In an amazing interview on Thursday afternoon, Glenn Beck consistently attempted to goad recently-promoted GM CEO Fritz Henderson into bashing the automaker's partners: the United Auto Workers and the federal government. Throughout the interview, Henderson sat there and gamely deflected Beck's rants and calmly explained how his company works.
From the start, after praising the company and proudly describing his ownership of a Saturn, Beck lashed into the government and the unions, telling Henderson:
"You're now in bed with the federal government... What kind of nasty K-car are we going to be getting in the future?"
Henderson talked down Beck, telling him that the government was not GM's master, saying that "we're appreciative of the support we've gotten from the administration, starting with financing. Frankly, we wouldn't have made it had we not received the support."
Granted, Henderson is smart enough not to knock his federal benefactors - he added that the government has not been meddling in the automaker's business, such as their advertising budget.
When Beck claimed that the unions are "strangling" GM, Henderson shot him down:
"They've been more part of the solution than the problem... yes, we have significant legacy costs that we're trying to address. Frankly, they're trying to help us address those issues at the same time... I view the unions are more part of the solution than the problem. Me personally."
All Beck could say in response was, "Wow, OK."
Watch Part 1:
Watch Part 2: