The Detroit Free Press has a report on President Bush's visit to Michigan yesterday. A theme that seems to be running through the coverage is that the President and his administration do not understand what the automakers (and Michigan) are asking for. Gov. Granholm said that when she told Bush he should not lose sight of Michigan's auto industry while touting alternative energy technology, he responded: "I can't make your automakers profitable, but I can show them a better way." This is the message the President has been echoing apparently to remove any doubt that the Federal Government could provide a bailout). However, as Daniel Howes of the Detroit News so aptly put it:
Detroit doesn't need a full-scale government bailout -- and it hasn't asked for one, as you've acknowledged. But it would be helpful if the president and the White House were more engaged in the American-owned auto industry's effort to safeguard its future.

Chrysler Group spokesman Jason Vines says automakers are looking to level the playing field with foreign competitors who enjoy advantages from currency and the lack of costs for retirees. "We've shown we can compete, but when you're playing uphill, its that much more difficult."

Detroit Wonk's Ray Wertz is more blunt:
Are you basically saying that Michigan and the US automakers are on their own? Are you saying that these aren't your companies? Are you implying that these bastions of American ingenuity and know-how are no longer important to you?

The US may indeed make fundamental changes in the way we power our vehicles and economy as the President suggested in Milwaukee. What remains unclear (and unaddressed) is how we will work to address the monumental challenges faced by the auto industry and its workers. While the solution to those problems is unclear, blaming the victims and ignoring the problem is unlikely to help.

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