GOP Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was speaking to a group of auto parts makers in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday when he claimed that it was his actions that led to the revitalization of the auto industry, despite the fact that Romney opposed the auto industry bailout in 2008.
In his speech Romney said President Obama followed his lead in allowing General Motors and Chrysler to file for bankruptcy protection, however as the Associated Press points out, the methodology used by the Obama administration was vastly different than the plan Romney had suggested because Obama’s plan used the government bailout to secure smooth bankruptcy filings.
According to Romney:
“I pushed the idea of a managed bankruptcy. Finally, when that was done, and help was given, the companies got back on their feet. So I’ll take a lot of credit for the fact that this industry’s come back.”
Meanwhile voters in Michigan specifically in the auto industry still harbor plenty of negative feelings towards Mitt Romney and his staunch opposition to the industry bailout.
In commenting the Obama campaign said Romney’s comments were a “new low in dishonesty” while the administration urged him to have “the courage and integrity” to admit that he was wrong in opposing the auto bailout which in the end saved the industry from collapse.
The Obama administration continued:
“Mitt Romney may think he can fool the American people by hiding his belief that we should ‘let Detroit go bankrupt,’ but the American people won’t let him,” Obama campaign co-chair Ted Strickland said in a statement, referencing Romney’s Times editorial. “Mitt Romney seems to think Americans will just forget the past and his very vocal and clear opposition to the successful auto rescue.”
Next Romney will try to tell us that his health care plan in Massachusetts is nothing like ObamaCare.
Do you think Mitt Romney deserves any credit for turning around the auto industry?