What anti-auto policy?

October 30, 2000

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DETROIT — As of two weeks before election day, according to interviews conducted here Oct. 23-24, few voters in this key swing state knew much about the antagonism to the automobile that Vice President Al Gore expressed in his 1992 environmentalist manifesto,

“Earth In the
Balance,” and has repeated in subsequent remarks.

That is changing, however.

On Oct. 25, the Michigan Republican State Committee began running a TV ad featuring former Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca saying, “Al Gore’s extreme ideas about cars could cost a lot of Michigan families their jobs. Mr. Gore writes, we need to raise gas taxes, and the gasoline engine is a threat to our future and we should scrap it.”

At least twice in the past year, Gore has said of “Earth in the Balance,” “I stand by every word in that book.” Those words include the claim that automobiles pose a greater threat to the security of nations than “any military,” a plea for a “global program” to eliminate the internal combustion engine, and an attack on individual ownership of vehicles.

On pages 325-6, Gore writes:

“[I]t ought to be possible to establish a coordinated global program to accomplish the strategic goal of completely eliminating the internal combustion engine over, say, a twenty-five-year period.”

“Objectively, it makes little sense for each of us to burn up all the energy necessary to travel with several thousand pounds of metal wherever we go, but it is our failure to think strategically about transportation that has led to this absurd state of affairs.”

Even though this is Gore’s third run for nationwide office since publishing “Earth in the Balance,” union members and local GOP politicians in the Detroit suburbs interviewed by Human Events still said they were not familiar with these statements by the vice president.

Republican State Rep. Jennifer Faunce, whose district includes much of Macomb County, a working-class suburban area just north of Detroit, said that Gore’s environmentalism is “not big” among her constituents’ concerns and that she had “not seen” any Bush ads about the issue.

“Health care is a big issue,” she said. “This area has a lot of senior citizens. Property taxes are a big concern. The voucher issue has become a big issue. I find most people in this district oppose vouchers.” She said that if the election were held that day (Oct. 23), “Bush would win the district by a small margin.”

At a Bush rally held the same day at Immaculate Conception, a Ukrainian Catholic church in Warren, none of the speakers — including former President Bush, Gov. John Engler, Sen. Spence Abraham and State House Majority Leader Andrew Raczkowski — made the slightest reference to Gore’s attack on the automobile, even though the church is in a neighborhood where auto factories and assembly plants line the major roads.

Raczkowski, who has helped take the lead in attracting union members to support Michigan Republicans, told the crowd of about 175 that George W. Bush “is one individual who will unite us and lead us into the future.” He and the other speakers emphasized “restoring dignity and integrity to the White House.”

“I thought it was wonderful,” said Susan Licata Haroutunian after the rally. “The No. 1 issue is integrity. No. 2 is who he is and his approach to government.”

Haroutunian’s mother, retired schoolteacher Marian Licata, said, “I don’t think Gore has the integrity and same sense of governing.”

Al Benchich, president of United Auto Workers Local 909 in Warren, abruptly dismissed concerns about Gore’s position on the car. “We’ve had the internal combustion engine since the last century. Where is it written that cars have to have a gasoline engine?”

Said Ken Petkwitz, head of the local’s Community Action Program, when asked about Gore’s more radical statements, “We are dependent on a car. One way or another, it will be driven. We are too spoiled.”

Petkwitz and Benchich both said that Bush wants to make Michigan into “a right-to-work state” and that he was “hostile” to unions.

“Gore has said he will fight for a worker replacement law that will forbid companies from replacing their workers when they go on strike,” said Benchich. “Corporations have become too powerful,” he added. “We need to restrain them.”

And besides, he said, Republican vice-presidential nominee Dick Cheney “voted six times against the Chrysler bailout.”

The union local’s financial secretary, Jim Marcum, said he supports Libertarian Party nominee Harry Browne for president.

“I like his position on taxes,” said Marcum. “He says we shouldn’t have to pay the income tax. I like his position on government spending.”

Asked about Gore’s radical statements about automobiles, Marcum said, “The spin doctors have made that issue disappear.”

Petkwitz, Benchich and Marcum all work at the GM Powertrain Plant in Warren.

Petkwitz predicted that 75 percent of his fellow local members would vote for Gore. While Benchich predicted Gore would garner about 60 percent, Marcum, on the other hand, estimated a slight majority would go for Bush.

UAW members outside a legal services clinic in Wayne said that they had not seen ads about Gore’s anti-car position, nor did they intend to vote on that issue.

“People are not making a big deal of it,” said Jim Wilkowski. “If Gore wants to abolish the car, I think I would have heard about it. I don’t think the UAW would have endorsed him.”

Said Bill Wilkins, “Some guys grumble about it, but I don’t know anyone who’s not voting for Gore because of that.”

Republican State Sen. Dave Jaye, whose district is in Macomb, said he was “quite surprised” the Bush campaign had not put more emphasis on Gore’s radical writings against the car. “I’m surprised the media haven’t been emphasizing that more,” he said.

Republican State Sen. Mike Goschka, a member of the United Steel Workers, disagreed that the car issue was not having a major impact. But, he said, “I do think the Bush campaign could be more proactive in communicating Gore’s own words. But my district would go for Bush if the election were held today.” Goschka’s district includes all of Saginaw and Gratiot counties.