Manny Lopez is The Detroit News ' head cheerleader. The Auto Editor hires the team, chooses the cheers and makes sure everyone stays on message. Manny's megaphone emits the same hoarse polemic the paper's been shouting since the 60's: "they" don't understand us. His latest: if the "Planet Protectors" (Nancy Pelosi, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Al Gore) watched the Woodward Dream Cruise they'd leave us the fuck alone [paraphrasing]. Manny's madder than that though. He launches a personal attack that posits what cars the terrible trio MAY have owned before their rise to power, to show their possible hypocrisy. Nancy's imaginary past puts her at the wheel of a "sun-drenched yellow Bug that was dressed up and clean." Arnie drove "a 1974 Cadillac Eldorado with a 500-cubic inch V-8 engine pulling 300-plus horsepower." And Al Gore piloted "a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda complete with a 426 Hemi engine." And then Manny plays CYA. "Perhaps they drove econoboxes and my guesses are all wrong, but I bet they have distinct memories of classic cars, nonetheless." I don't suppose the Auto Editor thought about actually establishing the facts of the matter, any more than Detroit considers the possibility that "outsiders" may have something valid to say about the industry.
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Having attended a few cruises, one thing I can attest to is the unreal amount of exhaust fumes hanging in the air. The cars are cool, but breathing the air is not fun.
As a one-time thing, that’s ok, if every car was like that we’d be in serious trouble.
To paraphrase Robert Duvall …….
“I love the smell of unburnt hydrocarbons in the morning.”
I love old cars as much as anybody, but when I drive behind one, I can smell the unburned fuel pouring out of the tailpipe and think: “We’ve come a long way.”
What?!? This is just beyond a double-take, or even a spit-take. If this is newspaper journalism, it’s no wonder most papers are circling the drain.
helius: “What?!? This is just beyond a double-take, or even a spit-take. If this is newspaper journalism, it’s no wonder most papers are circling the drain.”
He’s a columnist not a journalist. It’s an opinion piece.
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Why does he have to imagine what they might have driven to know their hypocrisy? Everyone not in a coma knows Al Gore’s house is 20 times more energy guzzling than the average home in America. Arnold has a Challenger with the 6.1 Hemi (seen driving it this summer after telling Californians to buy hybrids), and Nancy Pelosi…well, I’ve no idea what she drives, but she ain’t bicycling back and forth between D.C. and CA.
Seriously, hypocrisy in that crown doesn’t require imagination, just observation.
And, lest we forget, the Terminator was one of the first, if not THE first person to own a civilian version of the H1 …….
Hank:
Why does he have to imagine what they might have driven to know their hypocrisy?
Good question. And if (as you suggest) their hypocrisy doesn’t depend on what the troika drove in their early days, why even bring it up?
Manny could have called their reps and found out the real deal. Instead he chose to deploy invective and sarcasm (two of our best friends) without truth.
Robert Farago :
August 14th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Manny could have called their reps and found out the real deal. Instead he chose to deploy invective and sarcasm (two of our best friends) without truth.
In this case, it seems that the author took a page out of the Gore/Pelosi book on communication strategy.
Obama was outed for a Chrysler 300 after castigating the 2.8 for building “bigger, faster cars,” and switched to a Ford Escape Hybrid, the PC car for dems: http://tinyurl.com/5mbqnv.
If you’re interested in seeing the long (unedited) version of this, and finding out, for example, about how I found Romney’s house because the Mittmobile was parked in his driveway, or about Dennis Kucinich’s hot wife who insisted the Focus should be red, email me at motorlegends@aol.com.
You can understand the Detroit News pulling for the home team. It’s my local paper that does paid puff pieces on the Chrysler Sebring that I don’t understand. The newspaper just about leads the auto industry in brand destruction.
Oh, c’mon. There is NO WAY that Al’s ever been that cool.
His most likely first ride, which he’s always kept is a TownCar (sometimes stretched) with driver, idling away waiting for him to enter it’s snug cocconishness…
psarhjinian :
Having attended a few cruises, one thing I can attest to is the unreal amount of exhaust fumes hanging in the air. The cars are cool, but breathing the air is not fun.
As a one-time thing, that’s ok, if every car was like that we’d be in serious trouble.
I agree. Also, have you noticed the quality of LA air in those old Dragnet episodes? Looks like Beijing today…
Al Gore just bought a 100 foot houseboat that he claims is “green” because its multiple engines run on biodiesel – though the marina where he has it berthed doesn’t sell biodiesel. I wonder how many barrels of oil it took to make the polymer resins used in all that fiberglass.
Pelosi recessed the House to prevent an actual vote on the energy bill (since she knew that many Dem reps would vote for it for their own political futures) and then left on a tour to promote her book (which is bombing). How many of you think she flew coach? More likely she flew chartered private jets.
The playbook on the left side of the aisle has always been and will always be: “do as I say, not as I do”.
No 1974 Eldorado ever came with 300hp. They were lucky to wheeze 200hp in ’74.
Pelosi recessed the House to prevent an actual vote on the energy bill (since she knew that many Dem reps would vote for it for their own political futures) and then left on a tour to promote her book (which is bombing). How many of you think she flew coach? More likely she flew chartered private jets.
I don’t think it’s fair to make assumptions like this. Call her office and find out (202-224-3121, and ask for her office)
Shaker, True. And we’ve come a long way in spite of Detroit dragging their feet every step of the way.
Why doesn’t Manny just point out all the flying they currently do (often on private jets seating only a few passengers)?
People are all up in arms about Arnold’s fleet of hummers, but it’s really too bad he doesn’t use them more. 10 MPG going back and forth between Sacramento and Los Angeles is much better than a fraction of a mile per gallon of jet fuel.
Yeah, I love how Arnold takes a jet to work and back each day. He probably didn’t become a hypocrit until he married a Kennedy…
I don’t think it’s fair to make assumptions like this. Call her office and find out (202-224-3121, and ask for her office)
I called both her Washington and SF offices. They refused to tell me about Speaker Pelosi’s travel arrangements “for security reasons”. The question was pretty generic, “commercial airline or private jet” but they still refused.
I checked with the office of one of our state’s Representatives and they said that Pelosi’s office would probably not give them that information either.
So much for transparent governance.
Jordan Tenenbaum : No 1974 Eldorado ever came with 300hp. They were lucky to wheeze 200hp in ‘74.
1974 Eldorado: 210 SAE net hp @ 3800 rpm.
Bozoer Rebbe,
Interesting. And disheartening. I know people who have encountered Kennedy and former Senator Tsongas on commercial airlines (guess which state I live in). I don’t know why Pelosi’s people can’t answer a question like that.
“1974 Eldorado: 210 SAE net hp @ 3800 rpm.”
How do you even get that little of HP out of an engine that large. Yes i know it has Torque, but 210 HP. Thats almost 4cyl power.
Interesting. And disheartening. I know people who have encountered Kennedy and former Senator Tsongas on commercial airlines (guess which state I live in). I don’t know why Pelosi’s people can’t answer a question like that.
Am I cynical to believe that the reason is that the answer would be embarrassing to Pelosi? A Gulfstream IV has a pretty heavy carbon footprint.
They did say that her book tour was not at taxpayers’ expense, and it’s SOP in the publishing biz for the publisher to underwrite book tours of celebrity authors, so I’m pretty sure Random House paid for transportation. It’s possible that a publicist at Random House might have the info, but I doubt they’d share it with a random blogger.
I don’t know why Pelosi’s people can’t answer a question like that.
Because no one wants to be on the business end of a lawsuit or hearing if something goes wrong.
It’s not a partisan issue, it’s just that we, collectively, are chickensh_t. People are terrified of risk and responsibility, and will do whatever they can to avoid both at all costs. Pelosi herself probably isn’t directly responsible for this–she’s much too abstracted from that kind of operational detail–but you can bet her handlers avoid risk like the plague.
I don’t know why Pelosi’s people can’t answer a question like that.
Because no one wants to be on the business end of a lawsuit or hearing if something goes wrong.
What kind of lawsuit or hearing? What could go wrong? I just wanted to find out if she’s traveling on the book tour via commercial airliners or by private jet.
It’s not a partisan issue
No, it’s an issue of Pelosi staff trying to avoid charges of environmental hypocrisy by refusing to reveal whether the Speaker travels commercial or via a Gulfstream.
Yeah, Pelosi’s not risk adverse. That’s why she recessed the House rather than risk members of her party voting against her on the energy bill. They may be Democrats but they can also read polls that show an overwhelming number of Americans want to increase drilling and developing our energy resources and they’d like to keep their seats. Pelosi may be Speaker but she doesn’t vote in their districts.