"Four more beers!" they cry.
Details of the White House home brew piqued my husband's interest last night. "Why is this even a story?" he asked.
Because they can't discuss his record. Shaggy dog (on the roof) stories ensue instead.
The details, however, are interesting:
President Barack Obama has stocked up on a new all-American campaign prop — White House-brewed beer.
During his bus tour across the battleground state of Iowa, the president on Tuesday gave a bottle of the brew, known as White House Honey Ale, to a patron of a Knoxville, Iowa, coffee shop when the subject of beer came up.
While it was the first time the branded beer grabbed wide attention from the press corps on the campaign trail, a White House official said the president and first lady have made a habit of occasionally traveling with bottles of the beer made at a small brewery at the White House.
The beer, which comes in both a light and dark variety, is made by the White House chefs who use traditional beer-brewing methods.
The honey portion of the drink is taken from first lady Michelle Obama's garden beehive near the White House Kitchen Garden on the south lawn.
Taxpayers are not footing the bill for the beer, as both the cost of the equipment and the cost of brewing the beer is paid for by the Obamas personally, the official said.
Emphasis mine. All-American. President giving beer. Made by White House chefs. Tradition. Honey from Michelle's garden. How lovely. And they're footing their own bill for a change. (How odd). What's the kicker? Oh just wait for the conclusion:
"It's true, at the State Fair, instead of saying 'four more years,' they were saying, 'four more beers.' So I bought him four more beers. Told him he had to register to vote, though, to get one of the beers," Obama told a laughing crowd.Isn't that illegal? I digress:
Connecting with the beer drinkers' vote is a tactic not used by Obama's Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, a Mormon who does not drink alcohol.This is why the Obamas are making such a big deal of the home brew. This is why they're travelling with bottles of beer: to make a rather subversive point about Romney's Mormonism. They could do it with coffee. Or soda. But beer is the most effective way to show how "out of touch" he is while they follow the "traditional All-American home brewing" methods.
I'm not fooled. But how many would be? What's next, a reporter pointing out that Romney wouldn't hold a beer summit (thank God)? Or the usual test pre-election, "With whom would you rather sit and have a beer?" would have to be hypothetical since, you know, Romney doesn't drink. How far will the media carry this? Maybe not as far as previously thought.
Cross-posted at PoliticaljunkieMom Most recent posts here. Follow us on Twitter here. Amazon store here.
Iowa has strict alcohol laws, particularly related to taxation, distribution, and transport. Using homebrew beer as a campaign prop instead of for personal or family consumption may be violating numerous Iowa state laws as well. Transporting beer on Air Force One is one thing, but transporting beer on a campaign bus is another. I'm no lawyer so a professional should review the issue. I only drink beer.
ReplyDeleteI meant illegal as in enticing someone to register to vote with goods. But I guess that's better than enticing someone to the actual poll with a free meal or beer. Or cigarettes. What else have they used in the past?
ReplyDeleteWow, didn't think about transporting alcohol across state lines... I bet you are right, it may be criminal. Also, what about Ryan? I bet he is a beer drinker! I had an uncle that was a tee totaler only when it came to on the job. He never drank around clients but had the occasional beer or glass of sherry at home. His clients never seemed to mind at all. Besides, I bet Romney got a lot farther with beer drinkers and the NASCAR crowd with that Romney painted NASCAR! LOL plus Ryan is a cheesehead!
ReplyDeleteTexasMOm2012
LOL I didn't think of that, either re state lines. I had the same thought: I doubt NASCAR fans could care less about Romney's lack of beer consumption!
ReplyDelete"cost of brewing the beer is paid for by the Obamas personally, "
ReplyDeleteGASP! This is indeed Newsworthy! The Obamas are actually paying for THEIR OWN expenses here. This can't be happening! They usually just mooch off the taxpayers like regular leftists do.
That caught me by surprise, too ; )
Delete"Carney, who also drinks it, declared it “refreshing,” saying: “It is quite good.”
ReplyDeleteHa!!
You ever see 'A Slight Case of Murder' with Edward G. Robinson?
My bet, Obama's brew tastes like Remy Marco's.
"made by the White House chefs who use traditional beer-brewing methods."
ReplyDeleteNow we know why he said "you didn't build that". He had the staff (paid by the taxpayer do the work for him. It sounds as if they either did it while working or did it themselves and he took credit for it.
Michelle's garden? I bet that the only time she goes there is for a photo op. It is the White House gardeners (paid by the taxpayers) who do the actual work.
This sounds like a perfect opportunity for the Romney campaign to point out that the word "sober" has 2 meanings, both of which apply to Romney and neither of which apply to Obama.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to see how rigorously White House chefs' work schedules are enforced to make sure that the taxpayers aren't paying for time they spend brewing beer to be used as a campaign prop.
Buying votes with beer? What is this, Jefferson vs. Adams?
ReplyDelete