In reporting a smaller-than-expected loss for the first quarter of 2009 Ford said that a government bailout is not likely needed. To quote Alan Mulally, the company’s CEO, “we do not expect to require a bridge loan from the U.S. government.” This reflects Ford’s optimism in its effort to remake itself as a leaner car company without government oversight.

People, with knowledge of Ford’s thinking, believe that they have a long term vision of forming a new global Big Three with the two largest car makers, Toyota Motor Corp. and Volkswagen AG.

Ford’s big concern is that an uncontrolled bankruptcy reorganization of GM and Chrysler could possibly take down their shared networks of suppliers and dealers. Another concern the company has, to avoid having to seek a federal handout, would be to accelerate restructuring efforts. A couple of the main issues would be dealing with the United Auto Workers union and a debt-reduction agreement with lenders.

Ford “is successfully differentiating itself from its wounded domestic competitors in operating and with consumers,” Efraim Levy, an auto analyst with Standard & Poor’s, wrote in a note Friday.

Excerpts from an article by Matthew Dolan in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal.

To quote Peter Morici, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Business and the former chief economist at the US International Trade Commission, “Clearly this company has had endemic problems and it’d be best if we broke it up and sold it off so others can run its parts.”

The Republicans let Wall Street run wild with their policy of less or no financial regulation. With all of the money that passes through Wall Street, there needs be more Federal oversight. However, certain Democrats, like Barney Frank – a leading Congressional Democrats who heads Financial Committees – pushed Freddie Mac and Fannie May to provide loans to the poor. He continued to defend the mortgage companies even as of the late summer of 2008, asserting that these companies had a solid financial future going forward. Boy, was he wrong. You can bet that Fannie and Freddie contributed heavily to the Congressman’s campaign.

Below is a video of Barney Frank being interviewed by Fox newscaster Bill O’Reilly outing Barney Frank for telling the public on television in the summer of 08 that both Freddie Mac and Fannie May had solid financial futures. Watch and determine for yourselves.