Thursday, July 30, 2009

If He'd Ever Had My Vote, He Would Have Lost It Now

I agree, Mr. President. Being drunk DEFINITELY makes your healthcare plan more palatable.

Unless you're living under a rock, you've heard the saga of the black Harvard professor who was locked out of his house and allegedly got belligerent with police when they were called in to investigate...which led to the professor's arrest. Things escalated last week when the president commented on the situation, and invited the professor and arresting officer to the White House for a frosty beer and a pow-wow.

That'll be happening in about 6 hours from now, by the way.

Now, I'm no fan of the president. His politics and mine are like oil and water...or, more aptly, liberal and conservative. As a long-time beer fan, however, I was intrigued to hear that the president invited these guys for a beer rather than a glass of wine, or a latte. For all the faults that I think President Obama may have, I thought it was pretty cool that he was a guy that could kick back with a good beer.

So, a day or so ago, the White House Press Office released the drink menu for the "Beer Summit." Dr. Henry Gates, the arrestee (for lack of a better term), will probably be drinking Red Stripe (a Jamaican beer). I've tried Red Stripe before, and wasn't very impressed with it. Sgt. Crowley, the arresting officer, will be drinking Blue Moon. I've had Blue Moon too. The flavor has a hint of pine in it. It's what I've always imagined Pine-Sol might taste like. Translation: Blue Moon tastes like crap.

What beer will our president be drinking? He's a pretty sophisticated guy, right? With that in mind, I thought that maybe Barry O would choose something like Sam Adams, Killians, Fordham, or National Bohemian (brewed down the road from the White House in Baltimore). Nope. What kind of suds will the prez be swilling this evening? Bud Lite.

Bud Lite? Seriously?

Keep in mind, I'm no beer snob. I've had them all over the years, even a few Budweisers. However, when you can have a great tasting beer owned and brewed by an American company like Sam Adams, why drink something that tastes slightly worse that horse urine and is brewed by a Belgian company? That's right! Budweiser is no longer American-owned. It's owned by a bunch of smelly Europeans (more specifically, a company known as InBev)!

Even members of the president's own party are criticizing the choice. According to the Boston Globe, Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA), sent a letter to the president suggesting that Sam Adams be served.

So why did the president choose the less than impressive Bud Lite? Maybe because, despite the change of ownership, Bud is still the most popular beer in America; maybe the most popular worldwide. Drinking the "King Of Beers" could be a great way to appeal to all those folks who perceive Obama as an "elitist." Or maybe he's trying to appeal to the Christian Right. After all, even Jesus drinks Bud.

8 comments:

  1. Great angle to a compelling post, my friend. While I am a fan of Red Stripe, at least the good professor isn't drinking King Cobra. As far as Blue Moon is concerned, it's another fad beer. Budweiser is now a part of Inbev, so it is part of the great Anti-Christ of breweries. If we are to remain American, Liberal or Conservative (I am somewhat to the left of you, by the way), we need to keep it local. I vote for Sierra Nevada.

    I will be back again!

    EFH

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  2. I've never tried Sierra Nevada. I'll have to check it out. Good to know I'm not the only one wanting to keep it local.

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  3. Ehh... Bud Lite? Really? Like you, I'm no beer snob, but I could think of SEVERAL better choices. Personally, I wouldn't mind a Left Hand Milk Stout right about now.

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  4. I'm a Corona or MGD man, myself. I agree with your assessment of Red Stripe . . . not that great.

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  5. I'm glad I wrote about this topic. Everyone's giving me great ideas for new beers to try.

    @Heather: Thanks for stopping by. I'll have to look for the Left Hand Milk Stout.

    @Chris: Corona's one of the better pale beers on the market, and it's good to know that I'm not alone in my dislike for Red Stripe. Still...Red Stripe is better than Blue Moon.

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  6. I apparently do live under a rock. This is the first I heard of this. Well...maybe Chris did mention something yesterday. Oh well? Anyway, I think the Prez needs to concentrate on world issues -vs- chugging down some brewskies with a cop and a convict. I'm not impressed.

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  7. I've never acquired a taste for beer. I think they should have had martinis. Although, I think it's ridiculous that the president even got involved in this but that's a another dicussion.

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  8. @Theresa: I can't believe you didn't hear about it! It was all the idiots on the news kept talking about. You're luckier than the rest of us who DID hear about it!

    @Chrissy I like martinis, but can you imagine Biden after a little bit of vodka? Probably best that they stuck to beer.

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