Mitt Romney on the Detroit Disaster
November 20, 2008 14 Comments
As each moment passes us three pillars of the American economy are perched on the brink of an economic abyss. If the cards are played right, then the American auto industry has a shot at weathering the economic storm that we are in. If the government plays the wrong cards then those pillars just might topple into the abyss with very little real hope to rebound. Yesterday the New York Times published a guest commentary authored by Mitt Romney. As I read it I was surprised to find that I agreed with a lot of what he had to say. Someone tell me has San Francisco been coated in a thick sheet of ice yet?
There has been a lot of finger pointing on both sides of the issue. There are some people that claim executive greed or incompetence is the culprits behind Detroit’s financial crisis. I have no doubt that greed has played a very minor part of the equation. Likewise incompetence is also going to be found to be a very small factor. And then there are those that want to point the finger at the UAW. Once again the UAW is most certainly a factor, but it is one among many. Instead of pointing fingers at each other, why don’t we point fingers at the real problems infesting the Big Three? Rather than playing the blame game, why don’t we point Detroit in the right direction so that they can once again return to profitability.
I don’t agree with Mitt Romney on much, but I must admit that this time I do. I encourage you to read his NY Times op-ed. He lays out an effective plan to return Detroit to its glory days. He pulls no punches and yet he is fair in this piece. And most importantly it makes sense.
Businessmen tend to understand business. Romney is exactly right.
I think more blame needs to be pointed at the U.A.W. as well as the execs that allowed such insane contracts to be signed.
Al – Thank you! Finally I’m happy to see you take off the blinders and find at least one redeeming quality of Mitt Romney. You don’t have to agree with him on much, but it’s good to see you take an objective look.
Al never had blinders on. No one here disputes Romney’s business experience.
Now, we humbly ask the Romney supporters to give Huckabee credit when it is due.
I may be confused, but this is Romney’s quote from the Michigan primary:
Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts whose father was president of American Motors in the 1950s and ’60s, insisted that the auto industry can be revived and blamed Congress and McCain for ignoring Michigan’s problems.
“The question is, where is Washington?” Romney said, speaking to a gaggle of reporters across from a General Motors transmission plant near Ypsilanti, Michigan, where 200 layoffs were announced last week. “Where does it stop? Is there a point at which someone says ‘enough’? Or are we going to allow the entire domestic automotive manufacturing industry to disappear?”
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/13/america/repubs.php
Did he once support government help for the auto industry? Flip, flop???????
Yep, that’s the bigoted comment I’ve come to expect on this blog.
He says in his opinion piece, “There’s nothing wrong with asking Washington for help.”
But this was a year ago that you’re citing, when Michigan was in a one-state recession, and the automakers were successful. Clearly, the need for a business model change is due. Things change with time and different environmental factors, you know.
Oh wait, you don’t because you and the mouth-breathing Huck supporters are still stuck in the ’50s. Yeah, do us a favor and stay there. Were you to take over now it would have frightening consequences.
So, it’s okay to bring up Huckabee’s Morman comment from a year ago. Just checking.
How is calling someone a flip-flopper bigoted???????????????????
Yep. Again, nothing has changed with regard to you all’s bigotry. Thanks for checking in, I can understand how feeble minds get confused.
Hmmm…….I just had a revelation for a new post. It came out of nowhere and I don’t know how it popped into my head, but the title will be ………BIGOT. It seems like a lot of people are confused by the term. I was once a high school English teacher awhile back but I may be a little rusty in how to teach vocabulary. I’ll dig out my text books tonight in order to shed some light on the word tomorrow.
I am not a bigot- I do not have a feeble mind… actually, I remember quite well Willard’s little time on WHO with Jan M and the hidden camera event.
Most of us have our reasons why we did not and would not support Romney past, present, and future. It has nothing to do with his religion.
Name calling is not a productive way to make a point. It seems rather grade school to me. In other words, immature.
We have candidates we chose to support because we have done our homework and keep up to date with the issues.
Al happened to make a post that put some positive light on something that Romney said and look where it got us?
Anon- good for you to support a candidate. Am sure Romney needs every one he can get.
Save your breath everybody. Some people are still a little sore over the fact that Romney, the fiscal conservative, supported the original bailout.
Anon,
I am sorry that it took me so long to respond to your comment. I have never had the “blinders” on. I originally a Romney supporter. That was until I did some research on the candidates.
I see that you have had a spirited discourse with some of authors and readers of this blog. Please tell, which comment that was made that is bigoted. Because evidently you and I have differing definitions of bigot.
Wow, when the discussion comes down to calling someone a bigot.. I think its time to stop. That usually means one or both parties involved have been defeated are simply looking for a way to make the other feel _guilty_.
Romney, Huckabee, whoever. They are all has beens.
Can we move on from the primary? The real problem was letting the media decide our candidate. They chose Huckabee and Romney for Iowa to get ratings but chose to campaign for McCain throughout the rest of the primary. It was quite evident of how the media and the Republican party was going to treat the primary when they excluded Ron Paul from some of the debates.
Let’s all get past the last primary and look towards 2012. We need to reform the Republican Party and it is going to take both ex-Romney, ex-Thompson, ex-Huckabee, ex-McBailout, ex-Paul, ex-whoever supporters to do it. Lets learn from the failure of this year and realize that becoming collectivist just like the Democrats is not the way the Party should move.