[deltasmith]

I recently created a new thread that started to become political. I didn't want it to go off topic, so thought I'd create this new thread for folks that want to sound off about their political views. There's a commonly held stereotype that hybrid owners tend to lean to the left politically (as opposed to literally leaning to the left to compensate for an alignment problem , but there seems to be a fair amount of politically conservative viewpoints being expressed on this forum. This thread/survey is intended to help us figure out where we are politically as a group of Niro owners.

 

[deltasmith]

Note that you can select more than one answer if you want, and that your selections are not necessarily anonymous. I went first so others could see what their responses might look like.

 

[yticolev]

Some politics are appropriate on a car forum, like subsidies for owners or manufacturers or energy producers/suppliers. You could expand that to single issue support for candidates for your preferred position, but otherwise there are better forums for pure politics. Not interested.

 

[badyellowvette]

You forgot to put in the pole "I think Trump is an embarrassment and should be impeached".

 

[TLH1310]

What about those of us that don't align with any major parties.

I like to say "I'm fiscally conservative, and socially liberal."

None of the parties are fiscally responsible, and those that claim they are, don't fit my social criteria.

Bringing this into Niro context: Of the cars I looked at when selecting a new car, the Niro had the best gas mileage and fit my needs best. My other choices included Impreza, Kona, or CR-V.

 

[deltasmith]

Some politics are appropriate on a car forum, like subsidies for owners or manufacturers or energy producers/suppliers. You could expand that to single issue support for candidates for your preferred position, but otherwise there are better forums for pure politics. Not interested.

Thanks, I appreciate your opinion. I too had some doubts about whether this was an appropriate topic for this forum (which is why I started this thread in the "Off Topic Discussion" section). My primary motivation for starting this thread was because politics came up in a different thread and I didn't want to hijack that thread by responding to the political sentiments that had been expressed. But I'm also really curious to learn about how people who think about politics in very different ways are still highly motivated to be Niro owners. It occurred to me that we might hear some comments on this thread that break commonly held stereotypes, and that would probably be a good thing if it happens.

You forgot to put in the pole "I think Trump is an embarrassment and should be impeached".

Thanks for chiming in with that. I might have been tempted to include that one, but I wanted to come up with a set of questions that would feel evenly balanced to most forum members, regardless of their political stripes.

What about those of us that don't align with any major parties.

I like to say "I'm fiscally conservative, and socially liberal."

None of the parties are fiscally responsible, and those that claim they are, don't fit my social criteria.

Bringing this into Niro context: Of the cars I looked at when selecting a new car, the Niro had the best gas mileage and fit my needs best. My other choices included Impreza, Kona, or CR-V.

Good point! And I kind of align with that myself. I regret that I didn't think to include that one in the list of questions. This poll will only accept responses for two weeks, and then it's closed. If anyone feels inspired to create a new poll like this in the future, I hope they include that as one of the options.

 

[hawke]

I purchased a 2018 Kia Niro PHEV because it was the best vehicle choice for us and I also considered it to be the best value for our money. I last purchased a new car in 1999, a Hyundai Elantra sedan (we're still driving this vehicle). I chose the Elantra because in 1998 Hyundai launched their 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. The Elantra also experienced an increase in their favorability ratings with Consumer Reports and J.D. Powers. 1999 was also the year Hyundai gained an 82 percent increase in auto sales over the previous year so I wasn't alone in seeing the value of their product. I purchased the Kia Niro PHEV primarily for economic reasons. It comes with the same 10 year/100,000 mile warranty and I hope to be driving it for a very long time. I apply this same bang-for-the-buck economic world view to all our financial purchases. You could read into this and attempt to discern my political leanings, but to paraphrase U2, "I still haven't found what I'm looking for" in today's political landscape. And odds are I never will.

 

[cockedandglocked]

I believe in gun rights and a woman's right to choose... I believe we need to curb immigration, and that global warming is real. I believe in less government and lower taxes, and gay rights and affordable health care. So... I don't know what that makes me.

I have a gas guzzler and a Niro phev. So I'm either a centrist or a hypocrite, or neither, or both

 

[deltasmith]

Well said. I think some folks around here might not agree with all of the things you believe in, but I imagine most agree with most of the things you believe in. And yet, reading your post, you're a hard person to peg in terms of the commonly held ideas about political divisions. Good for you!

 

[Roadkill401]

The one thing that I have found is that politics is getting more and more devisive. Here in Canada, there was when I was young, the Left (NDP), the centeralist (liberal) and the right (conservative). Though now it seems that the Liberals has moved to the left, pushing the NDP to be now ultra left wing, and for some reason has driving the Conservatives to be even more right than before.


I wish we could have the CommonSense party, that didn't have to paint withing the boxes dictated by left or right polotics. If it makes common sense then why does it matter if on one toppic you take a more Left stand and on something else take a Right?


For example. Gun Control. The problem is not the gun. The problem is not the law abiding citizens who use them responsibly. The problem is the criminals who don't follow the laws and the cavilier who take the side of shoot first ask questions later. But it looks like the Left and the Right want to take polar opposite stances on the issue and totally miss the problem that stuck right in the middle.