Amid all the furor over Toyota recalls and appearances by the company's top executives at Congressional hearings, there is a subtext being heard here and there to the effect that the U.S. government, the media, and even ordinary drivers are unfairly "picking on" Toyota, exaggerating its difficulties. The sub-subtext is that Congress is motivated to persecute poor little Toyota because the USG is a part owner of GM and Chrysler!
That's a pretty scurrilous accusation. Toyota dealers have been riding high for at least three decades, with their cars flying off the lots, often at full list prices for the most popular models, so they've never experienced a down market. We can understand, but not forgive, their frustration and their paranoia in lashing out at Congress. The latest entry in this war of words, however, is someone who should - quite certainly does - know better, namely Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi
The suggestion that the USG would pursue a vendetta against Toyota because of its ownership stake in GM is both offensive and unfounded. Barbour asks if the government inquiry can be seen as unbiased; the Governor from Toyota might ask if his defense of the company can be seen as unbiased. After all, as Barbour himself says, he pulled out many stops to get Toyota to build a plant in Mississippi. The motive of his unmitigatedly self-serving promotional article is quite clear. Barbour is sometimes mentioned as a Presidential candidate; this little foray into the world of opinion-making ought to pretty well dampen that kind of speculation.
Does Congress too often rush to public hearings whenever there are political points to be made? Absolutely. But from any reasonable perspective, the treatment Toyota is getting is perfectly normal, and is fully commensurate with the kinds of treatment other companies have received. It's precisely because Toyota has so long been accepted as a paragon that the increasingly damaging chain of recall and cover-up has become such a hot news item.
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