Other Editorials

No Emmy for Rodeo Rick

Jim Dollinger
Sunday, April 9, 2006

On this morning's broadcast of Face the Nation, Mr. Wagoner did a decent job answering some very tough questions.(he's had plenty of practice lately on his whirlwind tour through every form of media). He gave credit to the unions for compromise, and stood fairly firm against bankruptcy (remember though he said he wasn't going to close Oldsmobile). He comes across as someone you would like to believe in. The trouble is that darn record of his. There needs to be some form of accountability for the current state of affairs at GM, and he is Captain of the Ship and President of the Line. It's just not right to continuously blame everyone (Roger, Zarrella) and everything (legacy, exchange rates) when really the biggest problem has been the loss of sales and market share. As Keith Crain of the Automotive News said, "If we just sold another million cars per year, these problems would all go away". Well Mr. Wagoner, you have repeatedly refused to listen to someone who understands how to get the job done. There must be a reason (I'll save the conspiracy theories), but regardless, you have failed on a scale unheard of in American business history. That is why this cowboy is out to have you lassoed.