This is my first diary on DailyKos, though I've been a member for some time. I've been watching the debate raging in Washington about the future of American manufacturing, and especially concerning the Detroit Three.
I'm a gay, educated, lawyer from Florida. But when I was a kid, there wasn't a Saturday night that my dad didn't have me at the local stock car track. Daytona, Charlotte, Talladega, Bristol, and Atlanta were the family vacation destinations of choice to watch NASCAR races. I loved every minute of it. I'm as proud of my cracker roots as I am of the honesty in which I live my life today.
What's been bothering me in this whole mess is: where is NASCAR? Why is no one organizing the fans? Richard Petty drove to fame in a Dodge Charger. Dale Earnhardt became a legend in a Chevy Monte Carlo. And who could forget Bill Elliott's record-setting performance in a Ford Thunderbird?
What do those legends of NASCAR have in common? They created the sport from whole-cloth with American steel. There are legions and legions of NASCAR fans, old and young, who are invested not only in the latest pin-up superstar drivers, but in the vessels that carry the stars of the sport to victory.
My dad could care the less if it's Bill Elliott or Davey Allison of the past winning races, or Carl Edwards of Matt Kenseth today. What he cares about, most of all, is the Ford nameplate on the car in victory lane. He's a Ford man; always has been, always will be.
Obviously, there are fans of the sport who feel the same way about the Chevrolet and Dodge nameplates, too.
And many, many of them live in the South. Many, many of them vote. And why is no one out there reminding these men and women that they have more in common with the Midwest auto workers than just their love of American-made cars? That's only the beginning of their similarly. But it's the starting point that could help bridge an important political and cultural divide.
Mitch McConnell, Bob Corker, Dick Shelby, Saxby Chambliss, Mel Martinez. Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida. The very heart of NASCAR. All Republican Senators who voted to harm the workers who make the cars that keep the fans jazzed about the sport.
I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy. But isn't there a fault-line here that the UAW and leaders from the Midwest could exploit for the ultimate benefit of Detroit, American Manufacturing, and, yes, NASCAR itself? Can't we help NASCAR dads get a glimpse of their own economic interest through the lens of their favorite sport?
UPDATE: Good info from below! Thanks for bringing me up to speed on efforts already underway:
Brian France, chairman and CEO of NASCAR sent a letter to select members of Congress urging support for the bailout.
Chevy, Ford, Dodge and Toyota all provide direct factory support, engineering support, etc. to their NASCAR teams.
GM has already canceled many of its track sponsorships and is considering withdrawing from its sponsorship of the Daytona 500. Ford and Dodge have withdrawn financial support from their NASCAR Truck Series teams.
NASCAR teams have already laid off hundreds of garage employees and a couple teams have folded.
and
NASCAR's stars — Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, among others — have been showing their support for the auto industry, urging their fans to contact their members of Congress to push through the $25 billion Detroit bailout plan.
"We're optimistic that Congress will help support the automakers and help them get through this very difficult time," said Andrew Giangola, Director of Business Communications for NASCAR.
http://www.foxnews.com/... (yes, I know... yikes... but still)