Peters Criticizes Mitt Romney's 'Throw in the Towel' Approach to Detroit Automakers

On the heels of news that Chrysler is adding 1,100 new jobs at Detroit’s Jefferson North Plant, U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, took the opportunity to remind Michigan residents of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s stance on the auto bailout.

“Had Mitt Romney been elected President in 2008, these jobs would never have been created. In November 2008 at the height of the recession, the future of Chrysler and all of its workers was uncertain. With thousands of local jobs hanging in the balance, Mitt Romney wrote an op-ed called ‘Let Detroit Go Bankrupt,’ ” Peters said in the statement released Friday.

In Romney's New York Times piece, published Nov. 18, 2008, the Bloomfield Hills native wrote, “If General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won’t go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed.”

In his press release, Peters said he is proud of his work with President Barack Obama to protect auto manufacturing jobs, saying Romney’s “throw in the towel” attitude was wrong.

How did you feel about the auto bailouts in 2008? Has your opinion changed in 2012? Tell us in the comments.