The All Important Beer Question
By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, McCain, PollsI’ve heard that the one poll question most likely to predict the winner of presidential elections is: who would you rather have a beer with?
This held true in 2004 and in 2000 and while I can’t uncover results from earlier elections, I imagine Bill Clinton had no problems whipping Bob Dole and George H. W. Bush on the question.
It’s likely that the clairvoyant powers of this poll question are more apocryphal than real but, hey, it’s Friday and I feel like delving into lighter matters.
A completely
unscientific poll conducted on-line by beer producers has Obama beating McCain 47% to 22% (the poll includes other candidates). But I think that gap is much larger that it would be in a real poll. After all, McCain has been known to enjoy a drink or two while Obama has shown some deficits in his beer IQ.
Then again, George W. Bush won the beer poll in both elections despite being a non-drinker, so I guess real-world drinking habits don’t much figure in to people’s answers.
Personally, I’d like to have a beer with both McCain and Obama but, if I had to choose just one to invite to the brew pub, I’d go with McCain. I’m a sucker for good stories from “back in the day” and I bet the man can spin a few. Plus the guy just seems more likely to let loose and knock back a few with me. It’s not that I think Obama is ridiculously uptight – just that he’s me more the type I’d invite to an afternoon of Hill Country wine tasting than an evening at the local bar.
So, if you can possibly put your partisanship aside, who would you rather have a beer with this year? Barack Obama or John McCain?
This entry was posted on Friday, June 13th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Barack, McCain, Polls. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
June 13th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Okay I totally don’t have any evidence or links to back me up on this, so its entirely possible I’m wrong, but wasn’t Bush Jr an alcoholic? I seem to remember hearing that somewhere.
June 13th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Obama. Most of the beers I have are at science fiction conventions or parties with my fellow SF fans at my place or theirs. I think Obama would fit right in with the kind of conversations that we have.
June 13th, 2008 at 10:53 am
So yeah, I’ll probably be Obama, but I’d take McCain. Pretty much for the same reasons you illustrated - he can be a fiery cat. But I’d rather spend my afternoon playing basketball with Obama.
June 13th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I like the analogy and McCain would be fun to drink a beer with talking about his life in the Navy. Obama would be all about Basket Ball.
But the best analogy would be…who would you like to work for? Both would be different in management, but both would have benefits.
June 13th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
McCain seems like he would be the guy that makes everybody uncomfortable when he has had a few. As soon as he starts talking about the navy you just know he’ll start talking about his dead buddies, and then it is just a short trip down memory lane to torture town. That is not my idea of a good time !
June 13th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I actually know someone who has sat down and pounded a few with McCain, and I would have to pass if he’s anything like he was in his salad days. While I agree with the sentiment that listening to him spin yarns might be entertaining, his old drinking buddy told me he was an angry drunk.
Sure, he could have changed, as this was long ago when he was at the Naval Acadamy and from everything I’ve read he tends to vodka with an olive these days in moderation, but once an angry drunk, always an angry drunk.
From what I have read of Obama, he’s not much of a beer guy though he pretends he is an average joe, ordering Bud and PBR while around the common folk (but not finishing it).
Now, I know he’s not going to go drinking with me, but Mike Huckabee…man. he looks like he would be fun to hammer a few with
June 14th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Can I pick Kucinich’s wife?
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:26 am
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