The night the Berlin Wall fell, I was standing by a highway heading out of East Germany, asking people why they were going west. A man's one-word answer still sticks in my mind: "Camaro."
Auto industry workers in New York rally in support of govenment help.
The Camaro is an iconic American sports car manufactured by General Motors, the largest of the 'Big Three' automakers, who are all facing bankruptcy.
Make a list of all the reasons people voted for Barack Obama (he promises change, he'll pull out of Iraq, he's African-American, he's tall and nice looking) and you won't find the Camaro or any car on it. But now it's not the Berlin Wall falling, it's Detroit, the "Motor City," that's collapsing.
For years, the American-made cars that the whole world coveted have been losing their appeal to Americans.
And now, with the credit crisis spreading through the economy, Detroit's slow demise has accelerated into a big, fast crash.
It's the first surprise of the Obama administration, even before he takes office: the survival of the American car will suddenly be his responsibility.
GM, Ford and Chrysler have asked for a total of $34 billion from Washington to keep from going broke. GM and Chrysler say they need billions of it within the next few weeks to avoid shutting down immediately.
If GM and Chrysler do close, economists fear that more than one million Americans could lose their jobs. Some warn it could drag the U.S. out of recession and into a full depression.
Even members of Congress who want to help have offered much less than the companies say they need. (And no one is certain how much will be enough).
The expectation is that no matter what happens, the 'Big Three' will be back for more money when Obama is president.
What will he do? No one really knows. As a candidate, Obama had well prepared answers on so many issues, from public health to pulling out from Iraq.
But the economic downturn came late in the campaign and kept getting worse with every passing week. Obama improvised, acknowledging the problem but refusing to explain how exactly it would affect his plans.
He still seems to be improvising, promising to help, calling for better management from car manufacturers, but mostly just watching what Congress and the Bush administration do while he waits to take office.
He has until January 20. After that, he's in the driver's seat with the country taking a turn that neither he nor voters expected.
All About Democratic Party • Barack Obama • George W. Bush • Hillary Clinton
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