Mitt Romney taking credit for auto industry comeback during NewsChannel5 interview creates buzz

CLEVELAND - An interview with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, conducted by NewsChannel5’s Chris Flanagan, is catching a lot of attention after Romney took credit for the auto industry’s bounce back.

In the 4:28 interview, given during Romney’s visit to Stamco in Euclid Monday, Flanagan asked Romney about his anti-bailout opinion piece published by the New York Times in November 2008, and how some people argue that Stamco survived because of the bailout.

"My own view, by the way, was that companies needed to go through bankruptcy before government help," Romney replied. "And frankly, finally, that's what the president did. He finally took them through bankruptcy - that was the right course. I argued for it from the very beginning.

"It was the UAW and the president that delayed the idea of bankruptcy. I pushed the idea of a managed bankruptcy, and finally when that was done and help was given, the companies got back on their feet. So I'll take a lot of credit for the fact that this industry's come back," Romney said.

News organizations across the country, including ABC News , CBS News , Yahoo! , MSNBC and the LA Times , were some of the few that picked up on the story. NBC's "The Tonight Show" has also contacted WEWS for access to the video.

Romney’s piece in the NYT, titled “Let Detoit Go Bankrupt ,” said the bailout would lead to the failure of America’s auto industry. Here is an except from that publication:

“IF General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won’t go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed.

“Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself. With it, the automakers will stay the course — the suicidal course of declining market shares, insurmountable labor and retiree burdens, technology atrophy, product inferiority and never-ending job losses. Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.”

Watch NewsChannel5's full interview with Romney by clicking on the video player above.

What do you think about Romney’s comments – in 2008 and this week in northeast Ohio? Chime in via the comment box below.