As General Motors tries to sell American drivers on its first mass-market electric car, the Chevrolet Volt, the beleaguered automaker has run up against a loud and powerful foe — Rush Limbaugh. The king of conservative talk radio has dismissed the Volt as a government-subsidized folly that "nobody wants" — calling its 40-mile, battery-powered range too limited and its price, $41,000, too high. GM says critics should bear in mind that federal tax credits will bring the price down to $33,500, and that the gas engine that kicks in when the battery runs dry increases the Volt's range to more than 300 miles. Whom should Americans believe: Limbaugh or GM? (Listen to Rush Limbaugh's Volt rant)
Listen to Rush — the Volt's an "overpriced lemon": By offering a $7,500 tax break on the Volt, President Obama is essentially admitting that nobody will want "this turkey," says Barry Popik at RedState. The Volt, which only seats four people, has all the roominess of cars that cost a third as much. This is what happens when the government — which, of course, owns GM after a massive taxpayer bailout — meddles in private industry.
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