What I've said repeatedly is, 'I think the auto industry is a very important industry.'

I'm very proud of the auto industry in Michigan.

People who think it doesn't matter who owns our auto industry are flat wrong.

Things are going great for us. The auto industry has been going through some tough times. GM has been trimming a lot of fat - something they should have done a long time ago. But we are actually growing and always looking for dedicated hard- working people to hire.

What's wrong with the auto industry isn't that it failed to create jobs. What's wrong is that it emphasizes jobs over general growth itself.

I?m part of the discourse now. I?m not just on the fringe commentating about the auto industry.