Tesla Excluded from Biden EV Event – Let’s Be Honest Why
By Edward A. Sanchez – Aug. 5, 2021
On Aug. 5, 2021, President Joe Biden held a ceremonial event at the White House signing an executive order setting a target of half of all new vehicle sales being plug-in vehicles (BEV or PHEV) by 2030. Representatives from Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, and the United Auto Workers were all present. In fact, if you’ve already clicked on the link above, you may notice opening remarks were delivered by Bernie Ricke, president of UAW Local 600, the union representing workers in Southeast Michigan – the red, white, and blue beating heart of the traditional U.S. auto industry. Conspicuous by its absence was Tesla, and any representatives of the company, Elon Musk or otherwise.
I have nothing against the “Big Three” as they’ve traditionally been called, but its rather disingenuous to have an honest discussion about modern electric cars without an acknowledgement of the contributions of Tesla to the advancement of EVs in the U.S. and globally.
If you’re going by the rubric of “most American,” Tesla recently won that accolade as well. The reason, as I see it, that Tesla was not invited to the White House’s self-congratulatory green-fest is because Tesla is not represented by the UAW, and has allegedly actively worked against labor organization efforts at its facilities.
A recent report by Cars.com ranked the 2021 Tesla Model 3 as “Most American.” (Image courtesy Tesla)
Although I am generally pro right-to-work, and not typically a fan of labor unions, I actually don’t have a problem with the fact that Tesla was not invited or included. What I do have a problem with is how disingenuous and evasive President Biden and his deputy, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were about why.
When interviewed on CNBC, Buttigieg dodged and deflected the question of Tesla’s exclusion, and said, “I’m not sure. But what I know is you’re seeing so many leaders in industry, newer companies, and legacy companies, saying we need to move in this direction.”
I’m calling BS on this, pure and simple. The association between the UAW and the Democratic party is decades old, and union support of Biden was pivotal in getting him elected and winning the crucial “Rustbelt” upper Midwest and Great Lakes states, including Michigan. As for whether or not President Biden and Mr. Buttigieg had originally planned on inviting Tesla to the event, undoubtedly conversations took place between the UAW and the administration that Tesla not be included.
Somewhat embarrassingly, and under duress, White House press secretary Jen Psaki admitted after repeated questions about why Tesla was excluded from the event: “These are the three largest employers of the United Auto Workers, so I’ll let you draw your own conclusion.” Thanks for at least giving a somewhat straight answer, Jen.
I know, I shouldn’t be shocked by politicians being evasive and vague under direct questioning. But rather than getting pilloried by journalists and bloggers for excluding indisputably the most influential American company in the last two decades in the realm of electric cars, they could have just said, “We acknowledge the contributions of Tesla to the advancement of electric cars, but this event is meant to recognize and acknowledge the work of our legacy automakers and American labor’s contribution to this exciting new age of transportation.”
Of course, even that diplomatic turn-of-phrase would probably be interpreted by some as throwing shade toward Musk and Tesla. But I could hardly imagine it being more awkward than their conspicuous exclusion was.
Excellence should be recognized in all forms, whether or not it conforms to political norms. The Biden administration’s exclusion of Tesla from the event only validates claims from the president’s critics that he’s nothing more than a product of the old-school Democratic political machine, beholden to labor unions and other traditional liberal constituencies and interest groups. Sure, maybe the UAW would have been unhappy with the inclusion of Tesla and might have even put out a press release criticizing Tesla’s allegedly anti-organized labor practices. Fair enough. It’s a free country, and it would have been fully within the organization’s right to make such a statement. But let’s not tap-dance around the reason why Tesla wasn’t present at the South Lawn ceremony.
(Main image courtesy the White House)
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