Gov. Jennifer Granholm gave an interview to Politico, a prominent national publication. She argued in the interview for more government help for the auto industry, but also put the focus on restructuring, saying, “the question is not just the loans, but what do you do to ensure that once you get the loans you have a viable industry on the other side.”
 
She also called for more transparency and accountability in the ongoing restructuring process as a means of getting Republicans on board with helping the auto industry. “Anything further that comes out,” she said, “whether it’s for the financial industry or for the auto industry or any other aspect of, you know, requesting more dollars, is going to have to come with significant expectations of transparency and accountability.”

She also argued that those Southern Republican leaders with foreign car manufacturing plants in their state who have taken a stand against the bailout of the American automakers are being hypocritical:

How much money did BMW get to be able to come to South Carolina, from the government? How much?…Hundreds of millions of dollars. Hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s incredibly hypocritical for those who oppose the domestic industry getting any funds, who opened their wallets for the foreign companies.

I would have done the same thing. But to say that, oh no, government shouldn’t be involved – those companies got enormous tax breaks and enormous credits, enormous benefits, handouts from the government.