GM CEO Shoves Environmental Protester

[regfootball]

abc news

GM CEO Shoves Environmental Protester

GM CEO Rick Wagoner Lightly Pushed an Environmental Activist Who Approached Him at LA Auto Show

By BRIAN ROONEY

Nov. 29, 2006 — - The chairman and CEO of General Motors today gave a shove to a protester at the Los Angeles Auto Show who asked for a pledge to make GM the leader in fuel economy by 2010.

"I appreciate your support and I'm sorry, you have to leave now," GM chairman Rick Wagoner said, giving a push to Matt Leonard of the Rainforest Action Network.

Leonard, and Mike Hudema of the environmental organization Global Exchange, walked onto the stage at the Los Angeles Auto Show near Wagoner's podium carrying a large "pledge form" for Wagoner to sign. Both men were wearing suits and went to the podium unchallenged, quietly behaving as if they were part of the program.

Leonard said, "I have with me a pledge for Rick to sign here committing General Motors to become the leader in fuel economy by 2010. Rick, could you do the honors?"

Wagoner quickly replied, "I think my speech spoke for itself," before telling the two men to "take it away."

The incident occurred just after GM's chief had delivered a morning speech about the company's plans for green vehicles, including plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel-cell cars, in an effort to find new forms of propulsion.

boy, these envirowhackos have balls. and no tact or diplomacy skills.

Edited November 30, 2006 by regfootball

[PurdueGuy]

c'mon security... where's a good tackle when you need it? lol I'm happy to see advances toward "green" technology & such, but this is just dumb.

[carman21]

stupid ecoterrorists, serves em right, hopefully the next hummer the burn is with them in it,lol!

[FAPTurbo]

At least they were in suits, and clean cut and reasonably professional.

Maybe if more environmentalists were like that, instead of looking and smelling like they just came from Woodstock, people would take them seriously.

Edited November 30, 2006 by Captainbooyah

[ocnblu]

Hmmm... I wonder how those guys got to the show.

[Flybrian]

See the media bull$h!? GM CEO shoves protester. There's video of it out there. Watch it yourself. See who's the real prick here.

[pow]

He wasn't even a protester.

[AxelTheRed]

They barge onstage and Wagoner's the prick, huh? Sure he was short with them, but, uh...can you really blame him?

[regfootball]

i would have liked to see Lutz and Wagoner come 'off the top ropes' with a little tag team action on those seaweed eating pricks.

[ellives]

They barge onstage and Wagoner's the prick, huh?  Sure he was short with them, but, uh...can you really blame him?

222357[/snapback]

Um - who said Wagoner's the prick?

[siegen]

committing General Motors to become the leader in fuel economy by 2010.

Hell freezes over?

Let's see, they would only have to dump every single SUV and truck they make.

Environmental activists need to think up realistic goals if they want to get anywhere.

[AxelTheRed]

Um - who said Wagoner's the prick?

223370[/snapback]

Just the fact that people felt the need to publish and release the video online seems to me like an offhand way of saying "Look at what GM did! Shame!"

At least slightly, I could just be used to hearing negative press on GM.

Edited December 3, 2006 by AxelTheRed

[ellives]

Just the fact that people felt the need to publish and release the video online seems to me like an offhand way of saying "Look at what GM did!  Shame!"

At least slightly, I could just be used to hearing negative press on GM.

223476[/snapback]

They need to improve their security at these things. The top corporate guys are always targets for nut jobs, whether envirowackos or terrorists.

[Robert Hall]

They need to improve their security at these things. The top corporate guys are always targets for nut jobs, whether envirowackos or terrorists.

223491[/snapback]

That would have been cool if security had come forward and tasered and batoned that dude...

[Drew Dowdell]

I would have been funnier if they had rode to the event on a GM Hybrid bus and didn't even realize it.

[Sixty8panther]

Note to self: install Cadillac 500 V8 into Datsun ASAP.

I think we need to speed up global warming and my

little 2.4 liter I6 is not doing enough. An 8.2 liter V8

will do quite nicelly, no catallitic converter of course!

[Sixty8panther]

Hell freezes over?

Let's see, they would only have to dump every single SUV and truck they make.

Environmental activists need to think up realistic goals if they want to get anywhere.

223452[/snapback]

Not quite Einstein... it's not 1986 you know.

The Corvette Z06 gets better fuel economy

with a huge 7 liter V8 than most midsize

cars got a couple decades ago.

I'm not sure if you've noticed btu GM is not

building 1979 Suburbans anymore with big

carburation and 1960s technology.

Considering the variety, performance and size

of GM's vehicles their fuel economy numbers

are much better than HONDAsor TOYOTAs.

I'd love to compare the Seqoia to the some

simillar product, like a Trailblazer EXT or Tahoe.

Since the Ridgeline has no frame or any

amount of durablle construction it probably

does alright but the tradeoff of such a $h!ty

vehicle is NOT worth it.

[Brougham-Holiday]

I didn't see any shove, I think that Rick Wagner was as cool and collected as could be in that situation. I wanna know where the outrage is against ABC for posting this story with such a false title.