The planned cavalcade of chrome fuel-efficient American vehicles from Detroit to DC is “a great idea,” according to GM spokesfolks, but neither the General nor Ford will officially participate in the stunt. Suppliers, dealers and the UAW will make up the bulk of the spectacle, although there’s still a chance that Chrysler’s Bob Nardelli could join in the fun. “The whole grassroots caravan to Washington, D.C., effort we think is a great idea,” said GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson. “It’s just not something we are in a position to sponsor or manage.” You know, like everything else. “As for our mode of transport, it can be safely assumed it will not be by company plane,” Wilkinson said. “For security reasons, we don’t normally comment on transportation of our senior executives. As the date for the hearings gets close, we may provide more details.” And we’ll be waiting with bated breath. The march on Washington is being organized by Dura CEO and Chairman Tim Leuliette, although the Freep gives a hat tip to Automotive News [sub] scribe Jason Vines for kinda, sorta coming up with the idea in a column published last Friday. PR man Vines’ advice? Organize the event on the internet and “arm everyone with a short list of facts so they can speak intelligently on camera, as too-often-lazy TV journalists like to find the fattest, dumbest protesters and get them to say something stupid or offensive on camera.” Is this why Red Ink Rick is being kept away?
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If Rick flies in by jet, he will NSFW himself AND GM. The emphasis on Wagoner’s “security needs” is also doing him no service. He’s the CEO of a car company, not a head of state. At least in reality.
It actually started on Cheers and Gears.
http://www.cheersandgears.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=26710&view=findpost&p=447300
Need a photo of Furthur.
Couple points:
Nardelli and company are the only ones who have pledged to do anything remotely looking like sacrifice – he said he would do the $1 a year salary, and Cerberus publicly, for the record, stated that they will not profit from the bailout when or if they sell Chrysler or spin it off as an IPO. You can be cynical about this but they are on the record. Alan and Rick? (crickets chirping).
“arm everyone with a short list of facts so they can speak intelligently on camera, as too-often-lazy TV journalists like to find the fattest, dumbest protesters and get them to say something stupid or offensive on camera.”
Ain’t that the truth.
It was a mistake for Chrysler to get rid of Vines.
OHHH hopefully I will see some of the same one dimensional self centered Michigan centric xenophobic delusional arguments I see posted on the Detroit News on a daily basis. Maybe they can further alienate the nation by equating GM with America and Toyota with asia, boldly claiming that domestic cars are every bit as reliable as foreign makes, while downplaying and denigrating southern autoworkers and southern auto plants.
“fuel efficient American vehicles”
You mean like Civics built in Indiana? Corollas built in California? Camrys built in Kentucky?
Ironically, it would be much more fuel efficient for them all to charter a commercial jet.
@RF
Oh you can’t be serious… he’s head of GM state.
Grassroots? C’mon, we’re not THAT stupid.
–chuck
The last thing the Big 3 need is some angry UAW workers throwing bricks through the endless Camry hybrid taxi cabs and Toyota Priuses covering the capital area on camera.
“…as too-often-lazy TV journalists like to find the fattest, dumbest protesters and get them to say something stupid or offensive on camera.”
Ain’t that the truth. Ditto for any person that calls into a radio show.
jgholt:
or anyone that has a blog?
jgholt:
The big difference in the TV “on the street interview” and the radio show is you have to call the radio show. They won’t call you. They don’t you’re out there. Sure some who call radio shows are frothing at the mouth loons, but it’s the call screeners job to decide if he wants to put them on the air or not. With TV they seek you out. And they know the crazier you are the more entertaining it will be on the broadcast.
Even on a blog such as this you have to be proactive and post. Even though you get some crazies to post the shear volume makes it easy to filter them out from more ‘normal’ opinions.
If Rick flies in by jet, he will NSFW himself AND GM. The emphasis on Wagoner’s “security needs” is also doing him no service. He’s the CEO of a car company, not a head of state. At least in reality.
Georges Besse
Oh boy….this might get gooooooood. Remember when GM posted-up those ‘Make Your Own GM Ad Videos’? During that ‘campaign’ so many anti-GM folks were able to just slay them with tongue-in-cheek ads that made some serious fun of GM and it all turned out to be a marketing and PR disaster on a royal scale.
Yeah buddy, the only thing ‘grassroots’ on this little caravan will be the protesters-they’ll be grassroots and if they get a voice and camera-time on the national news or blogs this will be a PR nightmare that will make them wish they had flown in on gold-plated jets instead of taking some potentially HUGE lumps on the ‘caravan’…This could get ugly in a hurry.
I can Imagine those CEO’s PA’s frantically trying to get in touch with Lexus for the ride to Washington.
If Wagoner flies to the hearings on Private jets, then GM will not get a dime. I expect that he will fly to Baltimore, get into the back of a Malibu hybrid, and drive the last hour into DC. Then he can claim he drove in a hybrid.