Jon Tester Rolls Eyes, Not Coal, At GOP 'Jackasses' Mocking His Prius
Doesn't he know Prii are illegal in Montana?
Just to make sure that all their vast reserves of weapons-grade Stupid aren’t used only on the presidential election this fall, Republicans are trying to go after Sen. John Tester (D-Montana) for what they figure must be a hugely offensive crime against America: When he’s in Washington DC, he gets around in a used Toyota Prius.
OK, maybe we should have warned you more before springing that scandalous fact on you.
In reply to a dumb National Republican Senatorial Committee press release calling the devastating revelation an all-caps “BOMBSHELL,” Tester said, “What a bunch of jackasses.”
Oh, but there’s a backstory too! On Monday, the Washington Post ran a story (gift link) about how weird it is that Republicans have managed to turn electric vehicles into yet another Culture War, because of course only crazy socialist commies like not paying for gasoline and having lower maintenance costs.
The story noted that even a few Democrats running for reelection in very red states, like Tester and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), have strategically pushed back against parts of Joe Biden’s climate agenda in hopes of shoring up some votes from non-Trump conservatives. Both Dems voted with Republicans on a failed measure that would have undone the EPA’s recent vehicle emissions standards, which aim at making EVs a bit over half the new vehicles sold by 2032.
In that story, Tester said he thinks EV battery tech needs to be a lot better than it is now before most buyers want them, which is where the industry is headed anyway. Tester told Wapo,
“I’m an internal combustion guy,” Tester said. “The truth is if you’re going to make it competitive we’ve got to get batteries to a point where they’re more affordable and longer lasting and work at colder weather conditions.”
Then the Post added, without further elaboration, that in Tester’s 2020 memoir, he mentions that “he bought a used Prius to drive while in D.C.”
Yup, there’s your scandal. Somehow, that’s supposed to be a reason to vote for Tester’s GOP challenger, millionaire newbie to politics and documented lying liar! Tim Sheehy.
Just to prove how weird Republicans can be, RNSC comms chair Mike Berg twote a screenshot of the two paragraphs about Tester’s EV comments and the Prius bit, adding “Fun Fact: Jon Tester drives a Prius.” Surely the EV threat is every bit as dangerous as CRT and DEI and LGBTQ+! The tweet prompted people with blue checks to repeat their favorite anti-hybrid and EV lines — if it’s used, the battery is probably shot already! — although a few folks added that yes, a Prius also has a four-cylinder gasoline engine, genius.
Berg followed that up with another, even more incriminating tweet, this one with video showing Tester getting into his Prius and ruining America by getting good city gas mileage.
I suppose we could point out that the other big scandal this week involved Donald Trump’s spiritual advisor resigning after being revealed as a child molester, but it’s not like the man ever drove a car with a battery in it.
After grumping to HuffPost about the GOP jackasses, Tester went on to explain his Real Farmer Fossil Fuel Burning cred, for all the good it might do with people who got outraged that Joe Biden petted a dog and ate ice cream with union workers.
“I’ve got an ’86 Chevy. I got a 2018 GMC. I got a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. I’ve got a Celica. I’ve got a Peterbilt. I’ve got a ’67 International truck. I’ve got a ’96 International truck. I’ve got a ’78 GMC. Want me to keep going?” Tester told HuffPost on Monday.
“I’m gonna spend $10,000 this week on diesel filling my bulk tanks that I use for planting my crop in the ground. Does that make it OK now?” he added sarcastically.
Well no, Mr. Tester, you have a Prius in a city, and that clearly means you need to go club some baby seals and drive a supertanker onto a reef, but even that may not prove your loyalty to Sparkle Fossil Motion.
In a statement, NRSC spox Maggie Aboud explained just why this is such a serious matter: “There aren’t a lot of dirt farmers in Montana who drive a Prius. Jon Tester has gone Washington.”
In conclusion, the Republican Party is very sane and knows what matters to its voters: Being angry over stupid shit forever.
PREVIOUSLY!
Yr Wonkette is funded entirely by reader donations. If you can, please become a paid subscriber, or if a one-time donation works better for you, please click this here button, which is definitely not connected to a 6.2 liter Hemi engine, sorry.
Who could have foreseen that an entire political party would adopt as its ethos the monologue from Denis Leary's song "Asshole"?
Drive a Prius to protect yourself from sharks. They’re afraid of batteries.