Lane's Top Ten Underdogs for 2009

I love a good "Top Ten" post... and I love underdogs.  So, what could be better than a Top Ten post about the Underdogs for the new year.  Wow, that even tosses in the "New Yew's Prediction Post". 

So, without further delay, here are my

Top Ten Underdogs for 2009

10.  General Motors.  They used to be the biggest corporation in the world... and now they are burning through BILLIONS of dollars a month with NO hope in sight for actually turning a profit again.  The have massive labor cost issues, an uphill battle with the economy, a dealer network that is about 5 times too large, and WAY too expensive.  They need a cheerleader... 

9.  Chrysler.  Ok, they aren't in as bad a shape as GM in the US... but they have almost no presence outside of the US.  They are owned by a company that might really want to NOT own them...  And they have the same challenges as GM... but fewer dealers.  The Challenger is seriously cool.  The plug-in Hybrid minivan won't be ready until probably 2010.  They need a cheerleader...

8.  Detroit.  Well, is it any shocker that the home of the American auto industry is in AT LEAST as much trouble as the hometown companies?  Of course it doesn't help when the Mayor gets his parole pulled...  It is a sad state of affairs when a house is over-priced by $20,000 when it is free.  Maybe Detroit would benefit from a reality TV show...

7.  The Mainstream Media.  How could they be an underdog when they control the story?  Well... they DON'T control the story, and whether we are talking about TV or newspapers, they are becoming less relevent as news organizations.  Look at the just completed Presidential Race.  How can anyone take their objectivity seriously when the vast majority of them were pulling for the same guy, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming to say anything negative about him.  They need some objective counsel...

6.  The Rich.  It is going to suck to be rich over the next few years.  Ok, it might not completely suck... but it may be less fun.  Taxes are going up, public acceptance will be going down.  Despite the fact that "the rich" are the ones that fuel jobs, Washington is looking to do a beatdown. They need a voice in DC... more of a voice than they get for their money now...

5.  Global Warming zealots.  Sure, you have Al Gore and Hollywood.  But, looking forward, there are bleak times coming.  Temps aren't doing what you said...  The hottest decade on record was the 1930s.  People keep finding mistakes in NASA's data... always showing that reality is actually cooler than NASA says.  When 2008 comes down as cooler than 2007... which was cooler than 2006, the pressure might kick up to show more than another computer model. Global Warming might get handed a "chill pill."

4.  Republicans.  Come on... admit it...  The GOP is hurting right now.  They lost complete control in DC... and I'm not talking about the election results.  They got their butts wiped there, too.  There are people that are saying out loud that there is NO way the Republican Party can come back from this.  Maybe...  Maybe not...  But they are certainly an underdog.  On the flip side, the last two office that were elected BOTH went to Republicans... there are a few voices in the punditry that think there might be some voter remorse after election day.  But the GOP is still a giant underdog.  And they need talk radio to cheer for them...

3.  Real Estate.  Could there be more of an underdog than the real estate market?  Why yes.. two actually.  But seriously, the vast majority of the country has had value deterioration over the last couple of years.  Agents are the favorite kicking post of the media and analysts... not to mention the bubble bloggers.  Our "representative" organization... the NAR... is a laughing stock and has about as much credibility as Milli Vanilli. Real estate is truly as much of an underdog as there is... almost.

2.  The Stock Market.  Ok, real estate went down... but the stock market TANKED.  And it isn't even doing much of a dead cat bounce.  Some people think it could go down MORE.  There simply isn't any confidence in the stock market... and no confidence means no money.  No money means prices pooping.  The stock market is also a leading indicator of the economy.  Usually the stock market is leading the economy by 6-9 months.  Right now, that doesn't bode well...  Can I get a booyah?

1.  Big Corporations.  It's hard to cheer for the big guys.  I mean REALLY hard.  They take OUR money (bailout) and don't want to even say how they are spending it.  (sidenote: Imagine walking into a bank and telling them you want a metric buttload of cash, and what you are going to do with it is NOE of their business..).  And as if the trillion friggin' dollars wasn't enough... there are some people in DC that think they need a couple more trillion friggin' dollars.  To top it off, the actions of many of these same companies have created an air of corporate mistrust... they were so bad that they can't even trust themselves anymore.  Talk about an underdog...  These are the guys that are seriously hard to love.