I love Nascar, but is that now a GOP sporting event??

Flipping through the channels, I caught just one segment of Joe Scarborough, and everyone interviewed at the Daytona 500 seemed to be so pro Bush, pro Rudy, pro Cheney, anti Hillary Clinton, etc. I would think they could have found a couple of Dem supporters, just to make it look a little more balanced. I know it's Scarborough, but I'm beginning to wonder about Nascar supporters. Are they just not interviewing people like me, or is the GOP mind-set the majority of Nascar fans? I'm afraid the answer may be "yes".

on camera?

:)

I take asks me if I'm a Nascar fan. I say no. No doubt my brothers disagree.

All sporting events are now official GOP real-Amurikan gin-u-wine-patriot gatherings. Just like the Olympics! You gotta be Bush people to get in. Why, if it wasn't for George Bush, we wouldn't even have a Superdome to play the Super Bowl in! Oh... wait...

Never mind.

That was just ridiculous.

NASCAR/RudyG?

Yeah, right.

is working on showing them the truth! Please post your ideas in this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x461380

:hi:

I sure don't consider politics in most sports. I don't look at a baseball or basketball player and wonder what their politics is...all I care is how they play and if my team wins. Anything they say outside of the white lines I could care less about...just as much as they wouldn't care what I think or say.

Why auto racing needs to cozy up so closely to a political party is what turns a lot of people I know off on NASCAR. But then I subscribe to the George Carlin philosophy about auto racing and other track sports..."if it ends up where it began, it's not a sport"

:sarcasm:

America, and it's consistent with the "Southern Strategy" of the GOP.

But there's nothing inherently GOP about car racing or any other sport for that matter.

I was really encouraged that Dean Smith, the basketball coaching god of N.C., campaigned for Edwards and Kerry.

While I'm far from an expert, next to Soccer ("real football), no sport has been as nationalized as auto sports. It's the ultimate in national pride...in technology, skill and patriotism. Smart move for the Repugnicans to attach to that image and it has worked for them.

But I draw a line when NASCAR or any sporting event is used as a backdrop for a political photo op. For example, in 2004 when asshat flew AF1 around the track a couple of times...the race organizers surely were delighted to get "buzzed".

Of all sports, the most "liberal" is basketball and for some of the same reasons NASCAR is conservative. Since a majority of players are black, the coaches have had to deal with racial issues and are a lot more aware of their problems and tend to be more sympathetic. Dean Smith has long stood up for civil rights and was a trailblazer in breaking the color barrier in southern college athletics in the 60's and 70's.

Nope, it's not the sport that is inherently political, it's the people who organize and promote it. The funny thing is my daughter's boyfriend...who is a rabid racing fan...complains about the flag waiving...he sees it as phony symbolism (like having a yellow ribbon on your SUV)...as many of these people talk a lot of shit, but have no clue what they're talking about. But he keeps telling me there's a new generation coming up...those 21 and under who have a real dislike for booosh and all things Repugnican. I sure hope he's right.

Cheers...

winning gold, announcing that he was from "Bush Country". Just had to get his politics into the Olympics.

and wonder what his politics are. How can you not do that? Everything revolves around politics. I ran for office and live by the 30 second fuck you rule, find out if they are on your side and what they can do for the cause in thirty or so seconds and if they aren't on your side...fuck 'em!

that they will tend to be Repub. As the west coast drivers have been accepted into the sport and the participants are younger, there are more Dems. But the people who shoot their mouths off are Repubs. Also it just isn't cool to trash the Pres in that sport. They didn't make Clinton jokes on tv either.

well, I think. Lot's of pointless machismo and wasted precious fuel.

I used to watch it religiously after bushco 2000 I could give 3 shits. Its a shame they take advantage of hard working people that trust the govt because they work and tend to their families and dont have time to deal with politics and government.

probably don't care, as I'm not one of their political supporters.

and the politics has nothing to do with it(my dislike).

What I really care about is how Figure-8 racers vote.

last years driver`s champ was from wisconsin..many of the top drivers are not from the south..it seems that way cause they don`t show anyone saying anything bad about bush..the 100,000 people there are not all republicans

Tony Stewart should be parked - if NASCAR doesn't take away some points and fine him they will prove it's all a sham.

If that had been Junior or the #24 or $48 that got punted, they wouldn't be able to sweep it under the rug like they did with Matt and it would be in all the news.

Welcome to the WWE - NASCAR's respectibility is on the line.

I love Nascar. My husband used to work at Interstate Batteries in Dallas and sometimes this race car driver (Bobby Labonte) would come in and have lunch with the workers and sign autographs. My husband told me that he is a really great guy. Anyway, my husband asked if I would have a problem with watching him in the race that weekend and I told him no. I happen to enjoy racing so I didn't have a problem with it. Anyway.....he was great! We haven't missed a race since. Every weekend we are glued to the tv.

It isn't a matter of watching cars go round and round from my perspective. It is about a man's love for speed and his ability and control and the personalities of the drivers. I have drivers that I hate and drivers that I love and it is all about the people. The conflicts, the cheating, the politics of the sport (note the similarities of this place) I am a junky! A lot of the things that draw me to politics are the same things that draw me to Nascar.

Just wanted to give my p.o.v...........They try to tout Republicans as being the norm for Nascar but I can promise you that there are a ton of us who are Dems. Nobody ever asked me or the people I know if they are Nascar fans but we are and we are Dems. I think the leaders and people in power (CEO types)are republicans and that is where they get that generalization.

They are just claiming that without any evidence in my opinion.

The commentators that is...having to listen to Benny Parsons talk about Junior for 3 hours is maddening.
I still want to choke Tony.
Of course, maybe I'm biased.....being a #17 fan.

Matt got ska-rooooood!

http://community.netscape.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=119917&webtag=ws-sports

Judging from the barely literate mouth-breathers who crawled into that topic, NASCAR attracts LOTS of bigots. If that's the typical fan I'll be ashamed to admit I'm getting interested in the sport...

Do you really think that those people are the demographic that MadAve is spending a billion or more dollar supporting? No it more people like me.

Please don't stereotype NASCAR fans. Thank you. :)

:shrug:

but appreciate the effort, skill and training it takes.

I was merely using hyperbole...

those who are NASCAR fanatics, a large partion of them are Repugs. I'm not sure why the correlation is there but it is.

:crazy:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — When Bobby Labonte takes the green flag in Sunday's Daytona 500, he'll be racing for victory — and the Lord. The hood of Labonte's car is both a shameless movie plug — "The Passion of the Christ," coming soon to a theater near you — and some new-style proselytizing for the Gospel.

Yes, witnessing has moved from the revival tent to the fast lane.

"It's a chance to get the word out," Labonte said about the ad on his car. "Someone who is curious about Jesus and has never been saved sees the race and says, 'Hmmm, I'd like to see what that's about.' . . . Maybe we can change their minds."

NASCAR racing and the Christian faith have often worked hand-in-hand, from infield services for drivers, crewmen and officials to the pre-race invocation to the annual break in the schedule for the Easter holiday.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,590042201,00.html

CNN, after giving the march a grudging fifteen minutes of coverage (with, of course, the oh-so-appropriate "equal time" for the 200 or so anti-choice zombies) spent the ENTIRE rest of the day at some race or another, tracking down the elusive "NASCAR voter" who, invariably, was a beer-drinkin', Bush supportin', not-takin'-a-cotton-to-them-gays-marryin' regggggg'lar guy.

So, whether or not that's the reality, it's sure portrayed that way. And nice to know that in this country, 1.2 Million people can take the time to come to DC and have the media ignore 'em, but if you support the right agenda, all you have to do is show up at a fucking car race and you'll get free air time.

It makes sense, though. Liberals tend to be a little, um, smarter than your average RW cracker. For an intellectually curious individual (modestly describing myself here), watching cars covered with ads roaring around in circles and occasionally crashing, interspersed with beer commercials, is simply not stimulating enough to win out over "liberal" activities like reading a book (or the Internets) or discussing current issues with friends. Even a "normal" sport like baseball seems to have more to it than a NASCAR rally, or meet, or whatever they have.

Less enlightened people (and small boys) like things that make a loud noise, go fast, and destroy property. NASCAR has it all! And lots of improbably buxom blonde bimbos hanging around. It's right-winger heaven.

IMO, things have become so simplistic these days that politics is mnore about Lifestyle than it is about issues.

If they had gone to, say, a big folk music festival, everyone would be bashing Bush.

These days, there's a little slot for everyone. Maybe it's the result of Demographics gone wild or something...I dunno. But if you look at a particular interest group, chancers are that a certain political mindset goes along with it.