Sen. Barack Obama controls the urban wine-drinker vote, while Sen. Hillary Clinton is strongest among the beer-drinking crowd. But both candidates are known to indulge in the occasional glass of wine as well as a frosty mug of beer. On “Hill Force One” recently, Clinton was photographed sipping a glass of red wine while speaking to reporters about her favorite beer (Blue Moon with a lemon wedge). Obama, on the other hand, has a 1,000-bottle wine cellar in his home on Chicago’s South Side. At an Obama campaign rally last year, one of his supporters provided white Zinfandel with an Obama logo on it, and at another fund-raiser in San Francisco, boutique beers were served with Obama’s face on the label.
Years ago when I first started teaching I was trying to distinguish the rift in the Democratic Party that dates to the days of Jefferson but became obvious in the Age of Jackson. I called the two factions “Miller Beer Democrats” and “White-Wine-Brie-Cheese Democrats.” The kids understood, so I continue to use the analogy.
The ultimate test is this: No one of either party who would get booed at a NASCAR race can be elected President of the U.S. There just aren’t enough wine-drinkers in the flyover region to elect anyone to the White House.
Obama has the charisma to go to Talladega and be cheered. McCain would be cheered in any NASCAR venue because of his war record. Bill Clinton would be cheered because he’s Bill; in fact, he’d be in the infield romancing lightly dressed girls into their air-conditioned RVs.
Hillary Clinton I think would have been booed in Talladega until this week. Winning the Texas primary and the Ohio primary through blue-collar voters gives you some credibility, even in Talladega. Of course, being pugnacious, smart, and arrogant as she is means that she will always be on probation with NASCAR fans, even if at the moment she is grudgingly respected.
Hillary Clinton reminds of that really smart kid who was so arrogant that everyone wished her success- in another city!
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Blue Moon is best enjoyed with an orange wedge, but this is closest I’ve come to agreeing with Clinton on anything in this campaign.