Political mileage
For Mitt Romney, son of the man said to have coined 'gas-guzzling dinosaur,' his stance on fuel economy could be crucial
 Mitt Romney sat in an AMC Rambler during a fund-raising event. His father, George Romney (left), was chairman of American Motors, and helped popularize the efficient Nash Rambler. Time magazine put him on the cover of its April 6, 1959, edition for a feature on small cars. (Grey Villet/ Time Life (Left); Matthew J. Lee/ Globe Staff/ File 2005) |
In 1950, a forward-looking Detroit auto executive named George Romney bucked the post-war trend toward big, flashy cars by introducing the pudgy Nash Rambler, which sipped gas by comparison and was considered America's first economy car.
"Who wants to have a gas-guzzling dinosaur in his garage?" said Romney, who touted the Rambler's success -- and campaigned in a customized model while running for governor of Michigan.
A half-century later, his son, Mitt, is poised to run for president at another watershed moment for the troubled American auto industry. And like his father, he must decide whether to challenge the Big Three automakers on fuel efficiency, a potentially potent political issue in his native Michigan in 2008.
With Michigan Republicans preparing for an important early presidential primary next year, Romney, like his rivals, faces a delicate decision: Does he advocate higher fuel economy standards to force automakers into making more efficient models, or does he stick with Detroit in supporting the status quo?
The pressure on the former Massachusetts governor and other candidates to pick a side promises to be intense.
Mounting concern over global warming, gas oline prices, and America's dependence on foreign oil is prompting growing calls for the US auto industry to do a better job producing vehicles -- such as hybrids -- that get high gas mileage. President Bush joined those calls in last week's State of the Union address, saying the government should require automakers to develop more efficient cars by raising so-called Corporate Average Fuel Economy -- or CAFE -- standards.
But the auto industry, which has substantial political clout in Michigan, says it is already making progress, and objects strongly to any government mandate to boost fuel economy.
The political stakes were outlined earlier this month in an unusual warning from a Detroit-area congressman, Joseph K. Knollenberg, who sent a shrewd letter to Romney and other White House hopefuls predicting severe political consequences if they pushed for an increase in CAFE standards. Higher standards, according to Knollenberg and the auto industry, would result in massive job cuts and plant closings.
"The blue-collar swing voters in communities like Sterling Heights, Michigan , and the pickup truck owners in Greenville, South Carolina , and Sioux Center, Iowa , may never forgive you," he wrote.
Romney, at least for now, is playing it safe on the issue. A spokesman said Romney opposes a CAFE standards increase on its own, but he left open the possibility that Romney would support an increase as part of a broader energy plan.
"Governor Romney believes it would be unwise to arbitrarily increase CAFE standards outside the context of a comprehensive solution to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," the spokesman, Kevin Madden, said in an e-mail.
Next week Romney might not get off that easy: He's slated to address a luncheon of the Detroit Economic Club, a group whose top sponsors include the three major American car makers,
Even Knollenberg, who has endorsed Romney, is making clear where his loyalties lie.
"It's God, country, auto industry, party -- in that order," said Knollenberg spokesman Trent Wisecup, a former political consultant for Romney. "We've got to fight for the hometown guys, and this is a critical time for them."
For any presidential hopeful looking to win in Michigan, some observers say, the subject is unavoidable.
"Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican candidate for president -- whether you're in a meeting in a [United Auto Workers] hall or with a chamber of commerce -- this is a question that is likely to come up," said Rich Studley, executive vice president of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. "And whether you're Governor Romney or Senator [Hillary] Clinton, you better have a pretty good answer."
There are growing calls to rein in the production of carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping gas emitted by cars that contributes to global warming. The government's National Climatic Data Center blames greenhouse gases in part for making 2006 the warmest year on record in the continental United States.
Even Senator Ted Stevens, Republican of Alaska, whose aggressive push for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has drawn fire from environmentalists, filed a bill in Congress earlier this month to raise CAFE standards on passenger cars from 27.5 to 40 miles per gallon by 2017. (Car standards have remained at 27.5 for almost two decades.)
But calls for greater curbs on auto emissions are intensifying at a time of retrenchment for automakers such as General Motors and Ford, which have been cutting jobs and closing factories to reposition themselves for the 21st century. On Thursday, Ford reported a loss of $12.7 billion in 2006, making it the worst year in company history.
"There's a great debate going on right now," said Gloria Bergquist, vice president for public affairs at the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "We're seeing it in Congress, we're seeing it in state capitals, and I'm sure we'll see it in the presidential campaign."
Some of Romney's prospective rivals for the GOP nomination have already outlined their positions. Senator John McCain of Arizona has been a long-time supporter of raising CAFE standards. Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas has opposed raising standards in the past but says he would consider a moderate increase if it didn't unduly harm the auto industry.
Romney has been vague on his position. When Bush raised standards for vans, pickups, and sport utility vehicles in 2005, Romney refused to say whether he agreed with the decision. At the same time, he's repeatedly called for more efficient cars.
"Dad was a man ahead of his time," Romney was quoted as saying at a campaign stop in Iowa last fall. "He also coined the term 'gas-guzzling dinosaurs.' That's what we're driving today and that's got to change."
Romney's administration did, in late 2005, disappoint automakers by adopting California's strict regulations on vehicle emissions, which General Motors said was "tantamount to regulating fuel economy." But people familiar with the decision say a 1990 statute, which effectively requires Massachusetts to follow California's lead, left Romney with little choice.
Not everyone agrees that Michigan voters would be paying close attention to the positions Romney and other candidates on fuel economy.
Marjorie Sarbaugh-Thompson, an associate professor of political science at Wayne State University in Detroit, said Knollenberg's threat shouldn't be taken that seriously. Most Michiganders, she said, would understand that higher CAFE standards might help save the auto industry by pushing it toward greater innovation.
"People are starting to realize that the new green economy is our salvation, and we have to embrace it," she said.
Scott Helman can be reached at shelman@globe.com. 
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
