Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm tore into Mitt Romney in her speech at the Democratic convention Thursday, saying President Obama had saved her state’s vital auto industry at a time when Romney was pushing for that industry to go bankrupt.

From the outset of her speech, Granholm pulled no punches, opening with a line saying she came from the state where, “the trees are just the right height,” a jab at Romney’s oft-mocked remark from a campaign stop in Michigan where he said his home state’s trees were the perfect height. She didn’t stop there, accusing Romney of caring more about his own bottom line than he did about the needs of average Americans.

ADVERTISEMENT

“He loves our cars so much, they have their own elevator,” Granholm said, mocking the car elevator planned for Romney’s California mansion. “But the people who design, build, and sell those cars? Well, in Romney’s world, the cars get the elevator; the workers get the shaft.”

Granholm also took Romney to task for infamously saying at the height of the recession that the auto industry should go bankrupt. President Obama instead took more aggressive action, sending the struggling automakers emergency loans to help them restructure and return to health.

“Almost nobody had the guts to help us. Not the banks, not the private investors and not Bain capital,” Granholm said. “Then, in 2009, the cavalry arrived: our new president, Barack Obama!”

Near the end of her speech, Granholm fired up the crowd with some call and response highlighting the resurgence of the auto industry. Across the country, she said, Obama had helped states keep and create auto jobs and save one of the country’s most storied industries.

“America, let’s rev our engines! In your car and on your ballot, the “D” is for drive forward, and the “R” is for reverse,” she said. “And in this election, we’re driving forward, not back. Let’s re-elect our great president, Barack Obama!”

ADVERTISEMENT

Watch the whole speech below: