Yeah, who would think that the administration might be on the road towards nationalization? I mean, it’s not like Uncle Sam is so micromanaging Chrysler that it’s setting advertising policy. Oh, wait.

Chrysler wanted to spend $134 million in advertising over the nine weeks it’s expected to be in bankruptcy — the U.S. Treasury’s auto-industry task force gave it half that.

So if GM, which is wrestling with the possibility of a Chapter 11 filing itself, is wondering how much influence the task force will have over marketing, the answer is: plenty. However, transcripts from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Southern District of New York, where the Chrysler case is being heard, proved for the first time that the task force at least understands that advertising is a necessary expense — even if it doesn’t think Chrysler needs $134 million for nine weeks of car ads.

Robert Manzo, executive director of Capstone Advisory Group and a consultant to Chrysler, testified at a May 4 hearing that the task force “believed that it was not feasible to not spend anything on marketing and advertising for fear of eroding the image of the brand,” during the company’s planned nine weeks in bankruptcy. However, Mr. Manzo also testified that this “hotly discussed” matter resulted in the task force basically slashing in half the amount Chrysler wanted for advertising in the period.

Bunch of fucking idiots running the insane asylum. Does it occur to any of them that GM and Chrysler will only recover when people start buying cars again? And that sales will only improve if you, I don’t know, advertise? Companies don’t throw money at the marketing department because they have nothing else to do on a Tuesday afternoon. It’s a necessary function of a business trying to actually sell crap and make money.

It’s so comforting to know that a bunch of morons who’ve never managed a lemonade stand are trying to recover American automakers. First order of business? Eliminating any advertising and making sure consumers forget they even exist. Brilliant!

I’ll be in my bunker…