Cars, trucks and politicians' pursuit of the "everyman image"

[Indy Texas]

Does a GMC Canyon pickup or a Jeep or a "twenty year old camper van" make a man who has more money than you ever will more relatable?

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Is all of this really necessary?

It seems like to intentionally purchase a modest car before beginning a political campaign is a tacit legitimization by these candidates of any criticism of their wealth or assertions that it makes them unrelatable or out of touch.

But of all the offensive things Mitt Romney said and did during his 2012 campaign, I don't think many in the 47 Percent were bothered by the fact that he was a Cadillac owner.

If "Buying American" is a requirement, is a Honda or a Toyota that was built in the United States an acceptable choice? Should candidates buy cars made by GM, given their shoddy safety record and wanton disregard for their customers' safety in recent years and their dependence on government bailouts to keep them afloat?

Do most people even know what kind of cars their elected officials or their opponents drive, apart from the attention whores mentioned in the Bloomberg article?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Several SC pols drive BMW's assembled in-state.  So foreign makes appear to be acceptable if they represent in-state jobs.

[Donerail]

Several SC pols drive BMW's assembled in-state.  So foreign makes appear to be acceptable if they represent in-state jobs.

I assume it only becomes important if you're going to make a point out of it (Ernst, Tancredo, Brown) or are running for President and the media needs a story.

[Meursault]

This sort of ploy would make me much more adverse to voting for someone, not less.

Your leaders are there to lead. Not to be a baby doll that vows to be your friend when you squeeze their bellies; not to embody your worthless hopes and dreams. This kind of symbolic populism is built on sand.

[traininthedistance]

Call me shallow, but the vehicle that a politician chooses to regularly use does, in fact, influence my opinion of him/her.  If they choose the right wheels I will like them more.

Of course this is 99% academic as the only recent national pol who has chosen anything resembling the right wheels was good ol' Joe Biden, and his daily Amtrak commute while in the Senate.  I would kill for a candidate who actually deigned to ride the bus for once.