As a life-long car guy, the plight of the auto industry is painful to watch. I worked for General Motors for 20 years before leaving to try my luck elsewhere. My father and both of my brothers spent their entire working lives at General Motors. The economy in my area is still highly dependent on good paying jobs at area factories. The demise of GM would completely devastate this region of the country.
Many people have spoken out about the current crisis in the auto industry, including Mitt Romney. In an editorial in the New York Times, Romney argued for letting the Big 3 go through bankruptcy. That editorial will kill any chance he has of carrying Michigan in a future presidential bid. He angered those who know the industry best by not only placing blame in the wrong place, he got much of his argument wrong.
Romney argued that one important change the industry needs is to bring in top executives from outside the auto industry. Apparently, the presence of Alan Mulally at Ford and Robert Nardelli at Chrysler escaped his notice. Mulally came from Boeing and Nardelli from Home Depot. Those aren’t exactly car companies, Mr. Romney.