Rush Limbaugh blasts green car movement because "nobody" wants hybrids
In an attempt to stay politically neutral, we're going to stop short of offering opinions about Rush Limbaugh's recent statements regarding hybrid automobiles and the intent of automakers like Ford and Honda to "please politicians overseeing the industry's multibillion-dollar bailout." What we will say, though, is that Limbaugh's a little off when he suggests that hybrid vehicles are entirely unwanted. So sayeth Rush:Nobody's buying 'em. Nobody wants them! The manufacturers are making them in droves to satisfy Obama! Sorry for yelling. Nobody wants them!While it's true that hybrid vehicle sales tend to rise and fall with the ebb and flow of fuel prices, which are currently down from the record highs from a year ago, Edmunds' Green Car Advisor points out that 1.3 million hybrid vehicles have been sold in America since 1999, the first year the fuel-saving vehicles entered the market. Obviously, there are more than a few people out there who want to cut down on their fuel usage. Further, these hybrid vehicle programs have been in development since well before President Obama was elected.
Limbaugh further argues that politicians have killed the auto industry. There may be a measure of truth to that point, but there's certainly a number of other factors that have attributed a great deal to the current woes being felt by all automakers the world over.
As always, your mileage may vary. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
[Source: Rush Limbaugh via Green Car Advisor]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Tohe 8:20PM (4/02/2009)
Who cares what this idiot says? really?
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Nick 8:27PM (4/02/2009)
Dear Rush,
[ This message has been edited. Please, folks, keep it decent around here. Sheesh ]
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Mark 8:28PM (4/02/2009)
Sorry to see autogreen giving webspace to this fool, his last nugget was that Obama would be trashed at the polls, so we know how much value his comments are worth.
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Dave 12:20AM (4/03/2009)
Rush Limbaugh is a piece of human waste.
Yet millions of Americans love him, idolize him and encourage him to run for president.
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Ajay 8:46PM (4/02/2009)
There is incredible irony regarding Rush's recent statement. In the past couple of days, news reports have come out about how the Chinese government is getting its private sector to begin focusing its research and industrial might on manufacturing more and more hybrid and electric cars, as well as heavily subsidizing green power generation (i.e. solar photovoltaics).
Both of these fields are quite possibly going to be the biggest new technological industries of this century. If we start believing even one iota of the arguments of those like Rush Limbaugh, our future industrial and economic edge is doomed.
If we believe those like him, we are setting our selves up for failure... which - it seems more and more likely - is exactly what he wants.
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Tim 8:59AM (4/03/2009)
Rush has a very predictable "stchick".
Make an outlandish assertion, nonthreatening to conservative senseabilities, offer no supporting argument or information, make another assertion and continue.
This "stchick" is designed to make conservatives feel comfortable with time worn beliefs and is only effective if there is no dialog, debate, or critical analysis.
The liberal mistake is to engage this "stchick" as a conversation.
The right answer is "Rush you are senseless"
the dude 12:28PM (4/03/2009)
it's shtick
gorr 8:49PM (4/02/2009)
Quote from the article ''Limbaugh further argues that politicians have killed the auto industry ''
That's what i said and i repeat, The F&ckin% auto industry works for big oil and goverments and have let down consumers and citizens long time ago and are now living with tax money collected from consumers and citizens, while destroying the biosphere. Even some folks are trying to starve peoples by speculating on foods to burn it in toyota's, gm's, ford's, etc.
They rejected hydrogen gas because it don't give money to nobody. I won't buy any gasoline cars or plugguable cars, never. I'll keep my neon till some mechanical shops sell me a hydrogen conversion kit to fix the main problem of my neon. I said fuel cost and pollution associated with gasoline. Hydrogen conversion kit can even give you farther range, up to 20 000 miles and 50% more power if the carburation system is well fitted and calibrated.
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Matt 8:56PM (4/02/2009)
Wow, it's all so clear now.
FNG 9:07PM (4/02/2009)
you wouldn't happen to like county music would you?
FNG 9:08PM (4/02/2009)
*country
Gordio 12:06PM (4/03/2009)
The oil industry profits from hydrogen. A lot. Do you even know where hydrogen fuel comes from???
Really. Your comments are annoying everyone as they display a lot of ignorance.
Chris M 4:04PM (4/03/2009)
Gorr, there are plenty of outfits willing to sell you an onboard water electrolyzer to fit in your Neon. There are even outfits that will install it, for a fee. Go for it, if you want to spend your money. If you're a cheapskate or just on a tight budget, there is free info on how to do it yourself.
But I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed, as it won't boost power no matter how the carburetor is adjusted, your Neon will never be a race car, you'll never get that kind of range you dream of, and your Neon certainly won't ever run on nothing but water.
Gordo, its common for H2 enthusiasts to pretend that it will strike back at the oil companies, but somehow they overlook the enthusiasm shown by the oil companies, promoting hydrogen on their websites, and the membership lists for almost all H2 lobbyist and education (propaganda) groups include most of the major oil companies.
Rick 9:05PM (4/02/2009)
Limbaugh represents the worst of the worst of America's bottom of the barrel.
He promotes:
Hatred against minorities, immigrants, blacks, atheists, non-Christians, or anyone who does not believe in the Republican mafia's propaganda, besides promoting environmental destruction ("The bible says we have the right to take anything we need from the earth")
If I was religious, I might call him the reincarnation of Satan, but I won't go that far.
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Garrett 12:46PM (4/03/2009)
You seriously sound like a fool. Have you EVER actually listened to Rush Limbaugh? He says some outlandish things, but then again that's his job. Just like Keith Olbermann. You're a bigot...and you sound insane. Do you got that? All of you are bigots....You say he promotes hatred and yet you say you hate the man and want to "shoot this subhuman in the face"....don't you realize that only "subhumans" say things of that sort? And by the way...everything you say wreaks of irony, and this goes for everyone that's willing to act like a nutjob to promote a view - THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEONE ON YOUR "SIDE" SAYING THINGS THAT ARE JUST AS NUTTY. Can you believe there are people out there that actually BELIEVE Keith Olbermann? Or Bill Maher? These people say things that are on-par with what Rush says, just as prickish, just as "hateful" (have you seen Religulous?) Instead of carrying the air of intellectual prick why don't you REALLY analyze yourself and your beliefs? Who cares what Rush says? Tell the truth and people will listen...it doesn't have to hold hatred in the tone and it doesn't have to be a patronizing invective. Do you even understand the "Christian right"? Do you understand what you call "fundamentalists"? "Hatred against minorities, immigrants, blacks, atheists, non-Christians, or anyone who does not believe in the Republican mafia's propaganda, besides promoting environmental destruction ("The bible says we have the right to take anything we need from the earth")" - This is such an idiotic rant it's almost mind-numbing. I haven't heard Rush EVER SAY ANYTHING CLOSE TO THIS. You should take people's words for what they are instead of always filtering their words through your own worldview.
Tohe 10:11PM (4/02/2009)
@Garrett:
I am sorry, but Olbermann makes sense, Limbaugh does not. Anyone who finds entertaining value in listening to Limbaugh doesn't respect the world that surrounds them, its diversity or the seriousness of the issues we all face. Those people who like yourself embrace this narrow view, are setting themselves as a joke and nothing else.
Don 12:57AM (4/03/2009)
Garrett, as a Christian, I am deeply saddened that a few extremists have been able to infiltrate the Christian community and brainwash them to a point where they support things that are adverse to Christianity.
Rush Limbaugh is one of these manipulative agitators who takes advantage of naive people. God never encouraged us to own guns, he never said that homosexuality was evil, and he never said that America was the 'one nation under God', and yes Rush encourages environmental carelessness.
Ian Bruce 9:08PM (4/02/2009)
Great advice Rush. Let's just hand over the market to the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese. Apparently your idiotic blathering isn't translated into those languages.
According to The Freedonia Group, hybrid-electric vehicle sales reached 352,300 units in the US in 2007 and are expected to increase 31.8% per year through 2012, reaching 1.4 million total units. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, one of the fastest growing segments within the hybrid market, are expected to grow at an annual rate of 69.9% from 2010 to 2020 compared to 5.9% for full hybrid electric vehicles (e.g. Toyota Prius) commonly seen on the road today.
Hey, let's just kill greentech altogether. Nobody wants solar or wind energy because sunshine and summer breezes are just another Democratic plot.
What an buffoon.
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Lad 9:08PM (4/02/2009)
Rush makes his money from making ridiculous statements then laughing at the energy he pulls from people who believe him. Do you remember how many people believed him when he suggested that the way to cover our debt was by "taxing the homeless." When he was operating in the Sacramento market, he suggested that the bicycle riders be swept from the streets...people acually believed he was serious. It's a race to see who is the most ridiculous, Bill O'Riley on TV or Rush L on Radio.
It's entertainment folks! Don't believe the clap trap or you will make yourself look really stupid.
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Kaptain75329 7:08AM (4/03/2009)
And therein lies the problem - you've just pointed out precisely what I intended to bring up: Rush uses exaggerated humour and extreme sarcasm to makes his points. Seems to me that the vast majority of his critics get on his case for all the wrong reasons.
If you genuinely disagree with the heart of the man's argument, that's one thing. But if you're all annoyed with him and you don't listen to his show, then you're guaranteed to have missed the context. All you have to go on at that point is what *someone else* said about him.
It's ironic that Rush's loudest critics -- many of whom are quick to declare themselves as open-minded free thinkers -- are so vocal about his audience being airhead automatons who just believe whatever they're told on the radio. Talk about people in glass houses.