In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the role of car dealers in U.S. political culture.
Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:
- Car salesmen play an underappreciated role in GOP power politics, a recent Slate article argued. Niki cited this data reported in The Verge, and Natalia drew on this NPRstory. We all drew on this history of the industry at CNN.
In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:
- Natalia discussed Summer Lin, Andrew J. Campa, and Howard Blume’s Los Angeles Times article, “Fight Erupts At Anti-Pride Day Protest Outside L.A. School Where Trans Teacher’s Flag Was Burned.”
- Neil recommended Shoshi Parks’ Smithsonian story, “How the U.S. Almost Became a Nation of Hippo Ranchers.”
- Niki shared about Ja’han Jones’ MSNBC article, “Obama Oral History is the G.O.A.T.”
The connection between car dealerships and US politics is often overlooked, so this episode seems like an interesting dive into the topic. It’s interesting that car salesmen have played such a big role in Republican Party politics, which is not something you hear about very often. If you want to check out a car, you can use https://www.faxvin.com/vin-check/locator, a service that will provide all the comprehensive information you need when buying a car. The links to articles from Slate, The Verge, and NPR probably shed some light on how car dealerships have historically influenced political culture. And wow, the “What Makes History” section had some diverse topics, from the Los Angeles protests to a story about a hippo ranch. Definitely an episode that covers a lot of ground!