Have you ever played the license plate game on long road trips? That is the game where passengers try to spot license plates from as many states as possible. Thanks to the wonders of Facebook, several friends of mine from across the country are joining me in a virtual version of this game. But the catch is this - you have to find the plates in alphabetical order. (If you can ever get past Alaska...)
Watching thousands of cars pass me this year has revealed a few things about human nature, the economy, and the state of the election.
My job takes me all over the United States. And since I have made a conscious choice for numerous reasons not to fly, the result is that me and my Honda Civic Hybrid have been from Albany to Redding, California, and from Progreso, Mexico to Toronto, Canada already this year. Also, because I drive a hybrid and was raised to be a safer driver, I tend to drive between 55 and 60 mph on the interstate. These choices have all sorts of consequences for me.
When you drive at a more measured pace, you almost never pass other cars. You have to drive alertly, because sometimes drivers will speed up quickly behind you because they are talking on their cell phones, watching a DVD, or doing something else other than driving. Driving more slowly is driving safer and with more awareness. And when they pass me in the left lane, I get a look from them like I am doing something wrong. It never bothers me, because I know I am keeping my expenses down. I'd like to have a bumper sticker that reads, "I Drive This Way To Save Money."
See, the gas crunch is certainly serious, but it really hasn't hit the middle class hard enough yet. Anecdotal evidence #1: American driving habits. If you can still afford to ride alone in an SUV and drive 75 to 80 mph on the interstate, then the price of gas is not high enough for you yet. Gas prices are creating lots of whining and complaints, but they are not changing many habits. True, they are causing changes in demand for SUVs and for hybrids. But that is only half the battle. Gas savings do not materialize if you do not alter your driving habits.
On a recent drive from Allentown, PA to Albany, NY - around 220 miles - I drove between 55 and 60 mph and averaged 62.5 miles per gallon for the trip. I would estimate that to be four times the gas mileage of a Ford Excursion traveling the same route at 75 mph. In fact, that mileage is about 20 to 30 percent better than if I had driven 75 mph in my hybrid. I saved $6 on this trip alone - and I drive 35,000 miles a year. If you are too lazy or too rushed to slow your speed, then gas prices really aren't high enough for you yet.
I have noticed another thing while looking at the bumpers of cars this year. Since February, I have traveled to 27 states, missing only the High Plains and New England (and Alaska and Hawaii, of course). I have seen a lot of "My Kid is an Honor Student" stickers and Waterloo Records stickers and even some "Baby on Board" signs. You know what I haven't seen anywhere? A John McCain sticker.
Anecdotal evidence #2: In travels through California, Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, Texas, Florida, New York, Indiana, Virginia, Alabama, and states in between, I have not seen a single John McCain bumper sticker on a car. I have seen plenty of stickers supporting both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. But I cannot remember an election in my lifetime where, four months out, there was no automotive evidence of support for the Republican candidate. I was even prepared to count the typical upper-class approach: taping the sticker to the inside of the rear window, lest the car be marred by a political statement. Yet I could not find even that.
Pundits worry whether the youth vote that has rocked Obama's campaign for two years will show up on Election Day. But given the lukewarm reception that John McCain continues to receive, I think their concern is misplaced. Will the white evangelical Christian voters that form the base of McCain's party remember to vote if there is no sticker on their cars?
Republicans, your enthusiasm gap is showing.
[Cross-posted at Left in Alabama]