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From Fox News:
It was clear from President Obama’s address to Congress on Tuesday that he’s a believer in the American automobile industry, but his grasp of automotive history suggests he could use a refresher course.
Obama said his administration won’t protect auto makers from their own bad practices but is committed to a retooled auto industry, saying, “I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it.”
The problem: The credit for internal combustion engines generally is given to German engineer, Karl Benz, who designed and built the world’s first practical automobile in 1885. A steam-powered car was invented in 1769 by French inventor Nicolas Cugnot. Americans, on the other hand, are given credit for the mass production of cars.
Nevertheless, Obama said millions of jobs and scores of communities depend on saving the industry. His administration is weighing the fate of General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC. The two have received more than $17 billion in federal loans and are seeking an additional $21.6 billion.
Both automakers have pressing needs. General Motors has said it could run out of money by the end of March and needs $2 billion next month and $2.6 billion in April to remain solvent.
Chrysler has requested an additional $5 billion in loans and wants the government to approve an alliance with Fiat SpA.
If this were Bush, people would be attacking his stupididty…
I can’t believe he is so stupid. Happy? I’m an equal opportunity name caller.
Ah squeak, you made my day.
I think when a president makes a dumb mistake, people’s reactions depend not only on the president but on the type of mistake and the context. When George Bush Sr., in an address to American Legion members, referred to September 7th as Pearl Harbor Day, it didn’t elicit much of a reaction, because he was a World War II veteran. But when Dan Quayle misspelled “potato” as “potatoe”, everyone made fun of him, because he already had a reputation as someone who was inexperienced.
Obviously Obama got this wrong though. America invented mass production of the automobile, but not the automobile itself.
Great. Your move.
To anon for this: “Americans” did not invent mass production of the automobile, Henry Ford did. And I am not sure he invented it, so much as he perfected it and decided to build an inexpensive car that could be sold in very high volumes.
nfgo2, I was aware that Henry Ford, and not the entire United States, was the first to manufacture the automobile using mass production techniques. I was just continuing the rhetoric conceit used by President Obama. But thanks for clarifying that point for others who may not have been aware of that.
My research indicates that Ford was indeed the first to apply these techniques to automobile production, though the techniques had already been usedin the production of other items. It was mass production that allowed Ford to manufacture automobiles cheaply and in large quantities.
And this historical mistake in his speech affects the value (or lack thereof) of his plan in what way?
The Wolf
Wolf, in no way. But if this pedantry causes his bogus plan to derail, then all the power to the pedants.
squeak: what???? english please 😛
English is what got you into this mess in the first place. Ask me for a simpler language, like txt.
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