democrat Party's public relations arms -- including 538.com, MSNBC, Media Mutters, and The Huffington Post -- organized a set of attacks on the "statistically noticeable" favoritism demonstrated by the selective closings.

Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) is outraged and expressed his anger on the House floor:

[Dealerships were] closed under questionable circumstances... the question remains: what is the criteria for closing these dealerships? The auto task force gang picks winners and losers, but they refuse to tell America how those decisions are made. Well, neither they or the administration are talking. The blissful silence makes us wonder what's going on.

It's not just Congressional Republicans complaining.

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer and Reps. Chris Van Hollen and Daniel Maffei have circulated this letter today ...


... to Obama expressing “growing concern” with the closures of GM and Chrysler dealerships across the country. The lawmakers say they’re asking for a “compelling justification as to how closing healthy dealerships will make the automakers more financially sound. The lawmakers are asking for lawmakers to sign this letter by 5p.m. today.

And a certain wise Latina woman might have observed that Hispanic-owned dealerships were closed at a far higher clip than those owned by African-Americans.

Dealergate looks real. It looks, in the words of Rep. Poe, "Nixonian".

And frequent commenter Troi Patterson could not be reached for comment at press time.

Update: Josh Painter has additional detail. And Autospies published a letter from an outraged Kentucky dealer.