Remember Obamas Cash for Clunkers? Used Car

The late journalist P.J. O’Rourke once in contrast liberals to spoiled kids. When he said it, he was referring to their mood tantrums. But another infantile attribute of liberals is the fact that they’re totally incapable of seeing past next week, at best. One of the best examples in current historical past of this phenomenon was 2009’s “Cash for Clunkers” program. 

So, “cash for clunkers” was their means of pushing us to get rid of our low tech autos so we might buy high tech autos that they’ll shut down?

— possibly danielle 💻🚛🇺🇸 (@maybedanielleee) April 26, 2026

During his first time period, former President Barack Obama wheeled out the $2.85 billion program. In June 2009, Obama signed the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act. It was a bit of a Democrat precursor to the Green New Deal, which would supply car consumers with $3,500 or $4,500 for a more fuel-efficient vehicle and get less fuel-efficient vehicles off America’s roads. The only {qualifications} have been that vehicles had to be drivable, insured, and registered for one yr. What might go fallacious?

Whenever Democrats and the Left are concerned, loads. Fast ahead 17 years. Americans ended up destroying roughly 680,000 functioning vehicles and vehicles. Now, in 2026, if you’re looking for a dependable and reasonably priced used car, you might be confronted with a lowering provide of dependable, used transportation and growing auto debt. 

Affordable used transportation is changing into about as scarce as Reagan Democrats. According to a current report from Cox Automotive, in September, vehicles with price tags below $15,000 made up just 15.7 p.c of sellers’ used vehicle inventories. That’s down from 19.4 p.c in 2025. The quantity of used autos in that price vary fell 16.2 p.c yr over yr, even while the general used vehicle stock rose.

A outcome of Cash for Clunkers was that 85 p.c of the destroyed autos have been vehicles, gentle vehicles, and SUVs, which might have been bought in later years for dependable used transportation for first-time consumers and low-income Americans who couldn’t afford a new vehicle. 

Then there may be the issue of elements for those used autos. Federal laws at the time prevented the resale of engines and assembled drivetrains that accounted for around 60 to 65 p.c of a salvaged vehicle’s worth. The Specialty Equipment Market Association cautioned that the shortage of elements would threaten auto restorers, restore retailers, and others who counted on previous elements for substitute elements.  

As if that wasn’t enough, there may be also the huge quantity of auto debt owed by Americans. In the second quarter of 2026, that quantity reached a staggering $1.173 trillion. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York confirmed that the quantity of auto loan balances on the sting of severe delinquency elevated to 3 p.c, up from 2.93 p.c the yr before.

But for Democrats and the Left, people with no transportation and mounds of car loan debt are merely minor inconveniences. What issues to them is that Cash for Clunkers did improve fuel effectivity, with substitute autos averaging 24.9 miles per gallon, a bit better than the 15.7 miles per gallon that the autos traded averaged. 

The average price for a used car in September was $27,235. That places a month-to-month fee at around $542. You did not have to be a car seller at the time to fail to see this coming. You just had to be a Democrat.

This began when “Cash for Clunkers” took all the moderately priced used vehicles off the market. Thanks OBAMA!

— Kaarsty (@kaarstyyy) October 19, 2026

Editor’s Note: The Democrat Party has never been less widespread as voters reject its globalist agenda.

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