Pundits Unfairly Target American Automakers

[regfootball]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...opinion/columns

great article

[longtooth]

My eyes are watering from the wealth of great articles out there right now. I'm saving this one for later. Thanks for digging it up.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

EXCELLENT READ!

[CARBIZ]

Good read. It's sad that it may take bankruptcy to get some of the fat, jaded press off their asses to start looking beyond the headlines and do some real reporting.

[Intrepidation]

Another excellent article.

[G. David Felt]

Nice to finally see TRUE non-Bias reporting.

[thegriffon]

Probably deserves a new topi8c, but relates to this thread:

Polls and the U.S. Auto Industry

Washington /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The intense debate undey about the future of the American auto industry has generated a lot of discussion about the public's attitudes.

“Right now, the American people are justifiably very concerned about the state of our economy and an overriding fear for their futures,” said pollster Peter D. Hart. “Polls I conducted in mid-November showed deep concerns about the harmful impacts of the collapse of the U.S. auto industry,” said Hart.

* 90% fear the harm it would do to America's manufacturing sector

* 84% of Americans say it would harm the U.S. economy

* 70% fear the harm it would do to America's standing in the world

* 68% worry about the lack of consumer choice for America's car buyers.

Some pundits have been citing polls by CNN that indicate that a majority of Americans do not favor “a program that would provide them with several billion dollars in assistance.” CNN does responsible and good polling. However, the question which is being touted on the financial loan assistance for the auto industry is not a good evaluation of public opinion or public sentiments.

Their question reads as follows: “QUESTION: The major U.S. auto companies have asked the government for a program that would provide them with several billion dollars in assistance. The auto companies say they may go into bankruptcy without that assistance. Based on what you have read or heard, do you favor or oppose this program?”

The basic flaw with the question is that the respondent must know the program. They don't, so it is difficult to assume these respondents voicing an opinion are really talking about the legislation or program the congress is voting on.

There is a much more significant finding in this same CNN survey which has not been highly noted nor much discussed. Fully, 15% of the American public — or roughly 18 million households — tell the CNN pollsters that the auto industry going out of business “would immediately affect their families. Additionally, 77% of Americans say that auto bankruptcy would affect them and their families, if not now, sometime in the future it would affect them immediately.”

“This means that one out of six households would have a ‘goodbye and good luck’ sign put on their house. That is 18 million households directly affected. This would be the same as having a dozen Katrinas hit from coast to coast,” said Hart.

Peter Hart stated: “The bottom line is pretty simple — the American public does not want the housing industry to fail, the banks to fail, and they certainly do not want the auto industry to fail. This survey has merit, but the figure that counts most is the one that tells us that 3 in 4 Americans say they will be affected and 18 million American households will be affected immediately.”

Peter D. Hart is the founder of Peter D. Hart Research. He has co-directed the NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll for the last 20 years. His firm has conducted research for hundreds of corporations, government agencies, non-profits, including the automotive industry.

Source: Peter D. Hart Research

Edited December 5, 2008 by thegriffon

[Camino LS6]

After that, no one can tell me that the press doesn't have an agenda!

[A Horse With No Name]

Excellent article...

Chris/66

[regfootball]

After that, no one can tell me that the press doesn't have an agenda!

you make more money and create more worth for yourself off of reporting failures than you do off reporting good things.

[GXT]

Good. It is about time that US citizens started being rightly blamed for the mess that the big three are in. Intentionally cheap gas and lack of universal healthcare have put the big three at an unfair disadvantage.

What could possibly be done about this? First we will blame the media; that has ALWAYS worked in the past. Very productive. Second, how about the US goes further into debt to prop up a company or two that are going to fail anyways?

Once that is done the US will be in the enviable position of having more debt and not solved the problem.

Mission accomplished.

[Robert Hall]

Detroit News article from today..

Detroit News

[GXT]

After that, no one can tell me that the press doesn't have an agenda!

It is interesting that the author questions the CNN poll's use/accuracy based on a potential lack of an understanding by those being polled and then proceeds to make conclusions based on a poll with the very same issues.

And what is this sentence all about??

"Additionally, 77% of Americans say that auto bankruptcy would affect them and their families, if not now, sometime in the future it would affect them immediately.”

[balthazar]

Why is that dated 11-20?

>>"I don't mean the fine technical points of product plans, quality, fuel efficiency, market share, financial reports and brand image -- or lack thereof. That story we know, especially here, in all its excruciating detail."<<

ORly ?? Congress apparently doesn't, nor does most of the corporate media.

>>"politicians straining to understand the car business"<<

Ahhh; there we go.

Article rehashes the obvious, gives no news, and continues to repeat generalities as facts. Still part of the problem.