Detroit Hopes for Friendlier White House

A group of seemingly disparate headlines will hit the tape Friday morning, when GM (GM Quote) and Ford (F Quote) are expected to weigh in with dismal earnings reports, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases what will likely be a sharp jump in new monthly jobless figures.

For president-elect Barack Obama, those headlines are likely to color some of the first actions he takes when he moves into the White House.

It's hard to overstate the importance of Detroit when looking at any efforts to keep the economy from falling into an especially steep recession. Hundreds of thousands of workers are employed by the automakers, their parts suppliers, auto dealers and all the secondary businesses that serve the employees of these firms. ...