Romney Lays Out Auto Industry Recovery Plan
DETROIT, MICH. -- As he battles for undecided voters with John McCain and Mike Huckabee a day before the Michigan primary, Mitt Romney laid out an optimistic vision for the struggling domestic automobile industry.
"If I am president of this country, I will roll up my sleeves in the first 100 days I'm in office, and I will personally bring together industry, labor, congressional and state leaders," Romney said. "And together we will develop a plan to rebuild America's automotive leadership."
Speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, Romney proposed a five-fold increase in national investment in energy research, fuel technology, material science and automotive technology.
Over the past few days, Romney has tried to distinguish himself as the GOP candidate best able to turn around Michigan's bleak economy. Romney's strategy has been to highlight his experience in the business world, calling for a reexamination of existing and pending CAFÉ standards, and to counter John McCain's assertion that some of the jobs that have left the state are not coming back.
"We also have to stop Washington politicians from imposing enormous unilateral energy costs on American manufacturing, including automotive manufacturing," Romney said. "For example, the McCain-Lieberman bill pending in Congress unilaterally imposes new high energy costs on U.S. manufacturers with no safety valve. The Energy Information Agency estimated that this bill would raise electric rates by as much as 25 percent and gasoline by as much as 68 cents a gallon. And their estimate of the cost in U.S. jobs: 300,000 jobs."
Since his disappointing second-place finish in Iowa, Romney has refocused his campaign's message by highlighting pocketbook issues and by highlighting his background as a Washington outsider who can bring a businessman's perspective to national government.
"Innovation and change present the opportunity for transformation, and the burdens on American manufacturing are largely imposed by government," Romney said. " … Washington politicians look at Michigan and they see a rust belt, but the real rust is in Washington."