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Alcohol lobbyist fighting GM
Carmaker faulted for backing Mothers
Against Drunk Driving
February 24, 2005
BY JEFFREY
McCRACKEN
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
General Motors Corp., which is a lightning rod for criticism on
everything from air pollution to auto quality, has now become a
target for, of all things, one of its charitable efforts -- its
financial and political push to combat drunken driving.
A national campaign -- called MADDatGM -- has been launched with
the backing of 17,000 bars, taverns and liquor stores to attack the
automaker and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, mostly for their
efforts to lower legal blood-alcohol levels. The effort has so far
been a low-key one, but GM officials say the Washington-based trade
group behind it is threatening that its members will quit buying GM
vehicles for corporate fleet use -- which could cost the automaker
millions of dollars.
The campaign, which already has a Web site and says it will
distribute posters and coasters at various stores and bars, argues
that MADD is no longer just trying to halt drunken driving, but has
become a prohibitionist group that wants to criminalize all
drinking. The campaign argues that GM, with its long-running support
of MADD, supports prohibition and that tavern or liquor-store owners
should think twice about buying GM cars or trucks.
MADD denies that it's trying to halt social drinking, saying its
mission is focused on three things: preventing drunken driving,
helping victims of drunken driving and halting under-age drinking.
MADD notes that the MADDatGM push is from businesses that make money
off alcohol sales and are angry MADD successfully lobbied for
tougher national blood-alcohol levels for drunken driving.
GM is one of MADD's top corporate sponsors, donating over $3
million the last five years and placing executives on MADD boards.
GM spokesman Alan Adler says the automaker supports MADD because
"our focus is on drunk driving and the 17,000 people killed each
year by drunk driving on the highways."
GM made a commitment in 2000, in honor of MADD's 20-year
anniversary, to donate at least $2.5 million over five years to
MADD. That commitment expired at the end of 2004, and GM hasn't
decided how much it will donate to MADD in 2005 and beyond, Adler
said.
Outsiders say GM seems caught between its support of MADD, its
desire for the positive publicity that comes with supporting MADD,
and the threat of losing millions of dollars in business from
personal or commercial sales to bar owners, liquor stores and beer,
wine and liquor distributors.
The MADDatGM campaign seems, in part, timed to the fact that GM's
5-year commitment has wound down.
"We want to stop GM from contributing to MADD. We have a problem
with GM money going to criminalize social drinkers. GM needs to
recognize it is attacking legitimate businesses," said Rick Berman,
the high-powered Washington, D.C., lobbyist running the MADDatGM
campaign.
Berman has a history of representing tobacco firms, restaurant
chains or beer distributors in fights against labor unions,
consumer-health groups and efforts to raise the minimum wage.
Berman estimates a "few hundred thousand dollars" has been spent
on the MADDatGM campaign, but that could grow if the effort has
success. The American Beverage Licensees, a Washington-based trade
group representing 12,000 bars and 5,000 liquor stores, is funding
it.
There does appear to be pent-up anger with MADD by restaurant
owners -- even those with close geographic ties to GM.
"MADD has become nothing but a prohibition group. I think
pressing GM is a small step, but it's the way to go," said Tom
Brandel, owner of four Tom's Oyster Bars in Michigan, including one
in Detroit across from GM headquarters at the Renaissance Center.
"MADD has successfully changed the way people dine. They forced
people in groups to have one person who can't drink at all, not even
one glass of wine. That's just wrong. Accidents are caused by
hard-core alcoholics, people who are really drunk but keep getting
on the road," said Brandel.
Berman said no Michigan associations are funding the MADDatGM
campaign. However, a spokesman for the Lansing-based Michigan
Licensed Beverage Association said it "philosophically supports the
effort against MADD," but has not yet financially supported it.
"All of my clients are corporations, so it's odd we are taking on
GM," said Berman. "But I think someone inside GM is trying to buy
MADD's silence on issues like the speed of vehicles or driver
distraction that comes from something like OnStar or satellite
radio."
OnStar is GM's in-vehicle navigation system and the automaker is
one of the leading sellers of satellite radio systems like XM.
"GM is talking out of both sides of their mouth when they say
they are concerned about safety, but then they build or sell
Corvettes. If they really cared about safety they'd say they won't
sell the Corvette to someone who has a certain number of traffic
violations," said Berman.
MADD and GM both chafe at Berman's comments. MADD notes GM
specified that its money go to underage-drinking prevention for
three years and the next two years to help people harmed in drunken
driving.
MADD spokeswoman Heidi Castle says preventing driver distraction
is not MADD's focus.
"Our mission is to prevent drunken driving. We want people on the
road that are safe. We are not against drinking by people who are
over age 21. This group is just trying to scare people because of
our effort to lower the blood-alcohol standard to 0.08," said
Castle.
The national standard for drunken-driving is a blood-alcohol
content of 0.08 percent, as part of legislation signed in 2000. GM
and other automakers banded together with MADD to help pass that
legislation, which forced all 50 states to adopt a 0.08 standard.
A 170-pound man can have four to five drinks in an hour on an
empty stomach before reaching a 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level. A
137-pound woman would reach 0.08 after approximately three drinks in
an hour on an empty stomach.
A spokeswoman for the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, the federal agency in charge of auto safety,
defended MADD, saying that because of it the number of
alcohol-related deaths has dropped from 26,173 in 1982 to 17,013 in
2003.
There were 42,643 people killed in all traffic accidents in 2003,
with alcohol-related deaths accounting for about 40 percent of that
total.
"We have no problems with MADD. They are getting the word out
about drunken driving," said NHTSA spokeswoman Liz Neblett. "We and
our partners like MADD have gotten the percentage of alcohol-related
deaths down from 60 percent to 40 percent, which makes us feel
better."
Joan Claybrook, president of the consumer-advocacy group Public
Citizen and a former NHTSA chief, has butted heads with Berman and
GM. She's also a longtime supporter of MADD.
"I think this is just a very shrewd, tactical stunt to intimidate
anyone who supports MADD," said Claybrook. "I don't think it will
intimidate GM. They are the big kid on the block. Maybe it will
backfire and make GM look good for their support of MADD."
Berman said he has had two meetings in Washington, D.C., with GM
lobbyists, but said he was "given a polite stiff-arm."
DaimlerChrysler, Nissan and Ford also give financially to MADD, but
they are not part of this campaign.
Adler, the GM spokesman, said GM doesn't feel it has lost any
business yet due to the anti-MADD campaign. GM's director of
regulatory affairs for safety, Steve O'Toole, is treasurer for MADD
and a former GM official, Charles Babcock, was MADD chairman from
1996 to 1998.
"We are aware of the campaign, but we're not aware of any
negative feedback from it," Adler said.
Contact JEFFREY McCRACKEN
at 313-222-8763 or mccracken@freepress.com.
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