katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,448 
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Post by katybee on Aug 4, 2014 15:43:00 GMT
I've got to stop reading Facebook in the morning....
So one of my conservative friends posted a link (granted--it was from Rush Limbaugh) to a picture of a Prius with an NRA license plate. And Limbaugh said it was the only cool Prius he's ever seen. Cue the CRAZY comments....about liberal tree huggers and how you're supporting Obama and his liberal agenda if you drive one...
I had no idea there could be such animosity towards a car. A CAR, people.
So please explain.... How is CONSERVING natural resources NOT conservative? It saves money, too... Isn't that a good thing?
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Post by Merge on Aug 4, 2014 15:46:32 GMT
Just goes to show that ideology, not reason, is what drives our political parties these days.
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Post by aljack on Aug 4, 2014 15:46:36 GMT
I don't associate the car to a political party but my DH calls it the clown car . He's a big guy so for him it is small.  |
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Post by cade387 on Aug 4, 2014 15:52:21 GMT
I would say that folks generally believe (as in - not my opinion) that democrats tend to care more about the environment as republicans tend to back big oil so a prius would not be a natural choice for a republican in that case.
I'm not sure why you are saying that a prius is conservative on gas therefore it must be driven by conservatives?
I would never associate a car with a type of political party. I fully I admit I judge based on supporting Amercian carmakers, but not within any particular party.
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luckyexwife
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,069
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Post by luckyexwife on Aug 4, 2014 15:56:49 GMT
I don't know if it is true or not, but I have read several articles about how not environmentally friendly the manufacturing of the Prius is. If I remember correctly, it has to do with the nickel used in making the batteries.
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perumbula
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,439
Location: Idaho
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Post by perumbula on Aug 4, 2014 16:01:36 GMT
My mechanical engineer BIL, who did extensive work on his University alternative energy car team, hates the Prius and cars like them. He doesn't like the battery production process and says they will become a nightmare when the batteries wear out and we have no good way to trash them without harming the environment. It's an interesting debate. I do hate though that conservatives are seen as being against the environment though.  And a lot of them are just because the liberal thinkers are for it. (My dad is for that very reason. Makes me sad.) |
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Post by DawnMcD on Aug 4, 2014 16:02:04 GMT
we drive a Prius and it has nothing to do with saving the environment (nice bonus if it helps out that way) My DH commutes 45 min each way to work and it saves us significantly. I am not sure how a car can be considered a political statement. Ours is certainly not intended to be one.
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Deleted
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Oct 7, 2024 14:30:30 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2014 16:06:14 GMT
Well, I'll agree that I've never seen a "cool" Prius, but it has nothing to do with political affiliation. I'm a tree hugging Oregonian, so I like hybrids & electric cars because I appreciate the environmental benefits. I just wish the designers would come up with more attractive ones (except Tesla - be still my beating heart!).
I guess if you're a conservative who thinks it's dumb to try to protect the environment and our natural resources, then a hybrid or electric car would be "liberal," because there's not much of a reason to buy one if that's not a priority to you on some level. But many conservatives are also plenty interested in responsible stewardship of our environment and resources.
It's just a stereotype Rush and his ilk enjoy railing against, I guess.
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Deleted
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Oct 7, 2024 14:30:30 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2014 16:26:18 GMT
Two of the most conservative people I know own a Prius. I seriously doubt they care what Rush thinks about their choice of vehicle. They're far more interested in how much money they save in fuel costs.
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katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,448
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Post by katybee on Aug 4, 2014 16:32:46 GMT
I would say that folks generally believe (as in - not my opinion) that democrats tend to care more about the environment as republicans tend to back big oil so a prius would not be a natural choice for a republican in that case. I'm not sure why you are saying that a prius is conservative on gas therefore it must be driven by conservatives? I would never associate a car with a type of political party. I fully I admit I judge based on supporting Amercian carmakers, but not within any particular party. I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying I think it's silly to dismiss a car based purely on political ideology. And asking the bigger question of why so many conservatives seem to be against anything "green" when I think it's a very sound and conservative principal (specifically conserving resources). |
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raindancer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,095
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Post by raindancer on Aug 4, 2014 17:09:53 GMT
I would say that folks generally believe (as in - not my opinion) that democrats tend to care more about the environment as republicans tend to back big oil so a prius would not be a natural choice for a republican in that case. I'm not sure why you are saying that a prius is conservative on gas therefore it must be driven by conservatives? I would never associate a car with a type of political party. I fully I admit I judge based on supporting Amercian carmakers, but not within any particular party. You judge what based on supporting American car makers? People? Call me unpatriotic but until American car makers get their act together and stop making crappy cars with poor reliability ratings, I won't be buying one, you make and sell a subpar product that's on you, I don't owe you anything simply because you are American. (and lest we forget foreign manufacturers are in the US and US manufacturers are outside the US, so it's silly anyway). |
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Post by Skypea on Aug 4, 2014 17:11:29 GMT
I don't have one?  I save $ driving my old, old car. insurance is cheaper, tax/plates are cheaper and if someone dings it who would know? |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 7, 2024 14:30:30 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2014 17:18:11 GMT
I would say that folks generally believe (as in - not my opinion) that democrats tend to care more about the environment as republicans tend to back big oil so a prius would not be a natural choice for a republican in that case. I'm not sure why you are saying that a prius is conservative on gas therefore it must be driven by conservatives? I would never associate a car with a type of political party. I fully I admit I judge based on supporting Amercian carmakers, but not within any particular party. I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying I think it's silly to dismiss a car based purely on political ideology. And asking the bigger question of why so many conservatives seem to be against anything "green" when I think it's a very sound and conservative principal (specifically conserving resources). I agree is is silly to dismiss a car purely on political ideology. But it is equally silly to accept the commercial hype about "green-ness" issues without considering the long term ramifications of processes and disposal of materials used in that "green-ness" While electric cars may lower dependence on oil they are also a looming nightmare of heavy metal disposal at the end of their usefulness. I'm not sure which is more important. we are in this current mess due to short sightedness |
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Post by hennybutton on Aug 4, 2014 17:19:20 GMT
I don't have one? I save $ driving my old, old car. insurance is cheaper, tax/plates are cheaper and if someone dings it who would know? Yeah, I keep my cars until they fall apart myself. I think it makes more sense financially and environmentally to get the most use you can out of things like cars, appliances, etc. I also think that the whole "green" movement is seen as a liberal thing. I also see many conservative Christians saying that God gave us dominion over the Earth, so we can do whatever we want. They forget about the concept of stewardship. We need to take care of our homes, and Earth is our home. It would be really easy to craft an argument for environmentalism that would fit the conservative agenda, but with politics the way they are today, I doubt the extremists will ever listen. |
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Post by I-95 on Aug 4, 2014 17:29:04 GMT
The only thing i know about the Prius is that it's a safe car to be in if you're in an accident.
My cousin and her 3 young DDs were driving down a freeway in NY when an older man, heading in the opposite direction, had a heart attack. His vehicle crossed the center divide and hit them head on. Their injuries were severe but they all lived. The man in the other car did not.
My cousin will not drive anything but a Prius now.
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Post by cade387 on Aug 4, 2014 17:31:37 GMT
I would say that folks generally believe (as in - not my opinion) that democrats tend to care more about the environment as republicans tend to back big oil so a prius would not be a natural choice for a republican in that case. I'm not sure why you are saying that a prius is conservative on gas therefore it must be driven by conservatives? I would never associate a car with a type of political party. I fully I admit I judge based on supporting Amercian carmakers, but not within any particular party. You judge what based on supporting American car makers? People? Call me unpatriotic but until American car makers get their act together and stop making crappy cars with poor reliability ratings, I won't be buying one, you make and sell a subpar product that's on you, I don't owe you anything simply because you are American. (and lest we forget foreign manufacturers are in the US and US manufacturers are outside the US, so it's silly anyway). I judge based on where the money goes. People insisting that foreign makers are American companies because they hire Americans is stupid. I rented a car last week for work. The guy asked if I had a preference of a type of car and I replied American. He said well I have a Kia. At this point I would not consider a Kia an American car. I would also say you haven't bought a car lately. If you think they are all crappy and unreliable. I also think many folks would be surprised where the money goes in the companies. Many companies say they are American because they have the bulk of their offices here but they off shore the HQ in order to claim tax breaks and pay close to nothing in taxes. I do research on as much as I can (not just cars) - obviously I can't do it for everything. But since I work in the automotive industry, that part is easier for me to do. |
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smartypants71
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,816
Location: Houston, TX
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Post by smartypants71 on Aug 4, 2014 17:33:59 GMT
I don't have an opinion one way or another but STUDIES SHOW that Prius drivers are some of the biggest jerks on the road.  |
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Post by 5peanutsnana on Aug 4, 2014 17:37:02 GMT
You judge what based on supporting American car makers? People? Call me unpatriotic but until American car makers get their act together and stop making crappy cars with poor reliability ratings, I won't be buying one, you make and sell a subpar product that's on you, I don't owe you anything simply because you are American. (and lest we forget foreign manufacturers are in the US and US manufacturers are outside the US, so it's silly anyway). I judge based on where the money goes. People insisting that foreign makers are American companies because they hire Americans is stupid. I rented a car last week for work. The guy asked if I had a preference of a type of car and I replied American. He said well I have a Kia. At this point I would not consider a Kia an American car. I would also say you haven't bought a car lately. If you think they are all crappy and unreliable. I also think many folks would be surprised where the money goes in the companies. Many companies say they are American because they have the bulk of their offices here but they off shore the HQ in order to claim tax breaks and pay close to nothing in taxes. I do research on as much as I can (not just cars) - obviously I can't do it for everything. But since I work in the automotive industry, that part is easier for me to do. |
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Post by 5peanutsnana on Aug 4, 2014 17:37:30 GMT
You judge what based on supporting American car makers? People? Call me unpatriotic but until American car makers get their act together and stop making crappy cars with poor reliability ratings, I won't be buying one, you make and sell a subpar product that's on you, I don't owe you anything simply because you are American. (and lest we forget foreign manufacturers are in the US and US manufacturers are outside the US, so it's silly anyway). I judge based on where the money goes. People insisting that foreign makers are American companies because they hire Americans is stupid. I rented a car last week for work. The guy asked if I had a preference of a type of car and I replied American. He said well I have a Kia. At this point I would not consider a Kia an American car. I would also say you haven't bought a car lately. If you think they are all crappy and unreliable. I also think many folks would be surprised where the money goes in the companies. Many companies say they are American because they have the bulk of their offices here but they off shore the HQ in order to claim tax breaks and pay close to nothing in taxes. I do research on as much as I can (not just cars) - obviously I can't do it for everything. But since I work in the automotive industry, that part is easier for me to do.  |
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Post by manda on Aug 4, 2014 17:53:17 GMT
I don't know if it is true or not, but I have read several articles about how not environmentally friendly the manufacturing of the Prius is. If I remember correctly, it has to do with the nickel used in making the batteries. That. Seriously that. All people think of is the impact of gas usage. For me, a car is about the carbon footprint. I generally find (warning, stereotype incoming) that my very liberal friends are the ones who drives Priuses (or other electric/hybrid cars). That's not to say that my conservative friends don't have them as well. Just a definite difference. I had a very similar conversation about electric cars on Saturday at dinner. I'm the most conservative (not very liberal) among the 4 of us. I stated something about not buying into the hype of electric/hybrid cars and boy did I have to defend my viewpoint. However, the 3 of them seemed to respect that I had enough knowledge about the impact of these cars on the environment, unrelated to gas consumption, and that though I drive a luxury German car, it's 11 years old with 52,000 miles and my carbon footprint doesn't need to have a new car added to it, electric or otherwise, at this time in my life. |
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Post by Darcy Collins on Aug 4, 2014 18:40:24 GMT
The only thing i know about the Prius is that it's a safe car to be in if you're in an accident. My cousin and her 3 young DDs were driving down a freeway in NY when an older man, heading in the opposite direction, had a heart attack. His vehicle crossed the center divide and hit them head on. Their injuries were severe but they all lived. The man in the other car did not. My cousin will not drive anything but a Prius now. I'm glad your cousin and children survived their serious accident. FYI the Prius had the absolute worst performance in the small overlap front impact (a test designed to determine the impact of hitting a wall or other immovable object) of all cars tested. There are many, many cars on the road much safer than a Prius. |
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Post by bwife on Aug 4, 2014 19:13:46 GMT
its funny that someone posted about this..... We are thinking about getting a Prius ( for the gas savings) and the 1st thing one of my neighbors said was " what? a Prius? you Obama loving hippie" I let him know that my car choice has absolutely nothing to do with Obama and everything to do with the $$ in the bank.
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Deleted
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Oct 7, 2024 14:30:30 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2014 19:34:03 GMT
What I'm going to say is going to ruffle some feathers probably, but... Conservatives see things like environmental policy being constantly touted and Al Gore is making hundreds of millions selling carbon credits. Meanwhile, the coal industry is being killed by the policies of the Obama administration, hurting hard-working Americans. That kind of stuff causes frustration & resentment. In general, most conservatives consider today's environmental policy to be overly intrusive in the lives of private citizens as well as business. Because of all of that, when conservatives see a car that is wildly popular amongst the crowd that pushes all of the policies that they're against, some of them run in the other direction & associate it with liberal tree huggers. I'm not that way, but I understand their POV. I don't really care what kind of car anyone drives, and I'm not against owning a Prius, although a Mini Cooper is what I'd really like to have someday! As far as American vs Foreign cars... I prefer to support car companies that operate primarily in right-to-work states, so I own a foreign car right now. |
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raindancer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,095
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Post by raindancer on Aug 4, 2014 19:48:03 GMT
You judge what based on supporting American car makers? People? Call me unpatriotic but until American car makers get their act together and stop making crappy cars with poor reliability ratings, I won't be buying one, you make and sell a subpar product that's on you, I don't owe you anything simply because you are American. (and lest we forget foreign manufacturers are in the US and US manufacturers are outside the US, so it's silly anyway). I judge based on where the money goes. People insisting that foreign makers are American companies because they hire Americans is stupid. I rented a car last week for work. The guy asked if I had a preference of a type of car and I replied American. He said well I have a Kia. At this point I would not consider a Kia an American car. I would also say you haven't bought a car lately. If you think they are all crappy and unreliable. I also think many folks would be surprised where the money goes in the companies. Many companies say they are American because they have the bulk of their offices here but they off shore the HQ in order to claim tax breaks and pay close to nothing in taxes. I do research on as much as I can (not just cars) - obviously I can't do it for everything. But since I work in the automotive industry, that part is easier for me to do. I bought a car Saturday. I spent 3 weeks researching. I bought a consumer reports subscription. The handful of cars with a handful of years scattered throughout for reliability was concerning to me, and Ford, and Chevy were a nightmare of half black/black dots. Besides the fact that Chevrolet is a company I don't trust as far as I can kick them right now. You know that Ford and Chevy offshore their plants right? |
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mimima
Drama Llama
Stay Gold, Ponyboy
Posts: 5,074
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Post by mimima on Aug 4, 2014 19:54:43 GMT
I bought a car Saturday. I spent 3 weeks researching. I bought a consumer reports subscription. The handful of cars with a handful of years scattered throughout for reliability was concerning to me, and Ford, and Chevy were a nightmare of half black/black dots. Besides the fact that Chevrolet is a company I don't trust as far as I can kick them right now. You know that Ford and Chevy offshore their plants right? I also bought a car this weekend (well, we'll take delivery this weekend) and didn't buy American. Having said that, Dh's main car is a Chevy - which he likes just fine - but I am Pea Livid at the way they have handled their ignition problems. The fact that they were willing to allow deaths and prison sentences rather than admit they had a problem is huge in my eyes. |
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mimima
Drama Llama
Stay Gold, Ponyboy
Posts: 5,074
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Post by mimima on Aug 4, 2014 19:55:27 GMT
I also didn't buy a Prius. Mileage is important to me, but manual transmissions are more important - I bought another clean diesel
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raindancer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,095
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Post by raindancer on Aug 4, 2014 21:01:41 GMT
I bought a car Saturday. I spent 3 weeks researching. I bought a consumer reports subscription. The handful of cars with a handful of years scattered throughout for reliability was concerning to me, and Ford, and Chevy were a nightmare of half black/black dots. Besides the fact that Chevrolet is a company I don't trust as far as I can kick them right now. You know that Ford and Chevy offshore their plants right? I also bought a car this weekend (well, we'll take delivery this weekend) and didn't buy American. Having said that, Dh's main car is a Chevy - which he likes just fine - but I am Pea Livid at the way they have handled their ignition problems. The fact that they were willing to allow deaths and prison sentences rather than admit they had a problem is huge in my eyes. The decade long recall issue is a deal breaker for me. I know that past reliability for many cars is fine, I was actually surprised by Fords low ratings, my parents have bought ford and dodge for years. But Chevrolet...no. |
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Post by peasful1 on Aug 4, 2014 21:03:54 GMT
The only thing I associate with a Prius is a bad driver.  |
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And a lot of them are just because the liberal thinkers are for it. (My dad is for that very reason. Makes me sad.)
