Obama team mulls prepackaged bankruptcy for automakers

Bloomberg reports that President Elect Barack Obama's transition team is taking a hard look at the possibility of a prepackaged bankruptcy for the Detroit's troubled automakers.

In a prepackaged filing, companies like General Motors (NYSE: GM) would head to the bankruptcy court with agreements already worked out with the major constituencies: workers, suppliers and lenders. Going in with a plan could cut down on some of the fear and uncertainty surrounding the filing and cut down on the time it would take for the company to work its way through the courts.

It's good to see that Obama is taking a sane, realistic approach to an auto industry bailout. There has been concern that the new administration would be too generous in the terms -- and stones will fly if a GM workout is done with anything other than a bankruptcy filing. Bloomberg adds that "the president-elect earlier urged Congress to approve as much as $50 billion to save automakers, using the model of Chrysler's bailout in 1979."

Right: because that one worked so well that they're coming back 30 years later -- billions in excess compensation later. It's true that the Chrysler loan was paid back quickly, but it allowed the company to buy time and not really confront any of the long-term problems that have proven to be its undoing.

Hopefully Obama will listen to his more conservative advisors and push for the bankruptcy option. It's the only one that makes sense.
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