QOTD: Does Being a Car Person Matter for Politicians?
The LA Times has a piece out that goes deep into vice presidential candidate Tim Walz (D) and his affinity for cars in general and International Scouts in particular.
The piece delves into Walz's background as an enthusiast while also asking how it might play with voters.
It also contains interviews with some folks that our readers might be familiar with.
Personally, I have no idea how much being a car guy or gal resonates with voters -- and by "voters" here, I mean undecideds mainly, since I suspect most people have made their choice and it won't matter if a given politician has the same hobbies they do or not.
I don't think I'd ever vote for or against a politician because they did or didn't like cars. Or because they do or don't like other things I am into such as sports or certain types of music. My political choices come down to a mix of who aligns best with my policy preferences, a person's ability to be an effective leader, and a person's character/morals. Plus a few other factors.
That said, perhaps a "car person" might at least better understand an industry that is constantly subjected to federal regulations.
Before you shoot down to the comments, please remember to play nice. Just because a post is political or about politics does not mean you have license to level personal attacks or otherwise break our rules regarding commenting.
It's our sandbox, and while we're inviting you in, we can also kick you out. So please play nice -- I am getting tired of some of the comments I see in the moderation queue. Whether you like Walz or not, whether you like Donald Trump/J.D. Vance or not, whether you're a Democrat, Republican, or something else, please keep it civil and keep it, as much as you can, to cars and the question at hand.
Thank you in advance.
That said, you know what to do. Does it matter to you, especially if you're undecided, if a politician is into cars? Will a "car person" who gets elected to high office work better with the automotive industry?
Sound off below.
[Image: lev radin/Shutterstock.com]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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