A Car Czar in Washington?

{
  "authors": [
    "David Rothkopf"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Economy"
  ]
}

In The Media

A Car Czar in Washington?

As lawmakers appears to be finalizing a bailout package for the automobile industry, experts disagree over the prudence of this bailout. Many believe that the government should stick to what it has historically done best—regulating and adjusting incentives to guide industry—rather than attempting to invest in and manage the auto industry.

By David Rothkopf

Published on Dec 10, 2008

Source: NPR's On Point

As lawmakers appear to be finalizing a bailout package for the automobile industry, experts disagree over the prudence of this bailout. On NPR’s On Point, David Rothkopf argued that the government should stick to what it has historically done best—regulating and adjusting incentives to guide industry—rather than attempting to invest in and manage the auto industry. He emphasized the fact that the government is not good at managing companies, and the current panicky atmosphere should not fool us into making another hasty mistake like the Wall Street bailout.

Moreover, giving the government a significant stake in the auto industry might create conflicts of interest with the energy reform goals of the next administration. The government’s ownership stake could make it slower to embrace a system-wide shift in energy policy and regulation, which would be a mistake in an era when this type of change is vital for protecting our climate, our national security, and our economic stability.

About the Author

David Rothkopf

Former Visiting Scholar

David Rothkopf was a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment as well as the former CEO and editor in chief of the FP Group.

Recent Work

In The Media
How Bush, Obama, and Trump Ended Pax Americana
- David Rothkopf
In The Media
A Bigger Clubhouse
- David Rothkopf

Political Reform Economy North America United States

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary
Strategic Europe
Trump Turns NATO into a Tool of Coercion
The full list of humiliations Europe has endured since Donald Trump returned to the White House makes for grim reading. But Washington’s adversarial approach to its allies undermines its own power base.
Rym Momtaz
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Taking the Pulse: Is it Worth it for Europeans to Placate Trump?
After spending much of 2025 trying to placate Donald Trump, some European leaders are starting to change posture. But is even a hostile Washington still so important to Europe that the U.S. president’s outbursts are worth putting up with?
Rym Momtaz, ed.
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Europeans Are Quiet Quitting the United States
European leaders have now not only lost faith in Donald Trump’s U.S. presidency, but also in America’s hegemony as a whole. But short-term challenges make an immediate divorce unwise.
Rym Momtaz
Article
EU Integration Without Ratification?
Countries face several hurdles in joining the EU, including the final stage of ratifying their accession treaties. Procedural reforms and substantive adjustments could help move the process forward.
Stefan Lehne
Commentary
Strategic Europe
There Is No Shortcut for Europe in Armenia
Europe has an interest in supporting Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan as he tries to make peace with neighbors and loosen ties with Russia. But it is depersonalized support in the long term, not quickfire flash, that will win the day.
Thomas de Waal

A Car Czar in Washington?

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Trump Turns NATO into a Tool of Coercion

The full list of humiliations Europe has endured since Donald Trump returned to the White House makes for grim reading. But Washington’s adversarial approach to its allies undermines its own power base.

Rym Momtaz

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Taking the Pulse: Is it Worth it for Europeans to Placate Trump?

After spending much of 2025 trying to placate Donald Trump, some European leaders are starting to change posture. But is even a hostile Washington still so important to Europe that the U.S. president’s outbursts are worth putting up with?

Rym Momtaz, ed.

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Europeans Are Quiet Quitting the United States

European leaders have now not only lost faith in Donald Trump’s U.S. presidency, but also in America’s hegemony as a whole. But short-term challenges make an immediate divorce unwise.

Rym Momtaz

Article

EU Integration Without Ratification?

Countries face several hurdles in joining the EU, including the final stage of ratifying their accession treaties. Procedural reforms and substantive adjustments could help move the process forward.

Stefan Lehne

Commentary

Strategic Europe

There Is No Shortcut for Europe in Armenia

Europe has an interest in supporting Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan as he tries to make peace with neighbors and loosen ties with Russia. But it is depersonalized support in the long term, not quickfire flash, that will win the day.

Thomas de Waal