DetN's Daniel Howes Gets One Wrong, Mostly

When Daniel Howes was a European correspondent, I had nothing but respect for his work. Since relocating to Detroit, my former main man has lost the fearless objectivity he displayed in his e-missive from across the pond. Lately, Howes’ column has blended piercing glimpses into the obvious, recaps of well-known events and a newfound ability to not say anything much. Today, like yesterday’s AutoExtremism, Danny finds his inner TTAC. Only one problem: “Jobs bank end won’t halt D.C. bias” channels Howes’ anger at Washington’s hypocritical bailout minders. Sigh. Moral relativism—those evil bankers got their money without a public humiliation and strings made of piano wire—may give hope to the hometown crowd, but it’s an old, moldy, shoddy shibboleth. Danny should know better. How many times does one have to say that two wrongs don’t make a right? I mean, he’s WAY off target. Again.

“The people writing the checks to those who gorged on easy money in a consumption-crazy economy reserve the right to hold whoever they want accountable even as they give others a pass.

“How do we know the dough (notwithstanding legitimate unemployment and food stamp benefits) will be well-spent? We don’t, which can’t so easily be said about automakers that have used the past few months refining—and making public—their plans for using taxpayer loans (not grants).”

Loans, my ass. We’ll never see that money again. Transparency, my ass. We still don’t know who really owns Chrysler, and I don’t hear The Detroit News clamoring for this information. And Chrysler’s public relations assault on their viability plan is insane: trucks for Nissan, Chinese imports, EVs, a tie-up with FIAT (or someone else, now, according to Jim Press), etc.

If there is a moral high ground here, none of the recipients of what Howes rightly calls “Bailout Nation” are on it. In fact, the ground belongs to the media, if they would but occupy it. It’s a shame that one of the journalists best qualified to seize that territory seems content to sip brandy with the generals while the guys in the trenches are looking at the business end of wholesale slaughter.