DEALERGATE: Is this the biggest scandal of them all? *UPDATED*

Political scandals always have a theatrical quality to them:  They involve politicians, on the one hand, and insanely rich people or powerful organizations, on the other hand.  They’re not about ordinary people like you and me.  So, while we’re disgusted by the scandals, and draw negative conclusions about the players involved, we (a) don’t take it personally and (b) don’t worry that we’re next to be drawn into the scandal net.

This may all change if Doug Ross’s conclusions are correct with regard to those Chrysler dealerships that have been shut down recently.  As best as Doug can tell, it turns out that, with only one exception, every one of the terminated dealerships was a big Republican donor.  Go to Doug’s website and check it out.  The numbers are impressive.

CAVEAT:  Of course, the sample is only discontinued dealerships.  If it turns out that the vast majority of all dealers are Republicans, there’s no scandal.  In that case, it’s inevitable that the ones being shut down will be Republican donors.  (And thanks to Steve Schippert for raising this point.)  END CAVEAT

However, if Doug has read this right, I think this might be the biggest scandal yet.  You see, this isn’t movie stars in Lincoln’s bedroom; bimbos in the bathroom; “he said/she said” battles between the CIA and the Speaker; $90,000 in a politician’s freezer; or abstract payoffs to unions in favor of “big” creditors (never mind that the big creditors were investing little people’s money).  Instead, this is a political party using its clout to savage your neighbors and mine because, in our American two party system, these people had the temerity to give to the losing party.

In America, we’re used to the fact that the contributor who bets on the winning party gets favors.  It is a new and frightening thing in American politics if the contributor who bet on the losing party is singled out and punished by the loss of his livelihood.  Suddenly, we’re no longer in the theatrical realm of remote players on a far away stage.  This political scandal — DEALERGATE — is you and me.

I hope that this story, if it turns out to be more than just a very good hunch, gets wide play.  It’s a perfect insight into Chicago-style politics writ large.  It also reminds us that maybe Obama wasn’t just bloviating when he promised change.  It was simply the voters’ error to assume that the change would be good.

UPDATE:  Michelle Malkin also counsels caution until there are more available data points.  I have to admit to knowing very little about car dealers, but I am assured through email threads that, because they are very close to the actual marketplace, they tend to hew Republican.