The President hasn't been spending all of his time this week attacking his opponent as a tax dodging vulture capitalist who, if elected, would screw the middle class and working folks in order to cut his own taxes and those of his millionaire and billionaire cronies. It is not all negative out there on the campaign trail. On the positive side this week, President Obama has been making sure everybody knows he likes to drink beer.
I don't think very much happens by accident in President Obama's campaign and only the campaign could be behind the cascade of beer stories around the President this week. In fact, it's pretty obvious, and I love it. It's always been supposed that President Bush 43 got votes from low information voters who thought they'd like to have a beer with the guy. Both times Bush ran, it was against guys who didn't fit that description at all, the distant Gore and the aristocratic Kerry. Now the stein is in the other hand.
It's old news that the President likes beer. It was reported over a year ago that the White House chefs have set up the 1st ever White House brewery. But this week, the President really bore down on beer as part of his image.
Here is how it started, while the President worked the line on a surprise campaign stop in Knoxville, Iowa::
While greeting patrons outside the coffee shop, the President was asked about the White House homebrew by a man in the crowd, a campaign aide said. After the President described the beer, the fellow requested a bottle.
The President "sent out to Ground Force One and gave him one," the aide said.
The next thing you know, the
Washington Post notices what's going on, saying:
There is good reason to presume that beer is a way for Obama to connect with voters. It presents a contrast with Romney, who doesn’t drink (and who was ordering vanilla ice cream in a 1950s-style parlor in Ohio when Obama was buying beers at the fair). Consumer research shows that beer is most popular with the very voters that Obama and Romney are fighting over: middle-America independents.
Finally, last night Bill Maher carried the idea toward its
reductio ad absurdum with his satire campaign spot:
For those without access to the video, I've placed a transcript beyond the flourish.
Anyway, I like this approach by the campaign as one of the ways to combat the myriad wingnut slurs portraying President Obama as The Other.
Beer. Nothing is more American.
It sustained the Founding Fathers.
It refreshes us on the 4th of July.
Beer was common in Ancient Israel.
Which means Jesus himself drank it.
As does his follower, our Christian President, Barack Obama.
Mitt Romney Doesn't drink beer . . . because his God forbids it.
Imagine that! A God who won't let you pop a cold one after mowing the lawn.
It makes you wonder. What else does Mitt Romney's God forbid?
Bar-b-ques?
Above ground swimming pools?
Truck nuts?
Mitt Romney.
God Forbid.