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Obama’s Auto Task Force Drive Imports

From the Detroit News:

Auto team drives imports

Fed task force has few new U.S. cars

David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — The vehicles owned by the Obama administration’s auto team could reflect one reason why Detroit’s Big Three automakers are in trouble: The list includes few new American cars.

Among the eight members named Friday to the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry and the 10 senior policy aides who will assist them in their work, two own American models. Add the Treasury Department’s special adviser to the task force and the total jumps to three.

The Detroit News reviewed public records to discover what many of the task force and staff members drove, but information was not available on all of the officials, and records for some states were not complete.

At least two task force members don’t own a car, and there are still two open slots on the 10-member panel that will be filled by the secretaries of labor and commerce, who have not yet been appointed.

The co-chairs of the task force — Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and White House National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers — both own foreign automobiles.

Geithner owns a 2008 Acura TSX, registered in New York. He once owned a 1999 Honda Accord and a 2002 Acura MDX, according to public records…

His maternal grandfather, Charles Moore, was a vice president at Ford Motor Co. from 1952-63, according to Peter Geithner, the secretary’s father. But Geithner wasn’t very interested in cars growing up — in part because he graduated from high school in Asia, his father said.

Summers owns a 1995 Mazda Protege that’s registered in Massachusetts. He previously owned a 1996 Ford Taurus GL.

What other task force members drive:

• Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey and a 2004 Volvo S60. He previously owned a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 1982 Datsun.

• Carol Browner, the White House climate czar, said earlier this month at the Washington Auto Show that she doesn’t own an automobile. Public records show she once owned a 1999 Saab 9-5 SE.

• Energy Secretary Steven Chu doesn’t own a car, his wife, Jean Fetter, said in a telephone interview on Sunday. Cabinet officials are typically transported to and from work by security officials in government vehicles.

• Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson owns a 2008 Toyota Prius and a Honda Odyssey minivan, she said Sunday. "It’s great," she said of her Prius…

Here’s what task force policy aides drive:

• Austan Goolsbee, staff director and chief economist for the White House Economic Recovery Advisory Board, owns a 2004 Toyota Highlander.

• Joan DeBoer, the chief of staff to LaHood, said in an interview Sunday she drives a 2008 Lexus RX 350. She doesn’t consider herself "a car buff" and views her car as a way to get around town.

• Heather Zichal, deputy director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change, owns a Volvo C30, according to public records and officials.

• Gene Sperling, counsel to the Treasury Secretary, owns a 2003 Lincoln LS, and previously owned a 1993 Saturn SL2.

• Edward B. Montgomery, senior adviser to the Labor Department, owns a 1991 Harley-Davidson and previously owned a 1990 Ford Taurus L station wagon, public records show.

• Lisa Heinzerling, senior climate policy counsel to the head of the EPA, owns a 1998 Subaru Legacy Outback station wagon, according to her husband.

• Diana Farrell, the deputy National Economic Council director, doesn’t own a vehicle. Her husband, Scott Pearson, owns a 1985 Peugeot 505 S.

• Dan Utech, senior adviser to the Energy Secretary, owns a 2003 Mini Cooper S two-door hatchback.

• Rick Wade, a senior adviser at the Commerce Department, owns a 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier and previously owned a 1998 Toyota Corolla.

• Jared Bernstein, Vice President Joe Biden’s chief economist, owns a 2005 Honda Odyssey.

The White House declined to comment…

Perhaps this is a small point. But, still, it says something about the people involved.

There seem to be quite a few SUVs and mini-vans and gas guzzlers on the list. And even some people who don’t even own cars:

Carol Browner, the White House climate czar, said earlier this month at the Washington Auto Show that she doesn’t own an automobile.

These are the people who are deciding our future, the way we will have to live.

 

This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Monday, February 23rd, 2009 at 12:00 am. You can leave a response.

11 Responses to “Obama’s Auto Task Force Drive Imports”

  1. Right of the People
    February 23, 2009 at 2:36 pm

    True liberal hypocrisy at work here, do what I say, not what I do. These are the people who will determine what cars GM and Chrysler will be building, not the demands of the marketplace.

    On a side note, now I understand Obamy’s relationship with Geithner from this line in the story: “But Geithner wasn’t very interested in cars growing up — in part because he graduated from high school in Asia, his father said.” Like two peas in a pod. Don’t we have any regular Americans in this administration?

    10-7

  2. proreason
    February 23, 2009 at 2:57 pm

    “These are the people who are deciding our future, the way we will have to live.”

    Kind of like The Moron’s cabinet taking complete control of the economy – without a single business person among them. Obamy has the business experience. He had a job on Wall Street for a few months. In his first self-indulgent autobiography he told us how he felt like “a spy in the eneny’s camp”.

    No wonder The Moron feels perfectly comfortable putting Gen Petreus in his place…”you handle the tactics. I’m responsible for the strategy.”. As I recollect Hitler’s interests, that’s another thing The Moron has in common with him. Of course, Hitler had been a corporal. Obamy’s experience is playing Risk in his dorm room with his Pakistani buddies.

  3. nascarnation
    February 23, 2009 at 8:39 pm

    Big city folks all. Transported to work in govt vehicles.
    They could care less what us folks in flyover country want to drive or need to drive.

    Sadly my state of Indiana voted for O’Bammy.

  4. jrmcdonald
    February 23, 2009 at 9:02 pm

    By the time Obama and the teamsters are done, the only ‘American’ made cars will say toyota on them

  5. 12 Gauge Rage
    February 23, 2009 at 9:42 pm

    Okay, I confess. I drive an import too. But only because Detroit keeps cranking out rotten cars off the assembly line. My two former cars would keep breaking down for every little thing. After numerous repairs and hundreds of dollars fixing my Ford and Chevy I got rid of them and bought a brand new Mazda. Except for routine maintenance I never had a problem out of the car. I had a lapse in judgment years later and bought another American car-a Ford Contour. Big mistake. It was a piece of junk. I traded it in and bought another Mazda and never had a problem with it. Until Mo-Town gets their act together I’ll never buy another car from them. Because when you boil it down, it’s my money and I want something reliable, regardless of who makes it. Methinks if you get rid of all those corrupt bastards running the Union Autoworkers you’ll probably get a better car product.

  6. AmericanIPA
    February 23, 2009 at 10:39 pm

    Laws and policy are written for us “masses”, not the brilliant, talented and ultra-intelligent ruling class. The worker bees in America should be able to ride their bikes to work like the Chinese bees, right?

    Wonder how much money the “climate czar” is pulling down? Shouldn’t there be a truth czar, racism czar, and opposition deletion czar too? Shouldn’t take too long now.

  7. Confucius
    February 24, 2009 at 11:25 am

    If my calculator is correct (you can never really trust solar ones), then:

    –25% of the auto task force members don’t own an auto, and
    –86% of the cars owned by the American task force aren’t American.

    Hmm.

    Is this diversity in action?

  8. GL0120
    February 24, 2009 at 7:55 pm

    C’mon, if I had the kind of money these people have, I’d drive an import too (Ferrari, Porsche…).
    They know what they’re going to do to the American Auto industry and they want to make sure they drive cars that will have parts and service available once they’re done.

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