The Washington Post announced today that the National Beer Wholesalers Association is putting that very question to voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina via a new Web site the beer lobby created — www.whodoyouwanttohaveabeerwith.com. So far, Barack Obama is winning the overall beer vote with 13% of the vote, followed closely by Rudy Giuliani at 12%. John McCain and Ron Paul are tied at 10%, followed by John Edwards and Fred Thompson at 8%.
Interestingly enough, 7% of readers have chosen Mike Huckabee, a neo-prohibitionist, as the presidential candidate they’d most like to have a beer with, while 5% haven chosen Dennis Kucinich, who doesn’t drink, and Mormon candidate Mitt Romney who, of course, doesn’t drink either. Mike Gravel (who?) is in last place in the beer poll, with just 2 percent of respondents so far saying they’d like to have a beer with him.
According to The Post, Craig Purser, president of the Beer Wholesalers Lobby, says beer could be that single issue that makes or breaks the election,
“With all the rigors of a campaign — attack ads, phone calls, direct mail — Americans know sometimes it just comes down to who you want to have a beer with. We hope this campaign reminds voters that at the end of the day, while issues are very important, so is conversation, civility and character. Having a beer with someone represents getting to know someone better, and that’s what the campaign season is all about — getting to know these candidates better.”
And so I put it to you, loyal readerdom, who would YOU want to have a beer with?
[tags]National Beer Wholesalers Association, beer, 2008 election, presidential candidates, Who Do You Want to Have a Beer With?[/tags]
