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Proving just how fickle Americans are when it comes to liking someone or something, Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain is now feeling heat from the United Auto Workers over not knowing who purchased his daughter's Toyota Prius. He had apparently at one time stated that he himself purchased the car which is different from his latest statements where he “believes” that his daughter purchased it herself.
And the problem with all this?
The problem is that Sen. McCain felt that he could no longer claim to have purchased the car for fear of it reflecting poorly upon himself. Though the UAW has some of it right when they pine for a straight talking candidate, they cannot view the purchase of a Japanese car as a lack of support for the group.
Sen. McCain (or his daughter) no doubt purchased the car because it is the best at doing what it does, and that other makes are still trying to catch up. The fact that it is not domestic should not reflect poorly upon the senator; it should instead reflect poorly upon our own domestic manufactures. In the consumer driven economy that is the US it is no surprise that consumers will flock to the best choice.
The belief that purchasing other than American is somehow not in support of America is bogus; it is in fact exercising one of the most quintessentially American of actions. The freedom of choice.
No, the shame in all this is that the American auto industry (and everything that entails), a group that is capable of creating world class automobiles in the form of the latest Corvettes and Cadillacs, or European Fords; being technological leaders with systems like their magneto-rheological dampers that are so good the likes of Ferrari and Audi use it under license; and style leaders instead feels that we Americans should feel obligated to support a group that cannot rise to the occasion and provide cars actually worth purchasing.
Our take? We may or may not be McCain supporters, but we cannot find fault with his purchase of a Prius. That is, if he actually purchased it. As for not sticking to his guns...
via Los Angeles Times
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