Former Michigan Governor Tells Electric Car Naysayers To “Get Over It”

One type of politician I love is the politician who isn’t afraid to voice some serious opinion once they are out of office. Jennifer Granholm was definitely a take-charge governor during her time in Michigan, but in her new Huff Post op-ed she does not mince words when discussing why federal funds should be used to advance electric vehicle technology.

While governor of Michigan, Granholm says she worked with private companies and the legislature to receive 12 federal government stimulus grants worth $1.35 billion to be in places where electric cars and their batteries would be built. For the lithium-ion battery alone, this brought 18 companies to Michigan and a total of 63,000 jobs. She credits the federal government and president Obama’s commitment to clean technology.

She then took the opportunity to drill into oil-loving conservatives such as Rush Limbaugh, telling him to “get over it” and “support American products and American Jobs.” Neil Cavuto was next on her list, who she also told to get over it and “support the great American manufacturing sector. Quit aiding and abetting our economic competitors, and start abetting our economic growth.”

From Huffington Post:

The progress in electric cars is a true American success story. Those who want General Motors or electric vehicles to fail are motivated by nothing but partisan politics. Come on, you naysayers. Let’s innovate, and support the innovators — yes through government policy. Let’s manufacture, and support the manufacturers. Let’s win the race for clean energy jobs, and support those job providers.

Do you agree with her that denying federal funding to electric vehicles is “un-American?”

Image CC licensed by DrivingtheNortheast: Chevy Volt