by Frank James
Politico used President Barack Obama's crackdown on GM and Chrysler to take a look at the kind of cars senior members of the administration drive.
They found a lot of "foreign" cars.
An excerpt:
A survey of West Executive Drive, where White House staffers park, revealed only five American cars out of 23 --a Dodge Grand Caravan, two Ford Escapes, a Jeep Cherokee and a Cadillac.
The lot was sprinkled with BMWs, Mercedes, Hondas, Toyotas, Saabs, Audis, Volkswagens and a Volvo.
What the story fails to note is that BMW, Mercedes, Honda and Toyota all manufacture calls in the U.S. So some of those cars in its informal auto census might have been made in the U.S. by American workers. So maybe they're not so "foreign" after all.
It's hard to be jingoistic about cars since the industry is so global.
Still, it's fun to learn about the cars owned by Obama's top aides. Their car choices are fairly run of the mill, the kinds of choices you'd find in a lot of Americans' driveways.
Another excerpt:
Obama himself owns a Ford Escape Hybrid (apparently sitting in Chicago), according to his press secretary Robert Gibbs, who said he drives a gray Ford Escape.As for Obama's presidential task force on the auto industry, The Detroit News reported what many of them drive when the task force formed. The News said:
Timothy Geithner owns a 2008 Acura TSX and once owned a 1999 Honda Accord, as well as a 2002 Acura MDX.
Larry Summers owns a 1995 Mazda Protégé and previously owned a 1996 Ford Taurus GL.
Peter Orszag owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey and a 2004 Volvo S60, and he previously owned a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 1982 Datsun.
"Climate czar" Carol Browner has recently said she doesn't own an automobile, although she used to own a 1999 Saab 9-5 SE.
Energy's Steven Chu's wife told the Free Press that he doesn't own a car.
Comments
Some of the aids must be smart shoppers - foreign cars, better values.
But this brings back fresh memories of Obama hiring tax cheats
Posted by: Inky | March 31, 2009 12:14 PM
I really don't care what they drive, or whether they don't drive anymore (like me) and only take public transportation.
Indeed, it would not overstate matters to say, I could care less about who the aides are.
FDR's aides famously had a "passion for anonymity".
And perhaps that contributed to the fact that he was elected President 4 times.
Posted by: ornery | March 31, 2009 1:01 PM
In other words, the Obama people now running the American auto industry not only don't have any auto industry experience, they don't even drive US cars.
Those facts should trouble even the most rabid Obama supporter .....
Posted by: Pork Bill | March 31, 2009 1:35 PM
Ornery has a point - how copme everyone of BO's staffers aren't taking public transportation?
Posted by: Terry | March 31, 2009 9:14 PM
Who cares what they drive? If all American-made cars are the crappy pieces of s... I've owned recently, no wonder they are driving/owning foreign. What happened to pride in workmanship? Their unions have priced them out of this world and they no longer care what they produce. They are getting what they deserve.
Posted by: Reba Mc | June 7, 2009 7:33 PM