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Toyota: Dems 'not industry friendly'
Politico ^ | February 21, 2010 | By JAKE SHERMAN

Posted on 02/21/2010 4:31:28 PM PST by Jet Jaguar

Internal Toyota documents derided the Obama administration and Democratic Congress as “activist” and “not industry friendly," a revelation that comes days before the giant automaker's top executives testify on Capitol Hill amid a giant recall.

According to a presentation obtained under subpoena by the House Oversight and Government Relations committee, Toyota referred to the “changing political environment” as one of its main challenges and anticipated a "more challenging regulatory" environment under the Obama administration's purview.

This document, in addition to piles of other records, will be front and center this week as the Japanese automaker girds to face lawmakers hungry for answers about a recall that has the company teetering.

Upwards of 8 million cars have been recalled in the U.S. and worldwide, amid reports of Toyota's vehicles accelerating rapidly. The problems have turned political, as the company has shuttered some American factories, potentially resulting in layoffs.

The oversight committee, which is led by Democrat Ed Towns of New York and Republican Darrell Issa of California, will seek to discover if Toyota was forthright in disclosing problems with rapid acceleration – and if the government was responsible and quick in investigating such complaints.

Toyota has launched an image rehabilitation campaign on Capitol Hill, and its top lobbyist has sent emails to Congressional aides in an attempt to shape its image amid this crisis.

Committee aides say the presentation, which was obtained by POLITICO, gives the clearest view into the minds of Toyota executives.

Aides believe the presentation was an explanatory slideshow prepared to explain the inner-workings of Toyota’s Washington lobbying operations. It includes a responsibility flow chart, in addition to resources the office calls upon, including The Brookings Institution and the Chamber of Commerce.

The slideshow is titled “Toyota Washington, DC” and the cover sheet is labeled “Yoshi Inaba” – the president of Toyota North America, who is slated to testify.

It is a peek into how Toyota executives view the American political environment.

The “Activist Administration & Congress – increasing laws & regulations” is listed as one of “Toyota Challenges,” as is “Massive government support for Detroit automakers.”

The July 2009 presentation also says the Department of Transportation and National Highway Transportation Safety Administration “under Obama administration” is “not industry friendly,” and anticipates a “more challenging regulatory and enforcement environment.”

It says the NHTSA “new team has less understanding of engineering issues and are primarily focused on legal issues.”

“While the administration may have changed, the bureaucracy itself has not and we must ensure that government regulators give every possible consumer concern its due diligence,” said Republican Oversight spokesman Kurt Bardella.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 0bamasfault; 111th; 2010; agenda; automakers; bho44; captainobvious; democrats; liberalfascism; obamalegacy; obamasfault; toyota
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To: Jet Jaguar
Committee aides say the presentation, which was obtained by POLITICO, gives the clearest view into the minds of Toyota executives......It is a peek into how Toyota executives view the American political environment.

To me, the current political grandstanding gives an extremely clear view into the mind of the Beltway.

21 posted on 02/21/2010 4:45:02 PM PST by denydenydeny ("Leftists are like vampires; shine a light on what they are doing and they retreat."-Andrew Klavan)
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To: Jet Jaguar

Duh!


22 posted on 02/21/2010 4:45:08 PM PST by rdl6989 (January 20, 2013- The end of an error.)
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To: Jet Jaguar

Toyota threatens to close its UAW California plant. Obama (head of Government Motors) threatens Toyota. Nothing here, folks, just move on.


23 posted on 02/21/2010 4:45:18 PM PST by bboop (We don't need no stinkin' VAT)
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To: Jet Jaguar

might be a little more sinister than that, if there’s any truth to this piece:

http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl2/obama-toyota.html


24 posted on 02/21/2010 4:47:14 PM PST by Daisyjane69 (Michael Reagan: "Welcome back, Dad, even if you're wearing a dress and bearing children this time)
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To: Army Air Corps; Arthur Wildfire! March; max americana

A recession is when your neighbor is out of work. A depression is when you are out of work. A recovery is when Obama is out of work.


25 posted on 02/21/2010 4:51:35 PM PST by FormerACLUmember (The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule. - H. L. Menken.)
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To: Red in Blue PA; Jet Jaguar

Exactly. No sh!t, Sherlock. Dems HATE industry except for trial lawyers.


26 posted on 02/21/2010 4:52:03 PM PST by Hardastarboard (Note to self: Never post in a thread about religion again.)
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To: Jet Jaguar

"Communist Pigs are bad for business"

27 posted on 02/21/2010 4:56:11 PM PST by Moe Tzadik
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To: Red in Blue PA
It's getting juicy now, on THIS SIDE OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

Japanese press really ramping up the stories. Some of them are starting to tear apart the US lib government-industry-media (Obama-GM/UAW-MSM) collusive relationship. It's gonna get HOT next week folks!! http://jp.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idJPJAPAN-13989420100221 (In Japanese) Just starting now.....

28 posted on 02/21/2010 4:57:23 PM PST by AmericanInTokyo (Its time to CLEARLY threaten a huge, middle-class American TAX REVOLT in Tea Party signs & placards)
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To: Jet Jaguar

Wow, get a read of the comments on this article in politico. Some real wackos out there.


29 posted on 02/21/2010 4:57:44 PM PST by JoSixChip (HOPE = Have Obumber Prove Eligibility)
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To: AmericanInTokyo

Well its long about time that SOMEBODY told the truth!!!!


30 posted on 02/21/2010 4:58:52 PM PST by prophetic (0Bama = 1 illegal president = 32 illegal, unconstitutional & unnecessary CZARS to do his job!!)
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To: AmericanInTokyo
Indeed. And this past week Japan surpassed China as the majority foreign holder of US debt. Obama is about to meet some Samurai.
31 posted on 02/21/2010 5:00:12 PM PST by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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To: Jet Jaguar

“We are five days from fundamentally transforming the United States of America,” - Barack Obama


32 posted on 02/21/2010 5:00:16 PM PST by TigersEye (It's the Marxism, stupid! ... And they call themselves Progressives.)
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To: prophetic
"Well its long about time that SOMEBODY told the truth!!!!"

Kind of sad it has to be the Japanese are the only ones with the guts to say it, well outside of talk radio. But talk radio host such as Rush, Hanity, Beck and Levin have a credibility issue as all been shilling for GM even through the government takeover and outright theft of stock holder equity.
33 posted on 02/21/2010 5:10:01 PM PST by JoSixChip (HOPE = Have Obumber Prove Eligibility)
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To: Jet Jaguar

In 1945..... we nuked Hiroshima + Nagasaki.

Now, in 2010, Japan may save America.....

By nuking our Fascist president from his Commie daydream.

JAPAN — WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH THIS MOSLEM!


34 posted on 02/21/2010 5:12:34 PM PST by StopObama2012 (CLICK ME to expose Osaudi)
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To: Jet Jaguar

No! You’re kidding?

Next Toyota will be telling us Obama and his friends lie....


35 posted on 02/21/2010 5:12:53 PM PST by Tzimisce (No thanks. We have enough government already. - The Tick)
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To: Jet Jaguar

your business competition most often is not


36 posted on 02/21/2010 5:13:46 PM PST by Jolla
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To: Jet Jaguar
Everything is related to everything else. If the Obama Administration gets bad enough, the Japanese could kick the US military out of Japan and decide to develop their own nuclear forces.
37 posted on 02/21/2010 5:18:10 PM PST by Truth29
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To: Truth29

Already in work.

The Japanese and Okinawans want the Marines out of Okinawa.

And, talks about removing US presence from Misawa AB and Yakota AB.


38 posted on 02/21/2010 5:22:37 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
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To: Abathar; Abcdefg; Abram; Abundy; akatel; albertp; AlexandriaDuke; Alexander Rubin; Allerious; ...
The “Activist Administration & Congress – increasing laws & regulations” is listed as one of “Toyota Challenges,” as is “Massive government support for Detroit automakers.”



Libertarian ping! Click here to get added or here to be removed or post a message here!
View past Libertarian pings here
39 posted on 02/21/2010 5:23:18 PM PST by bamahead (Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master. -- Sallust)
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To: Jet Jaguar
So Obama who professes that he wants a nuclear free world could end up motivating Japan along with the gulf Arab states (in response to our failure to deal with Iran) to go nuclear.
40 posted on 02/21/2010 5:36:31 PM PST by Truth29
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