The late journalist P.J. O'Rourke once compared liberals to spoiled children. When he said it, he was referring to their temper tantrums. But another childish characteristic of liberals is the fact that they are utterly incapable of seeing beyond next week, at best. One of the best examples in recent history of this phenomenon was 2009's "Cash for Clunkers" program. 

During his first term, 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 provide car buyers with $3,500 or $4,500 for a more fuel-efficient vehicle and get less fuel-efficient cars off America's roads. The only qualifications were that cars had to be drivable, insured, and registered for one year. What could go wrong?

Whenever Democrats and the Left are involved, plenty. Fast forward 17 years. Americans ended up destroying roughly 680,000 functioning cars and trucks. Now, in 2026, if you are looking for a reliable and affordable used car, you are faced with a decreasing supply of reliable, used transportation and increasing auto debt. 

Affordable used transportation is becoming about as scarce as Reagan Democrats. According to a recent report from Cox Automotive, in September, cars with price tags below $15,000 made up just 15.7 percent of dealers' used vehicle inventories. That's down from 19.4 percent in 2025. The number of used vehicles in that price range fell 16.2 percent year over year, even while the overall used vehicle inventory rose.

A result of Cash for Clunkers was that 85 percent of the destroyed vehicles were trucks, light trucks, and SUVs, which could have been sold in later years for reliable used transportation for first-time buyers and low-income Americans who could not afford a new vehicle. 

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Then there is the issue of parts for those used vehicles. Federal regulations at the time prevented the resale of engines and assembled drivetrains that accounted for around 60 to 65 percent of a salvaged vehicle's value. The Specialty Equipment Market Association cautioned that the lack of parts would threaten auto restorers, repair shops, and others who counted on old parts for replacement parts.  

As if that wasn't enough, there is also the massive amount of auto debt owed by Americans. In the second quarter of 2026, that amount reached a staggering $1.173 trillion. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed that the number of auto loan balances on the edge of serious delinquency increased to 3 percent, up from 2.93 percent the year before.

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

The average price for a used car in September was $27,235. That puts a monthly payment at around $542. You didn't have to be a car dealer at the time to fail to see this coming. You just had to be a Democrat.