Romney Called Tesla a “Loser” In the 2012 Presidential Debates. About That…

Six months after Mitt Romney called electric auto company Tesla a "loser," Tesla is posting profits, expects to pay back the Dept. of Energy five years ahead of schedule, and won Motor Trend's Car of the Year.

 

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Six months after Mitt Romney called electric auto company Tesla Motors a “loser” investment for the Obama administration, Tesla has announced it will post its first ever profit in the Q1 2013 and expects to pay back its Department of Energy loan 5 years ahead of schedule, by the end of 2017. Meanwhile, Tesla’s Model S was unanimously voted Motor Trend’s Car of the Year in November 2012.

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Wasn’t there some other contest that happened in November of 2012? I feel  like there was.

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If we’re going to talk about picking losers, though, let’s talk about picking Tesla as your “gotcha” zinger during the presidential debates. If you’re going to call someone a “loser,” maybe don’t choose Tesla, which has nearly every demographic in the entire United States rooting for it. Let’s review:

1. Environmentalists: Don’t like 10,000 barrels of crude oil running down the streets of your cul-de-sac? An electric car may be for you.
2. Car fans: Sadly, the rumor that Tesla would be racing in Nascar was just an April Fool’s joke, but its Roadster model has already won a four-car drag race against a Lotus Exige, a Porsche GT3, and a Porsche Carrera GT (video below). Surely the Nascar Dad demo can get behind that.
3. Geeks: Tesla’s Chairman and CEO is Elon Musk, who is also the founder of PayPal and the CEO and chief designer of the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX). In case that’s not enough geek cred for you, Musk is even fluent in the Geek dialect, telling the press after Mitt Romney’s “loser” comment and subsequent loss in the presidential election, “In retrospect, he was right about the object of that statement, but not the subject.” (Translation for those of you who do not speak awkwardese: “Who’s the loser now, motherfucker?”)
4. People who like awesome things: See, e.g., photo above, video of drag race below.

Lesson: Do not bet against a geek. (Auto journalist Dan Neil already tried that back in 2009, betting Musk he could not build the Model S “within the technical specifications Mr. Musk laid out before the end of 2012.” Musk won, but he donated $1 million to charity anyway.)