Boycott of Goodyear: Local auto service manager calls mix of tires and politics ‘ridiculous’
Chester T. Dean
3 min read
TROY, Ohio (WDTN) – Tyler Hicks couldn’t see how anyone could make politics about tires.
Hicks is the Service Manager at Tire Discounters in Troy. He was taken aback when he heard about President Donald Trump’s call to boycott Goodyear tires, a brand his service center carries.
“If you want Goodyears, I will continue to sell them to you,†Hicks said.
Trump called for a boycott of one of America’s iconic brands after a web story at a Topeka, Kansas TV station showed a slide of a company presentation in the one of the Goodyear factories there. Trump’s famous “Make America Great Again” outfit as well as “Blue Lives Matter” and “All Lives Matter” as well as “politically affiliated slogans or material” were among the company’s unacceptable outfits along with the words “Zero Tolerance. ” above. . Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride (LGBT) were listed as acceptable. The person who provided the photo said the slide was part of a presentation sent by Goodyear Corporate. Good year, in response, said that was not true.
Trump called for a boycott of Goodyear tires on his twitter account on Wednesday.
Good year responded with a statement Wednesday: “First, the visual in question was not created or distributed by Goodyear corporate, nor was it part of a training course,” the statement said.
Politically, Goodyear is as active in donating money as other large corporations. According to opensecrets.org, Goodyear’s Political Action Committee has made 61% of its federal donations to Republicans this cycle and 39% to Democrats, but the money is almost split – with $ 33,500 for Republicans and $ 30,000 for Republicans. democrats.
On Wednesday, Goodyear’s PAC split donations to Congress but did not donate to any Democrats in the Senate, only Republicans. The list included Ohio Congressmen Marcia Fudge (D), Anthony Gonzalez (R), Bill Johnson (R), Marcy Kaptur (D) and Tim Ryan (D) as well as Rob Portman (R) in the Senate.
Goodyear is the only tire used on the best NASCAR circuit in decades. Hicks said Goodyear tires are standard equipment on many police vehicles.
“Goodyear comes OE (original equipment) on many police cars,†Hicks said. “They are standard on the Dodge Charger Pursuit police cruiser and the Ford Explorer Interceptor. Unless they’ve changed recently, they all come with the Goodyear Eagle Sport.
Hicks said he understands politics and people have their own opinions, but thinks car tires are a ridiculous platform for discussion.
“I get it, everyone has opinions,†Hicks said. “I understand that part, but I find it quite ridiculous. It’s a tire company. I don’t see why you would want to boycott a tire company.
Goodyear’s full statement on Trump’s boycott call is available on his website.
