A couple weeks ago we linked to a story that told different versions of what the stimulus bill would do for hiring at Caterpillar–President Obama’s version vs. CEO Jim Owen’s version. To make a long story short, the president implied Cat would start rehiring the minute the stimulus bill was passed. Owens, later in the day told reporters that the construction economy would have to improve and machine orders pick up before the company could start rehiring.
At the time it seemed no more than a typical politician playing fast and loose with the facts and a CEO doing what they’re supposed to do–sticking rigorously to the facts. But at a Heritage Foundation briefing held Tuesday in Washington D.C., Peoria area congressman Aaron Schock told attendees that Owens later commented to him about the incident: “I was ambushed.”
Schock also noted that some 1,400 Caterpillar workers urged him to vote no on the stimulus bill and not a single person asked him to vote for it. Yet, as the article in the link above points out, “the three broadcast networks favored the pro stimulus voices by more than 2 to 1 over those critics.”
