In an effort to criticize John McCain's economic policies and his apparent unwillingness to support "buy American" restrictions including Harley-Davidson motorcycles for the Secret Service, a group of American-made hybrid car owners and Harley riders rolled into downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Tuesday to support Barack Obama. The only stipulation for participation? Hybrids had to be American made, meaning no Priuses allowed.
Led by Chevrolet Malibu hybrid owner and Democratic congressional candidate Bob Alexander
(whose love for his battery-boosted Chevy led to more YouTube videos than Tina Fey appearing as Sarah Palin on SNL) the group timed its rally between the
unveiling of the Chevrolet Volt, and a Grand Rapids visit by McCain. Of course, the new-media-savvy Obama campaign promoted the event with Facebook invitations and blog postings. One campaign staffer wanted to live blog it on a BlackBerry, but McCain refused to build one for her.
We know this post will push more buttons than someone trying to turn on the AC in a '93 Alfa Romeo 164. In fact, we're placing bets on how many seconds after the post hits that the first commenter is dissecting the overall emissions of a Sportster or arguing whether it's OK to buy a Ford made in Mexico. Still, we think the Hybrids and Harleys crowd is on to something that goes beyond politics: They've highlighted the fatal flaws of both the American auto industry and the American public that the winning candidate will have to deal with in January.
The very vehicles that Hybrids and Harleys chose to include in the rally highlight the systemic and psychological impediments to rebuilding the American auto industry. Let's remember that right now, American-made hybrids suck. Really. Two more miles per gallondoes not a fuel-saver make. Most drivers can save more than that by laying off the gas, emptying the trunk and keeping their tires properly inflated. Like the heinous Oldsmobile diesels of the early '80s, the current lineup of American-made hybrids (with the exception of the amazingly engineered Tahoe Hybrid) are poor feel-good imitations. To think we make fun of the Chinese for that.
That's not to say that the American auto industry isn't capable of greatness. Even though we're starting to sound like we're waiting for the Great Pumpkin, it's true that the Volt is going to make all hybrids that came before it about as popular as a Chrysler Aspen. Since 2001, however, Americans looking to double their current mileage had to look overseas to a Pur-ess. Er, Py-russ. We mean, Piruss. It's no wonder Detroit couldn't be as responsive and innovative as their foreign competitors: Automakers face the same skyrocketing health care costs and unsure retiree benefits the rest of America has to deal with. At nearly $40,000, we're not so sure anyone will be able to afford a Volt by the time it comes out at the end of 2010. In fact, we'd be saying the same thing if it were $5,000.
Harley-Davidson is the kind of company Americans love to love. It makes powerful, beautiful machinery that cultivates a certain lifestyle among devotees. Under the chains and leather, a lot of Harley riders are absolute gentlemen and ladies and would do anything for their fellow man or woman. That's why it's so disheartening to see the recent H-D ad campaign pleading with Americans not to buy a Harley for its gas mileage, as if there's something toxic about saving gas, saving the planet, reducing dependency on foreign fossil fuels or any other quality perceived as "weak."
While there's nothing wrong with deciding "Screw it" and riding, there's also nothing wrong with being proud of conserving resources. We suspect a lot of Harley riders are proud of gas mileage that bests any other American-made gas-powered personal transport. The American public could use a little more of that kind of nuance in order to move forward without running headfirst into a emotional, fact-free shouting match. Example: A multisided half-hour discussion on the McLaughlin Group (Wrong!) about the merits of offshore drilling? Nuanced. "Drill, Baby, Drill!" chanted during one of the most important political speeches of the year? Not nuanced. We expect your nuanced and not-so-nuanced comments below.
Hat-tip to John V. for the tip. Photo of a previous Obama-Harley event in Wisconsin by Flickr user aflcio2008.
(Is that Joe Biden in the black shirt and sunglasses?)
