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News & ArtsThursday, July 30, 2009
Politics / Drunk Gatesgate And The Politics of Beer
Posted by Dan Savage on Thu, Jul 30, 2009 at 12:19 PM
On the White House bar menu this evening: the president will be drinking Budweiser (InBev, a Flemish-Brazilian beer giant); Henry Louis Gates will be drinking Jamaican Red Stripe (London-based Diageo International); and Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley will be drinking Blue Moon (MillerCoors). Considering the White House's efforts to promote the local food movement, the beers on tap for tonight's historic picnic/farce strike me as odd. Locally grown carrots from small local farms are okay, but... a locally brewed American beer from a local microbrewery is not?
The White House, of course, doesn't want the president to be accused of drinking the liquid equivalent of arugula, i.e. a fancy food product preferred by elitists and snobs and rejected by real Americans. (Quickly: can someone please explain how preferences for salad greens become a front our interminable culture wars anyway? Iceberg lettuce, romaine, butter lettuce, arugula—out in "real America" they don't eat much salad, period, regardless of variety.) And without a doubt if the president did serve up some local brews tonight—from D.C. or from one of the hundreds of small breweries that have sprung up on the East Coast over the last two decades—all the "real Americans" on Fox News would be screaming about how those elitist snobs in the White House were showing their contempt for "real Americans." Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity would spend half their shows tonight shouting about how that the brands of beer preferred by real Americans just aren't good enough for this White House. What's wrong the real beers real Americans drink when they're chomping into their deep-fried heads of iceberg lettuce at the ball game anyway?
Um... microbrews aren't brewed by ballet dancers in lofts in Chelsea, packed into crates by people who write for the "Styles" section of the New York Times, and delivered to bars in trucks driven by liberal college professors. Microbrews are small, locally-owned businesses created by American entrepreneurs—the kinds of businesses that Republicans are always describing as the "backbone of the American economy" and the "engines of job creation"—and there's nothing effete or elitist about their products or the men and women who make them. Microbreweries: real Americans making real American beers for real American beer drinkers. It would've been nice to see at least one on the drinks menu tonight.
1
No, if he went with a local local microbrewery it would seem way more contrived, even more so than it does now.
Stop making issues out of non issues just to have issues for your blog.
Stop making issues out of non issues just to have issues for your blog.
4
Dan - I love your writing, I love Obama, I love microbrews and I think that Urgutha Forka (3 above) is correct. This is the straw-manniest strawman post I've seen in a long time.
6
the second i read "gatesgate" i knew this would be unreadable drivel.
i think the heat has gotten to dan, plz stop writing for today.
i think the heat has gotten to dan, plz stop writing for today.
11
Hey, they're just drinking what they want to drink. I kinda doubt someone sat them down and told them what to have. I think you're reading way to much into this.
I've got a nice, cold Newcastle (English) and a shot of Jagermeister (German) in front of me right now, and I'm enjoying them very much. Read into it what you will.
I've got a nice, cold Newcastle (English) and a shot of Jagermeister (German) in front of me right now, and I'm enjoying them very much. Read into it what you will.
12
Rachel Maddow was on Conan last night and talked about the beer thing... She was rolling her eyes at the fact that of course Obama has to have a Budweiser (actually, she said that the beer menu had been released, and then re-released with the correction that he was going to have a Bud Light). Anything else would be perceived as elitist snobbery.
All I kept thinking was, why do they have to commit to the beers they are going to drink in advance? I mean, what if Gates gets there and doesn't feel like a Red Stripe anymore?
All I kept thinking was, why do they have to commit to the beers they are going to drink in advance? I mean, what if Gates gets there and doesn't feel like a Red Stripe anymore?
13
Budweiser is basically the official beer of the Democratic Party. It is pro-union and is a major contributor to the Democratic Party. It was the beer that was served at the Obama staff ball during the innauguration.
Most Americans have no idea that it was bought out last year by a foreign brewery.
It is still the most left of the major American beers; it's the opposite of Coors.
That said, it still sucks.
If I were invited I'd be having a Guiness. Now that's a real beer.
Most Americans have no idea that it was bought out last year by a foreign brewery.
It is still the most left of the major American beers; it's the opposite of Coors.
That said, it still sucks.
If I were invited I'd be having a Guiness. Now that's a real beer.
14
The White House would have been able to find beer brewed locally, but it wouldn't have contained local ingredients—the inconsistency in policy you seem to take issue with.
17
The made up cultural rules by the American right are increasingly incomprehensible. I don't know how arugula (sold at McDonalds) or spicy mustard or microbrews convey a hatred for America or freedom the way the right claims they do. And wasn't Budweiser sold to a foreign conglomerate? So drinking a foreign beer is pro-American but drinking an American beer is anti-American?
Like I said, these rules are just too complicated to understand or memorize, so I'll just stick to consuming things that I like without trying to make fucking political statement by doing so. Sheesh.
Like I said, these rules are just too complicated to understand or memorize, so I'll just stick to consuming things that I like without trying to make fucking political statement by doing so. Sheesh.
18
@16 so you mean just because it is owned by a Belgian company we are stretching the truth calling it foreign? Do you know what foreign means?
19
Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Who cares either way? Christ, pretty soon MADD will pipe in that they're not drinking fucking Kaliber or some shit like that.
20
Maybe Obama doesn't like beer. I'm not sure if the microbrews cater much to this market, Budweiser and Keystone have it locked up.
23
Obama pretty obviously doesn't give a shit what the screeching right thinks about what he eats and drinks. The explanation @13 seems the most plausible. Besides, Budweiser is manufactured in the U.S. It's more local to Washington, D.C. than anything brewed on the West coast.
I've always spied many a beer snob in Seattle drinking Fat Tire. That's less local than Budweiser.
I've always spied many a beer snob in Seattle drinking Fat Tire. That's less local than Budweiser.
25
I know this goes against everything Slog stands for, but just because a couple of blowhards have their panties in a twist about [insert today's outrage here] doesn't mean that you have to pay attention to them. Does your child get ice cream every time he bursts into tears for the want of some?
Obama should drink expensive French wine at home and completely ignore both Gates and the shithead cop. We don't need a dialog; we need a motherfucking health care plan.
Obama should drink expensive French wine at home and completely ignore both Gates and the shithead cop. We don't need a dialog; we need a motherfucking health care plan.
27
Dan I totally agree! Your last paragraph is priceless!
I love Flying Dog Ale, brewed in my own town. Try it sometime!
I love Flying Dog Ale, brewed in my own town. Try it sometime!
28
This Kumbayah moment is a piss poor attempt by Barack Hussein Obama to distract us from his efforts to socialize the greatest health care delivery system in the world, and from his bitter virulent racism. You cannot tell me that his true colors were not revealed when he said the Cambridge police acted "stupidly."
Remember - this is the man who, with his angry wife (I KNOW her infamous "whitey" tape is out there, and hopefully a brave patriot will bring it forward) who sat in Rev. Wright's church for 20 years, was married by him, had his children baptised by him, and referred to him as his "spiritual mentor" before throwing him under the bus.
Remember also that this is a man who referred to his grandmother as "a typical white person."
Remember also that this is a man who is most likely not a US citizen (why does he spend millions of dollars fighting to keep his medical, financial, and college records secret, not to mention his birth certificate), who refuses to speak of America's greatness and exceptionalism, and instead bows to our enemies, sides with dictators, and apologizes to the world for our "arrogance."
Is it not clear just how dangerous this man is?
Remember - this is the man who, with his angry wife (I KNOW her infamous "whitey" tape is out there, and hopefully a brave patriot will bring it forward) who sat in Rev. Wright's church for 20 years, was married by him, had his children baptised by him, and referred to him as his "spiritual mentor" before throwing him under the bus.
Remember also that this is a man who referred to his grandmother as "a typical white person."
Remember also that this is a man who is most likely not a US citizen (why does he spend millions of dollars fighting to keep his medical, financial, and college records secret, not to mention his birth certificate), who refuses to speak of America's greatness and exceptionalism, and instead bows to our enemies, sides with dictators, and apologizes to the world for our "arrogance."
Is it not clear just how dangerous this man is?
32
@ 24 YES! Or any of the other micro/craft brewed beers with real flavor. The beers chosen for this photo op are just carbonated rice waters of varying colors.
As an actual brewer, I don't think this is a straw-man for the reasons Dan cited: craft breweries are part of the small business engine which runs growth in this country. They wouldn't sit down to meals of Velveeta on Wonder bread, would they?
As an actual brewer, I don't think this is a straw-man for the reasons Dan cited: craft breweries are part of the small business engine which runs growth in this country. They wouldn't sit down to meals of Velveeta on Wonder bread, would they?
35
I also heard that Obama prefers Brazilian booty websites to American Playboy magazines. Where will his elitist snobbery end? He is a very dangerous un-American person.
36
Big O could have said "I'm suggesting we get together for a drink..." but then the Limbogger Antis would deal with that the same way the do everything else they hate - by acting as if they are passing a large cactus bolus through their collective cloacas. Were I invited, I would ask for a Cosmopolitan and suggest the media go fuck themselves if they must know what I'm drinking. With any luck this improbable ménage-à-trois will solve the country's fractured racial relations, avoid a bitch fight, and O will secretly smoke at least one cigarette - after they've all come - to an agreement.
39
I won't be happy unless Obama brews the beer for this meeting himself in a White House bathtub. That would be the only truly local, and certainly the most American, solution.
41
Oh for fuck's sake, folks. Stop jumping down Dan's throat for answering a question some of us were actually curious about. Nobody's saying this is the deciding factor in the next election, or even that it's a substantive issue, but I certainly wouldn't have minded these national figures giving a little consideration to the symbolism of the thing.
As it is, of course, there certainly is symbolism, and that symbolism is that faceless multinational organizations have appropriated the label of "American" as an all-but-trademarked marketing gimmick. Budweiser is most certainly not an American beer company, even if it used to be in the distant past, but somehow it's still THE American beer?
No. It's not a big deal. It's beer. Nevertheless, I was already curious, and I agree completely with Dan here.
As it is, of course, there certainly is symbolism, and that symbolism is that faceless multinational organizations have appropriated the label of "American" as an all-but-trademarked marketing gimmick. Budweiser is most certainly not an American beer company, even if it used to be in the distant past, but somehow it's still THE American beer?
No. It's not a big deal. It's beer. Nevertheless, I was already curious, and I agree completely with Dan here.
42
Dan is just picking up on the minor media storm surrounding this meeting to start a converstaion about it. And he's right...Obama should not be afraid to introduce something besides Belgian Saki into the White House. There is the possibility, of course, that the man just likes Bud Light. There's no accounting for taste. Is there any evidence he's a closet dry-hopped IPA drinker?
BTW -- I visitied Captial City brewing's Capitol Hill location last year and found it a competent but unremarkable brewery. Which means every damn one of their beers is better than anything B.O. will serve his guests...but not the most innovative microbrew you can lay hands on. If you like beer and are in D.C. the location can't be beat and the food and beer are both great.
BTW -- I visitied Captial City brewing's Capitol Hill location last year and found it a competent but unremarkable brewery. Which means every damn one of their beers is better than anything B.O. will serve his guests...but not the most innovative microbrew you can lay hands on. If you like beer and are in D.C. the location can't be beat and the food and beer are both great.
43
He should be drinking Brooklyn Lager – the Brooklyn Brewery is a model of racial harmony in and of itself (being black- and white-owned), the brewery is wind-powered, and the beer is delicious.
Choosing Bud Light is the same thing as choosing McDonald's, and that's why this is a legitimate issue.
Choosing Bud Light is the same thing as choosing McDonald's, and that's why this is a legitimate issue.
44
I'm with Dan 100% on this. I'll bet anything that there were discussions within the White House about what beer he should drink to project the correct image. Wait for the media coverage to come out of the meeting, and you'll definitely see many softer news outlets talking about the brand of beer. And if Obama had a pricey beer, it would have been the first thing talked about on Fox & Friends the morning after. All of this is both sad and hilarious, and I was happy to see an entertaining Savage rant on the topic when I loaded up Slog this afternoon.
45
I can see drinking budweiser if you're short on cash and really need a beer, or even if you just have bland taste. But it's weird as hell when people get snobbish about their love of shitty beer.
And if Dan had posted this three months ago, I would also be accusing him of making strawman arguments about pointless topics. But then you hear about right wingers getting passionately offended that Obama ate a burger with mustard instead of ketchup. So no, this isn't an empty strawman argument, and that's probably the most depressing thing I've said all day. He really does have to be mindful of getting labeled as an elitist for every detail of his life, all the way down to the beer he drinks. The press shouldn't be preoccupied with trivial shit like that, but it is.
If I had the President's salary, I'd just have cases of Rogue beers shipped to me every week, and fuck any right-winger that calls me an elitist for drinking beer that you can actually taste. And I'll put all the mustard I want on my sandwiches. Maybe I'll even do the unspeakable and *gasp* eat INDIAN FOOD. With SPICES. *Doom music.*
And if Dan had posted this three months ago, I would also be accusing him of making strawman arguments about pointless topics. But then you hear about right wingers getting passionately offended that Obama ate a burger with mustard instead of ketchup. So no, this isn't an empty strawman argument, and that's probably the most depressing thing I've said all day. He really does have to be mindful of getting labeled as an elitist for every detail of his life, all the way down to the beer he drinks. The press shouldn't be preoccupied with trivial shit like that, but it is.
If I had the President's salary, I'd just have cases of Rogue beers shipped to me every week, and fuck any right-winger that calls me an elitist for drinking beer that you can actually taste. And I'll put all the mustard I want on my sandwiches. Maybe I'll even do the unspeakable and *gasp* eat INDIAN FOOD. With SPICES. *Doom music.*
46
the insanity of it all is quite amusing. a simple gathering for a couple drinks (chosen by the guests - as etiquette dictates) leads to absolute nonsense. so i see an article on WSJ about this important issue and read this:
In general, the White House strives to showcase American food, wines and traditional concoctions at official meals and parties. Sometimes, even menu items with a foreign provenance are Americanized. In the George W. Bush White House, a favorite chocolate dessert was referred to not as a French-style soufflé, but as a "chocolate freedom."
In general, the White House strives to showcase American food, wines and traditional concoctions at official meals and parties. Sometimes, even menu items with a foreign provenance are Americanized. In the George W. Bush White House, a favorite chocolate dessert was referred to not as a French-style soufflé, but as a "chocolate freedom."
47
Oh, and I forgot to mention...Lord Basil you can take your racist birther bullshit and shove it up your ass.
(Man Slog comments are a refreshing place to vent justifiable rage.)
(Man Slog comments are a refreshing place to vent justifiable rage.)
48
I thought the point was for them to sit down and talk about race and the shitstorm they all just got themselves caught up in. Can't they just drink whatever they want?
51
@48
Actually, I think that's the point Dan's trying to make here. The beer list seems so bland it was probably drawn up by staffers, focus-grouped, and finalized based on the smallest demographic it might offend. President Obama's a smart, cultured guy. Can you see him actually wanting to drink Bud?
Unless that's the point you're making too, in which case I'm thick and I apologize.
Actually, I think that's the point Dan's trying to make here. The beer list seems so bland it was probably drawn up by staffers, focus-grouped, and finalized based on the smallest demographic it might offend. President Obama's a smart, cultured guy. Can you see him actually wanting to drink Bud?
Unless that's the point you're making too, in which case I'm thick and I apologize.
53
a number of points:
16- if it's a stretch to call bud a foreign brand, than it's also a stretch to call the big three domestic auto makers, as much of it is made overseas or in mexico.
14- a number of local breweries use local products. i'm not too familiar with brands near DC, but in michigan i can get bell's, great lakes, and many others that use michigan sourced ingredients. i actually sell hops from farmers to brewers as a side gig. additionally, brewed beer is mostly water, and shipping that water creates alot of extra waste. shipping dry malts and hops is substantially less transportation input.
13- you are correct, except that guiness is mearly an okay beer, but that's just this man's opinion.
of course the whole thing is contrived, and they should have invited lucia, but drinking a craft beer, even if it's a light lager in style, shows a commitment to american small businesses and the "main street" image that the democrats are trying to promote.
good job, dan.
16- if it's a stretch to call bud a foreign brand, than it's also a stretch to call the big three domestic auto makers, as much of it is made overseas or in mexico.
14- a number of local breweries use local products. i'm not too familiar with brands near DC, but in michigan i can get bell's, great lakes, and many others that use michigan sourced ingredients. i actually sell hops from farmers to brewers as a side gig. additionally, brewed beer is mostly water, and shipping that water creates alot of extra waste. shipping dry malts and hops is substantially less transportation input.
13- you are correct, except that guiness is mearly an okay beer, but that's just this man's opinion.
of course the whole thing is contrived, and they should have invited lucia, but drinking a craft beer, even if it's a light lager in style, shows a commitment to american small businesses and the "main street" image that the democrats are trying to promote.
good job, dan.
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