Right Wing Volt Flip-Flop? Now It’s An Energy Security Hero! (Video)Right Wing Volt Flip-Flop? Now It’s An Energy Security Hero! (Video)

You may have heard and read more than you want to on the media distortions and lousy reporting about the Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car.
Former GM product czar and climate-change skeptic Bob Lutz has been a lonely voice in his series of Forbes pieces slamming the distortions (the most recent memorably titled The Chevy Volt, Bill O’Reilly, and the Postman’s Butt).
Then, last week, a funny thing happened.
The “Fox & Friends” segment on Fox News ran a laudatory segment on the Volt, hailing its contribution to national energy security. There was nary a single slur, no nonsensical “broke down after 25 miles” nattering, not even any GM hatred around the 2009 bailout.
Instead, because the U.S.-built Volt can run on grid electricity–which can be generated using domestic natural gas and coal, as well as renewable fuel sources like wind and solar–it was described as a car that could help us break our national addiction to oil imported from countries that don’t much like us.
No kidding? WOW!
[sigh]
Then a second piece of news came across our desk: former president George H.W. Bush bought a Volt, as a gift for his son Neil.
Now, in the political world of 2012, Bush The Elder may be viewed by a significant portion of the primary electorate as unacceptably left-wing.
2012 Chevrolet Volt
Nonetheless, to have a self-proclaimed Texan and oil-industry figure like GOP stalwart Bush buy a Volt is a fairly significant endorsement. It puts him in the company of former Michigan governor (and Democrat) Jennifer Granholm, by the way.
And president Obama famously pledged to buy one when he leaves office–either next January or in January 2017.
We also note a pleasantly balanced article on today’s GM, complete with favorable comments, in conservative publication The Weekly Standard.
We’ve always believed that energy security is one of the little-understood benefits of plug-in cars–nicely articulated by Iraq veteran Tim Goodrich–but could the more reactionary parts of the right be waking up to that very patriotic argument?
We think one TV segment, one article, and one car sale are too little to draw that conclusion. We’ll wait for more evidence–eagerly.
What do you think? Could the tide be turning on Volt commentary? Or is it too late, as a Huffington Post article suggests?
Leave us your thoughts in the Comments below.
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com
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