Rush Limbaugh recently denounced Motor Trend for picking the Chevrolet Volt as its 2011 Car of the Year. I don’t follow Limbaugh’s show, because it hurts my vision to roll my eyes that much in one sitting. Still, when I heard he was against the Volt, it really irked me.
For one thing, Rush got his facts all wrong. He made a big deal about how none of the cars have sold, for example. Well, buddy, that’s because none are for sale, yet! (See what I mean about the eye rolling?)
Today, however, I read Motor Trend‘s open letter to Rush entitled Rush to Judgment, and it made my day. In response to Limbaugh saying, “How in the world do they have any credibility?” Motor Trend replies:
…our credibility, Mr. Limbaugh, comes from actually driving and testing the car, and understanding its advanced technology. It comes from driving and testing virtually every new car sold, and from doing this once a year with all the all-new or significantly improved models all at the same time. We test, make judgments and write about things we understand.
Yup, the folks at Motor Trend get paid for checking their facts and actually having a clue about the things they espouse, unlike certain radio talk show hosts.
As far as the Volt being some sort of tree-hugging liberal conspiracy on wheels, Motor Trend writes:
GM began working on [the Volt] before the November 2006 elections, when the Republican Party had majorities in the House and Senate, before President Bush had signed a single veto. Bob Lutz, who famously decreed, “Global Warming is a crock of shit,” introduced the car two years before Bush gave GM its first bailout from TARP pocket change. This was two-and-a-half years before Obama’s Automotive Task Force forced GM into bankruptcy.
The article is very informative, and I suggest reading it in its entirety. It ends with the following zinger:
Just remember: driving and Oxycontin don’t mix.
I am still trying to figure out how/why/when electric vehicles became a symbol of the political left. It’s really got my panties – cute panties, of course – in a bunch.
Seriously, when has Mother Earth ever been partisan?
Is it a hippy hangover, or Al Gore associations? Green energy in all its forms is a tremendous business opportunity. Even longtime oilmen, such as T. Boone Pickens, are eyeing alternative power. Why don’t all Republicans have dollar signs in their eyes over establishing the US as a major player in green technology?
This seems, to me, like a win-win for both sides of the political fence, a place where both sides could work together on something with all sorts of positive outcomes. In case you hadn’t noticed, America could use more jobs.
Don’t conservatives want to wean the USA off foreign oil? Wouldn’t that give us more freedom? Why can’t everyone agree – if for different reasons – that green technology is a good idea? What do you think?
Tui Snider is an author, speaker, and photographer who specializes in North Texas travel, cemetery symbols, and haunted lore. As she puts it, “I used to write fiction – but then, I moved to Texas!”
Snider’s best-selling books include Paranormal Texas , Understanding Cemetery Symbols, and 100 Things to Do in Dallas - Fort Worth Before You Die.
Snider has several more books in progress, and enjoys connecting with writers and readers all over the globe through social media, her newsletter and her website: TuiSnider.com.
This post made my day. Rush is such a dork, I mean, so misinformed. haha! Thank you for writing this. People need to hear the other side and it doesn’t happen enough.
Wow. I hadn’t heard this one until I saw it here. I think Hans has the right take on it. Everyone is looking for a buck here in terms of playing on the stage.
I had someone in my twitter feed tell me the way we solve the green problem is to throw more money at it, which is why I started Sustainable in Houston (http://www.sustainableinhouston.com). I don’t think sustainable solutions have to be all that huge. It’s more of a change in habits.
Most republicans that I know are all about changes that improve the environment and improve the standard of living for all people.
I tend to find that regardless of the party, if big business is involved, it tends to get a little mucky.
Paula: I will check out Sustainable Houston – sounds great! Hans is a smart fella, I agree. :) ~Tui
I’ve been watching democracynow’s coverage of the climate talks in Cancun recently and there were a lot of pissed off people there. They were annoyed at the fact that all anyone was speaking of were the business opportunities of the green revolution and not the reality that we’re screwing our planet up. One thing is for sure – maybe the earth isn’t partisan but neither is the greenback – everyone wants as much as they can get. I just wish all those docs would get released so we could all go pack up gallons of drinkable water and heads for the hills and the crazy world leaders play bang bang shoot em up and when we all come out its like Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. I really do like that film.
Hans: Really? I thought Beyond the Thunderdome sucked when I saw it way back when. I’ll have to see it again. Maybe it will strike me differently. Yeah… the climate talks. I just… I’m not a political blog. It just bugs me when people try to make something like an electric vehicle into a political statement. Helping the environment helps everyone, no matter who you vote (or don’t vote) for. ~Tui
Excellent points. I don’t understand why it’s better to burn a non renewable source than to use electricity. Why not invest in alternative power–there really is money to be made. I agree about being weaned off foreign oil too–I don’t understand why the right doesn’t want that. But then I’m confused by conservatives now.