Debbie Drives a Hummer
New York Times columnist Tom Friedman dislikes Hummers, and as the Washington Post reports, once quipped, "If you want to drive a Hummer, go to Iraq."
So Debbie Dingell, a lobbyist for General Motors and wife of congressman John Dingell, decided to do something about it. She drove up to Friedman's home in Bethesda driving a silver Hummer H3, marketed as the "small" Hummer.
The H3 gets—ready?—a whole 16 to 19 miles per gallon. Wow! Way to go, GM!
"What bothers me is that he's not taking the time to understand what we're building in Detroit," Dingell told the Post. "I get
so mad."
That's funny. Because I get kind of mad every time I see one of those things barreling down the streets of New York like some kind of armored assault vehicle, usually carrying one passenger, who usually happens to work on Wall Street. In fact, I get
so mad.
I know lobbyists are paid to say things they don't believe, but how could anyone defend the Hummer on anything other than short-term profit grounds? It's the most socially irresponsible product since the Pinto. And at least the Pinto's problems weren't on
purpose.
