[Infowarrior] - OT: Obama administration withholds data on clunkers

[Richard Forno]

Transparency, change, accountability?  What's that?  Oh, right -  
another hollow political promise that goes nowhere.  Who says modern  
American politics is just two sides of the same uberparty?  :(

-rf

(c/o L.R)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090804/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_cash_for_clunkers_transparency/print

Obama administration withholds data on clunkers

By BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE, Associated Press Writer Brett J. Blackledge,  
Associated Press Writer Tue Aug 4, 4:46 pm ET
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration is refusing to quickly release  
government records on its "cash-for-clunkers" rebate program that  
would substantiate — or undercut — White House claims of the program's  
success, even as the president presses the Senate for a quick vote for  
$2 billion to boost car sales.

The Transportation Department said it will provide the data as soon as  
possible but did not specify a time frame or promise release of the  
data before the Senate votes whether to spend $2 billion more on the  
program.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Sunday the government would  
release electronic records about the program, and President Barack  
Obama has pledged greater transparency for his administration. But the  
Transportation Department, which has collected details on about  
157,000 rebate requests, won't release sales data that dealers  
provided showing how much U.S. car manufacturers are benefiting from  
the $1 billion initially pumped into the program.

The Associated Press has sought release of the data since last week.  
Rae Tyson, spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety  
Administration, said the agency will provide the data requested as  
soon as possible.

DOT officials already have received electronic details from car  
dealers of each trade-in transaction. The agency receives regular  
analyses of the sales data, producing helpful talking points for  
LaHood, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs and other officials to use  
when urging more funding.

LaHood said in an interview Sunday he would make the electronic  
records available. "I can't think of any reason why we wouldn't do  
it," he said.

LaHood, the program's chief salesman, has pitched the rebates as good  
for America, good for car buyers, good for the environment, good for  
the economy. But it's difficult to determine whether the  
administration is overselling the claim without seeing what's being  
sold, what's being traded in and where the cars are being sold.

LaHood, for example, promotes the fact that the Ford Focus so far is  
at the top of the list of new cars purchased under the program. But  
the limited information released so far shows most buyers are not  
picking Ford, Chrysler or General Motors vehicles, and six of the top  
10 vehicles purchased are Honda, Toyota and Hyundai.

LaHood has called the popular rebates to car buyers "the lifeline that  
will bring back the automobile industry in America." He and other  
advocates are citing program data to promote passage of another $2  
billion for the incentives -- claiming dealers sold cars that are 61  
percent more fuel efficient than trade-ins.

LaHood also said this week that even if buyers aren't choosing cars  
made by U.S. automobile manufacturers, many of the Honda, Toyota and  
Hyundai cars sold were made in those companies' American plants.

But there's no way to verify his claims without access to DOT's data.

Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has argued against quick  
approval of $2 billion for the program because little is known about  
the first round of $3,500 and $4,500 rebates.

"We don't have the results of the first $1 billion," McConnell  
spokesman Don Stewart said. "You don't have them. We don't have them.  
DOT doesn't have all of it. We'd hate to make a mistake on something  
like that."