No, but the two feed into each other. Intercity rail loses most of its advantages if you have to hire a car at the destination.
> Also I'd argue street cars are way worse than busses which have route flexibility.
They're better for that very reason. You can move somewhere with a decent commute and know that the streetcar isn't going to disappear at the stroke of a pen.
I know that you were talking about individual commutes here. The city of Oslo, Norway was considering having a shared trunk in one corner, where the metro, the streetcar, and the intercity rail all shared a stretch of track. I believe it was to make efficient use of existing right-of-way. I think that there were problems due to electrification (750 V vs 15 kV) and other political problems.
There is a different section in Oslo where the streetcar and metro share a stretch of track using a clever interlocking.
Also I'd argue street cars are way worse than busses which have route flexibility.
The bigger problem is Americans don't like being around other Americans and really don't like public transit.
It's not some giant conspiracy.