Shift in Power May Be Big Gain for Detroit Automakers

Washington DC November 9, 2006; The AIADA newsletter reported that Michigan Democrats vow to put Detroit automaker issues front and center after a huge victory in Tuesday's mid-term elections.

According to a report in The Detroit News, the Michigan delegation is sending a letter to executives at the Detroit automakers seeking a joint meeting and trade is expected be a focal point.

This to follow the long-waited and highly anticipated meeting between President Bush and Detroit executives Rick Wagoner, Tom LaSorda and Alan Mulally, scheduled for next Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at the White House.

The discussion is likely to focus on health care, currency, alternative fuels and the future of the industry. Executives are expected to ask for help with burgeoning health care costs and request more government incentives for the research and development of alternative fuel vehicles.

Over the past two years, Detroit automakers haven't gotten much traction with the Bush administration or Congress. Their biggest legislative victories were beating back an initial pension reform proposal and stopping a proposal to increase fuel economy standards for passenger cars.

While more attention is expected to be paid to Detroit concerns; on the flip side, liberal Democrats will likely push anew for a stiff increase in Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for passenger cars and proposals to regulate carbon dioxide emissions linked to global warming.

Already, several prominent Senate and House Democrats have introduced bills to raise gas mileage requirements by 40 percent or face extinction.

California's Attorney General sued the largest six automakers on behalf of citizens of the state in September, claiming autos were harming residents and destroying the environment. The next speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi of California, has supported those efforts.