Michelle Obama booed at NASCAR race. Was that to be expected?
Michelle Obama and Jill Biden got booed at a NASCAR race in Florida on Sunday, in case you haven鈥檛 heard. Now, questions of civility and first ladies aside, our question is this: What did they expect? Isn鈥檛 auto racing, you know, a Republican-leaning activity, especially in the South? Why were they there?
Because in political terms NASCAR is a target-rich environment, that鈥檚 why. And overall NASCAR fans are not as GOP-oriented as you might think.
First off, let鈥檚 back up and acknowledge that Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden were at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the name of a charity, Joining Forces, which promotes the hiring of veterans. Perhaps they hoped the association with the military would bring them a warm reception. They weren鈥檛 there passing out 鈥淩eelect Barack鈥� stickers, after all.
But to some Republicans, the first lady is a symbol of an administration overreaching. They bristle at her emphasis on eating right and exercising as just another example of government sticking its nose into activities it has no business getting involved in.
Thus Rush Limbaugh took the unprecedented step of given the first and second ladies.
鈥淣ASCAR people ... know that in their hearts, the Obamas don鈥檛 like them. We鈥檝e taken notice of this,鈥� said the radio entertainer on his show.
Well, we can鈥檛 speak to the composition of that particular Florida crowd. But perhaps Mr. Limbaugh would be surprised to learn that NASCAR fans as a whole aren鈥檛 Republican, after all.
Yes, 30 percent of NASCAR adherents , according to a lengthy survey of the subject released this summer. But 29 percent say they鈥檙e Democrats.
This finding is consistent with some previous surveys of which other conservative commentators are aware. In 2008, the conservative writer and activist S.E. Cupp in an article on NASCAR鈥檚 own website noted that the sport鈥檚 鈥渇ans vote 鈥� a separation of only 7 percentage points, hardly a convincing argument for NASCAR鈥檚 political leanings."
Other attributes of NASCAR audiences are heavily studied because, well, they鈥檙e an attractive merchandising opportunity. Surprise, surprise 鈥� they鈥檙e not redneck beer-swillers who thrill to 鈥淒ukes of Hazzard鈥� reruns.
Or at least, not that many of them are. NASCAR鈥檚 own data show its fans to be 60 percent male and 40 percent female. Twenty percent are minorities. Their income levels and age are pretty similar to the income levels and age of the US population as a whole.
In fact, NASCAR鈥檚 fan base is of the nation as a whole, in terms of demographic characteristics.
Yes, Sunday鈥檚 race was in the South. But if you look at the overall picture, Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden might have expected a better reception. At the least, contrary to Limbaugh鈥檚 assertion, they got booed by individuals who didn鈥檛 like them 鈥� not an entire fandom.聽
