Dissecting Detroit

Bill Kristol of the NYTimes wrote an intriguing op-ed piece today about disdain for the American auto industry on both the right and the left.

Kristol argues that political elites on both the right and the left seem to look down their noses at the auto industry because it is made up of largely blue collar workers. The right roots their disdain in the industry's contracts with the U.A.W., the left apparently can't get over the Big 3's environmental shortcomings.

There is no doubt a sense of contempt for the auto industry coming from all sides. I wonder though, is this disdain justified? What Bill Kristol doesn't mention in his piece is that the majority of regular, every day Americans also don't think the auto industry deserves a bail-out.

There is no doubt a longstanding and complicated tension between the upper crust of America and the working class. But could it be that the auto industry is no longer respected because they just missed the boat on so many levels? Does an industry that refused to innovate and stayed on the dock all these years really deserve a life preserver now that the dock is collapsing?

PS: It would be interesting to look back at history and see how the media was reporting the airline industry collapse of the 1970s...