Bear Pit: now the sole domicile of politics at LuLa

[TechTalk]

Biden’s approval rating...

is only 5.6 percentage points higher than Trump's for the same period in their terms. Biden 42.7% vs Trump 37.1%, what a weak pathetic loser that Trump guy must have been to have approval ratings that low!

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-approval-rating/

[Alan Klein]

is only 5.6 percentage points higher than Trump's for the same period in their terms. Biden 42.7% vs Trump 37.1%, what a weak pathetic loser that Trump guy must have been to have approval ratings that low!

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-approval-rating/

Well, Trump's statistics were always in the toilet.  But Biden was way over 50%.  So relatively, he's taken a huge hit.  Many democrats and Independents have pulled away from him.  That will show in the upcoming midterm elections.  Also, it's the congressional statistics that are scaring Democrats more.  The polls favor republicans by double digits the first time in decades. 

Frankly, we need a divided government where one branch is Republican and the other Democrat.  Then there's less chance for damage by them passing more wasteful legislation that spends money we don't have. 

[LesPalenik]

It looks like GM is going to build a new factory, their third, for batteries for EVs in Michigan.

GM eyeing $2.5 billion investment for new battery cell plant in Lansing area
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2021/12/10/gm-eyes-lansing-area-site-third-battery-plant/6450751001/

Good to see both Ford and GM planning new factories. Without Tesla starting the EV movement, Ford and GM, along with all other car makers would be still sitting on their asses and making the ICE cars.

[Alan Klein]

Good to see both Ford and GM planning new factories. Without Tesla starting the EV movement, Ford and GM, along with all other car makers would be still sitting on their asses and making the ICE cars.

Interesting story about the original Ford couple. Henry Ford's wife refused to drive his infernal, internal combustion engine Model T.  She preferred a competitor's electric vehicle.  It was less smelly.  Plus, it started to drive immediately.  No need to hand crank the engine first to get it started.  It wasn't until they developed a battery-fired starter, that Mrs Ford agreed to drive a Ford. 

[digitaldog]

Interesting story about.....Diarrhea of the keyboard. Or close enough for diversions:
https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2008/may/01/computing.health

Well, Trump's statistics were always in the toilet.

[Robert Roaldi]

Good to see both Ford and GM planning new factories. Without Tesla starting the EV movement, Ford and GM, along with all other car makers would be still sitting on their asses and making the ICE cars.

In North America anyway. e-Cars have been in development in many places for a while now. In N.A. now, we can't even get small cars anymore. Even the Golf, which is not small, is only available in upmarket trims starting in 2022 at absurd prices. I've been saying it for years, gasoline has been way too cheap. No one bothered to design, build or buy fuel-efficient cars. Advertising maintains its myths though, I recently see an ad for Ford Bronco showing the vehicles alongside galloping horses in open desert. Hilarious, really.

[Peter McLennan]

The only reason Democrats in America keep talking about Trump is because they can't talk about what positive things Biden's doing.

Preposterous political bullshit. I'm astonished that you'd stoop to write such crap.

If anything, Americans should keep talking about trump's misdeeds lest he try again to subvert all that Americans purport to hold dear.

.

[PeterAit]

Good to see both Ford and GM planning new factories. Without Tesla starting the EV movement, Ford and GM, along with all other car makers would be still sitting on their asses and making the ICE cars.

Toyota just announced a huge battery factory here in North Carolina. Ans VW has recently completed a plant to build their ID4 all-electric in Tennessee. We just bought an ID4 and it's great--we are saving 75-80% in fuel costs.

It's true that Tesla really jump-started the electric car thing. So what?

[Alan Klein]

Preposterous political bullshit. I'm astonished that you'd stoop to write such crap.

If anything, Americans should keep talking about trump's misdeeds lest he try again to subvert all that Americans purport to hold dear.

.

If Democrats do that, they'll continue to lose elections like in Virginia.   Most of us have had enough of Trump and are concerned with other issues.  Inflation and the economy are priorities for many.  Talking about wealthy Trump will just remind people how poor they really are under Biden and getting poorer. 

[Peter McLennan]

Most of us have had enough of Trump and are concerned with other issues.

Then too bad for you and too bad for America.

.

[Alan Klein]

Toyota just announced a huge battery factory here in North Carolina. Ans VW has recently completed a plant to build their ID4 all-electric in Tennessee. We just bought an ID4 and it's great--we are saving 75-80% in fuel costs.

It's true that Tesla really jump-started the electric car thing. So what?

Les was trying to point out that President Biden lied and gave all the credit to GM for EV's.  He didn't even invite Tesla to the party.  He was too busy playing politics.  You can't blame Trump for Biden's lies.  Voters are finally getting smart. 

[Alan Klein]

Then too bad for you and too bad for America.

.

Trump has no power.  He's just another civilian.  He couldn't do much when he was president. If he could, he'd still be president.  The Republic survived when he was and will certainly survive now that he isn't.  You just don't understand America or our constitution. 

[digitaldog]

He couldn't do much when he was president.

Hum... I thought you told us he got us out of Afghanistan, made many of the world leaders bend to his strength, stopped wars (none that you could describe) bla, bla bla over the years and so many pages here.
Or was that the other Alan Klein.

You just don't understand America or our constitution. 

Pot calls Kettle Black again.

[Robert Roaldi]

Les was trying to point out that President Biden lied and gave all the credit to GM for EV's.  He didn't even invite Tesla to the party.  He was too busy playing politics.  You can't blame Trump for Biden's lies.  Voters are finally getting smart.

Why do you keep harping about a non-event that almost no one cares about? I hope Biden does something else dumb soon so I don't have to keep hearing about how poor Tesla was offended. While we're on the subject, is there any reason why Tesla insists on using their own charging plug design?

You keep calling it playing politics, but I'm confused. Why would Biden consider it to be in his interest to slight Tesla? Did Musk refuse to contribute to his campaign or something?

[Alan Klein]

Why do you keep harping about a non-event that almost no one cares about? I hope Biden does something else dumb soon so I don't have to keep hearing about how poor Tesla was offended. While we're on the subject, is there any reason why Tesla insists on using their own charging plug design?

You keep calling it playing politics, but I'm confused. Why would Biden consider it to be in his interest to slight Tesla? Did Musk refuse to contribute to his campaign or something?

Because GM is union and Tesla isn't.

[LesPalenik]

Why do you keep harping about a non-event that almost no one cares about? I hope Biden does something else dumb soon so I don't have to keep hearing about how poor Tesla was offended. While we're on the subject, is there any reason why Tesla insists on using their own charging plug design?

You keep calling it playing politics, but I'm confused. Why would Biden consider it to be in his interest to slight Tesla? Did Musk refuse to contribute to his campaign or something?

I am quite familiar with the EV technology and progress, so I'm not hurt a bit about Biden offending Tesla. But I was shocked and disgusted that Biden could spew out such lies on national TV and confuse uninformed citizens.  Beside Trump, I have never witnessed a head of the state spreading disinformation and blatant lies on such a scale to his constituents. I don't think Trudeau could get away with such BS.

You changed the whole story, Mary, wherever — (applause) — wherever you are.  There you are.  You did, Mary.  You electrified the entire automobile industry.  I’m serious.  You led — and it matters — in drastically improving the climate by reducing hundreds of millions of barrels of oil that will not be used when we’re all electric.

That's about the same GM who 25 years ago killed EV1 car and this year stopped production of Bolt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Killed_the_Electric_Car%3F

To answer your question why Tesla uses their own charging plug system, I'm glad you asked.
In 2012, Tesla released their Model S car, but since there were no public charging stations anywhere in USA, Tesla developed both the freestanding superchargers and the charging plug interface.

After the Dieselgate emissions cheating scandal in 2015, Volkswagen was forced by US government to set up an electric-vehicle charging network, called Electrify America. They spent $2 billion on building and promoting the charging infrastructure in the U.S. but were not interested in the long term operation of this network and adapting the already existing Tesla standard. Now Volkswagen is seeking to sell a stake in Electrify America company,

[TechTalk]

I was shocked and disgusted... such a scale

There was contemporary reporting at the time. I'm surprised that you haven't linked to it.

https://youtu.be/Biden at GM

Oh the humanity!

[LesPalenik]

There was contemporary reporting at the time. I'm surprised that you haven't linked to it.

https://youtu.be/Biden at GM

Oh the humanity!

I fail to understand the connection. How does the Hindenburg disaster justify Biden's lies? Or did you want to compare it with GM Bolt on fire?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tisCZde-1Kg

[TechTalk]

I thought your reaction had a familiar ring to it.

[Robert Roaldi]

Because GM is union and Tesla isn't.

It is easy to accept that unions would support the Dems. I mean, they're not likely to support the other guys, and since the US insists on having only 2 political parties (something that a lot of people in the rest of the world find a little strange, I believe) then the unions don't have many options. What's more difficult for me to accept is that GM's unionized workforce is that important a political force these days. I'm not sure why their support of Biden bothers you.

But accepting all that for argument's sake, I still don't see why that would upset so much to keep bringing it up. In Trump's time, loyalty was priority 1, he insisted on it and it was commented on many times in these pages by you specifically, among others. So why does Biden's loyalty to part of his "base" upset you so much?

You're just not convincing me. I don't see that episode as very indicative of anything much at all. If that's the worst thing Biden does this year, that's not that bad, is it.