TSX69

Auto Team Drives Imports
Monday, February 23, 2009
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.

Geithner is the president's designee for purposes of enforcing loan agreements with GM and Chrysler and must approve or reject any proposed transactions by either company that would cost $100 million or more.

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.

• Vehicle information was not available for Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood or Christine Romer, head of the Council of Economic Advisers.

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.

President Barack Obama traded in his Chrysler 300C for a more fuel-efficient Ford Escape hybrid during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Joe Biden, the son of a car dealer, owns a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette -- a wedding present from his dad. He primarily commuted from Delaware to the Senate on Amtrak.

Ron Bloom, a special adviser to the Treasury Department who is also advising the task force, owns an aging Ford Taurus.

You can reach David Shepardson at dshepardson@detnews.com.

5o9

For whatever reason, economists drive Hondas, guess when you get to be a rich economist, you lose your mind and go acura

racecarbox616

So the Obama Administration is at fault for making the American car industry fail....right. I wonder if this writer is a Republican..

"The vehicles owned by the Obama administration's auto team could reflect one reason why Detroit's Big Three automakers are in trouble"

Why do they feel the need to blame 10 members of the Obama Admin. for the failing car industry?

Poor Consumer Appeal and Low Quality = 99.9% of the problem.
10 members of the Obama administration owing foreign cars = 0.0000001% of the problem.

Just another example of the misleading mass media in America.

LukeaTron

That article is quoted from the Detroit News. Don't forget your boulder of salt.

orlando

Geithner is my hero

mg7726

Detroit doing whatever it takes to stay afloat - even going for the low blow.

valeratj

CEO of Ford drives a Lexus. How much further does it go ???

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Honda and Toyota are well represented among that group. Guess when your job is pretty high stress, you want something that doesn't take much work to take care of.

moda_way

Great, so now we can be associated to tax cheats as well as old ladies. PERFECT!!

HI OFECR

Free market? When did retailers stop having to earn the consumers business?


WTF? Does anyone take responsibility anymore?

visuelz

It's not misleading. The writer means that since the Obama auto administration team mostly drives foreign cars, they would be bias against the Big 3. It's just like the jury at the court.

Sclass88

ZildJonKim

You never stop to amaze me at the retarded things you say.

visuelz

Care to back up the shit you talk? Otherwise, shut up.

wackura

No it says "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"

that's to say that when those people went out to buy a car that would do right by them and their families they didn't trust American makes, and that it reflects the larger ill will towards the big 3.

Even we drive non-big 3 cars, and we do so because we're not willing to suffer excessive depreciation and mechanical problems to do a favor for organizations that don't deserve them even if they are a feature our own economy.

wackura

It's pretty cool that the treasury secretary of all people drives a TSX. It's not like we got the education secretary after all. They probably drive a Saturn or something. Plus you know he could have afforded a much nicer car had he wanted; anyone who casualy neglects to pay the IRS $35,000 is likely has a lot of financial latitude.

JD23

It looks like most of these people own pretty bland cars. Lawrence Summers, the former Treasury Secretary and President of Harvard, owns a 95 Protege???

Anyway, after I saw the thread title, I was wondering whether it was appropriate to make the joke that most Acura owners must be unable to do their own taxes.

nbtx

Turbo Tax Geitner should be in prison for tax evasion - you would be had you done what he did. It's not who you know, it's who you ****.

wackura

No you would just pay a fine and back taxes with interest. It only looks like he somehow got out of the fine.

nj2pa2nc

then he became the treasury secretary-

nbtx

Well sort of ... If you commit fraud, the IRS rules are different. They can prosecute with no statute of limitations. He skated because he's connected.
A common peasant like you and me would be in prison now.

atltsx

Wouldn't the $35k Geithner skipped have paid at least for a TL? Agree with the comment that this article is more a reflection of what people are buying rather than big 3 bias.

cali4tsx

hahah good to know