Bushbots Dangle "Endangered" Banner From SUV Caravan

[hatrack]

Driving extended-cab trucks and sport utility vehicles, a cavalcade of Republicans rolled into Saginaw Township to attack Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's support of higher vehicle mileage standards.

Forcing automakers to build more fuel-efficient vehicles would costs thousands of autoworkers their jobs, the GOP brigade claimed Thursday. "John Kerry's plan is bad for Michigan and it's bad for Michigan workers," said Sharon Wise, a national committeewoman on the Michigan Republican National Committee.

In the parking lot of Saginaw County Republican Party, 3071 Bay, the supporters of President George W. Bush hung a banner emblazoned with the word "Endangered" between a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup and a Ford F-150, both of which had four-door extended cabs. The GOP claims that if the federal government adopts a 35 miles per gallon Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard by 2013, about 143,000 Michigan autoworkers would lose their jobs along with hundreds of thousands more nationally."

EDIT

[quispquake]

1. Yup...

Being able to drive a giant sized tank is a personal freedom that is worth much more than the freaking planet itself...

[NMDemDist2]

2. my half ton SUV from GM gets 20 MPG even with the A/C running

i don't see how a 35MPG average will hurt us at all. We just don't need the big V-8's anymore except for specialty needs (hauling trailers etc)

Those freepers are probably hating life about now putting gas in those hogs they drive. Wonder if the repub party had to subsidize their gas bill to get them to "protest" Kerry ??

[yellowcanine]

3. Hmm - same argument was used against airbags and the original CAFE

standards - somehow the Republic survived and auto sales actually went up. Imagine that.
Detroit has opposed every safety, fuel efficiency, and emissions requirement proposed. Who would suggest that get rid of any of them now? Leaded gasoline, anyone?

[tandot]

4. I don't get it: How does the Fuel Economy Standard affect the

manufacturing of cars?

Would all of them stop driving at all if they can't have one of their gas guzzling pick-up trucks or SUVs?

My car gets an average of 34 miles per gallon (Toyota Corolla). I have to drive 100 miles per day (work) and suffer from those high gas prices. And then I read that gas consumption is up, which is probably the main cause of those high gas prices. WTF? I live in Texas and all I see are those SUVs, Hummers, and trucks. I admit that I contribute to that consumption (haven't found a job closer to home), but at least I drive a fuel-efficient car.

[madrchsod]

5. these people are

really dumb..gas is 2+ and rising and what-they think it will come back down?? i guess they don`t care to shovel 40 dollars or so every couple of hundred miles into their manly "extended-cab/dick trucks.....i guess all the moms who drive those suv`s will have to start cutting back on the extras to feed their vanity rides-it`s target and walmart now.

[Frances]

6. Good point

SUVs are more likely to survive IF they get better gas mileage. Under Bush gas prices are rising so much that only Bush and Cheney will be able to afford to drive them.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

7. What idiocy!

n/t

[prodigal_green]

8. How does it cost jobs?

somebody has to engineer higher fuel efficiency cars and somebody has to manufacture them. I would think additional jobs would be created.

"costing jobs" is a stupid argument.

[phantom power]

10. yes, exactly

I've been hearing politicians spout this argument for 30 years, and not *once* have I ever heard anybody actually *explain* why, exactly, this is supposed to take anyone's job away. It's just one of those phrases that gets tossed around so often that people assume it must be true.

[MallRat]

9. My 4-cylinder Highlander: 21/25 MPG.

And Toyota is introducing a hybrid Highlander for 2005. Made in Kentucky, I think.

After 8 years of Bill Clinton, why do Republicans continue to insist that pro-environment policy is necessarily anti-business? Haven't we seen overwhelming evidence to the contrary?

[blindpig]

11. what I'd like to know...

is what is the intersect of auto and oil sector ownership?To what degree do major holders of oil stocks also hold major chunks of auto stocks? I suspect this is the major problem with trying to improve auto milage.