Even after Super-Duper Tuesday, the Democratic run to the national election remains locked in a dead heat between senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Political candidates are no strangers to soliciting votes from special interest groups. They’ll target religious denominations, economic classes, races, sexes… you name it.
Cyclists don’t typically make it anywhere near that list of targets. In spite of the huge number of cyclists in the U.S. (reports say as many as 80 million – although I’m sure many aren’t regular riders), candidates don’t consider them as a cohesive demographic. According to the Portland, Oregon-based C.I.C.L.E. (Cyclists Inciting Change Thru Live Exchange) Barack Obama is the only Democratic candidate who has explicitly encouraged bicycle transportation during the lead-up to the election. He’s also looking to improve the nation’s mass transit systems.
From Barack’s energy platform, via C.I.C.L.E.:
As president, Barack Obama will re-evaluate the transportation funding process to ensure that smart growth considerations are taken into account. Obama will build upon his efforts in the Senate to ensure that more Metropolitan Planning Organizations create policies to incentivize greater bicycle and pedestrian usage of roads and sidewalks, and he will also re-commit federal resources to public mass transportation projects across the country. Building more livable and sustainable communities will not only reduce the amount of time individuals spent commuting, but will also have significant benefits to air quality, public health and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Don’t expect any of the candidates to pander to bike commuters. However, the bikers are listening – bikers are latching onto Obama’s words. For example, Illuminate LA just hosted a Bike the Vote event in support of Obama. In an election as hotly contested as this Democratic primary, cyclists’ votes could make a difference.
As for the Republicans, although not exactly an endorsement for a national cycling infrastructure, Mike Huckabee did mention that he “rides his bike to the grocery store.”
Cycling also briefly entered into the 2004 presidential election, as it pitted two cyclists against one another. The New York Times even featured a great article on the subject: Culture Wars, on Two Wheels.
John Kerry is a serious road cyclist who regularly embarks on long rides aboard his trusty Serotta. Even the two candidates’ cycling habits became political fodder – the image of a spandex-clad, European-influenced road cyclist fit right into the Bush camp’s portrayal of Kerry as a WASP-y northeastern elitist.
George W. is a recreational mountain biker who regularly brings several of his favorite secret service agents on rides. Bush’s off-road forays did little to strengthen his presidential image, however. The president’s cycling garnered the most national attention during the election campaign when he crashed and scuffed up his face.
Apparently Bush was well aware of his questionable cycling skills – he was wearing a mouth guard at the time of the mishap. I think Jon Stewart of the Daily Show had the most colorful (and perhaps least politically correct) insight: “What kind of a retard wears a mouth guard on a bike?”
Photos via flickr by Barack Obama.
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