“A motorized populace is a productive populace… The motor vehicle has done more for liberty and more for prosperity, and more for productivity than any one thing that’s ever been invented.”
— Victoria Taft, radio talk show host
Victoria Taft is the host of a talk show on KPAM 860, a local radio station here in Portland. Her perspective is strongly on the right and she is a vocal supporter of the Tea Party.
When bike issues get in the news, KPAM often calls me up to chat about them. Back in January, I got a call to be on Victoria’s show. She wanted to talk about two legislative proposals that were making waves — the infamous Mitch Greenlick, no-babies-on-bikes bill, and a proposal that would have made it illegal to wear audio headphones while bicycling.
The full clip from our chat is about 11 minutes long. I’ve cut the beginning so you can dive right into an exchange where I try to convince Taft that bicycling might not be as partisan as she thinks. Other highlights are about the 8 minute mark when Taft says, “You’re starting to sound like a member of the Tea Party Jonathan!”
[audio:http://bikeportland.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/KPAMJonathanMaus1-14-11_b.mp3]I think this clip shows how bicycling doesn’t have to be framed as a partisan issue and that it’s possible to have a civil and productive conversation with people who have — at least on the surface — widely different perspectives on society, culture, and politics.
Thanks to Eric at KPAM for tracking down the clip and to Victoria for the opportunity to be on the show.