The Politics Of Beer

The folksy charm of President Obama's beer diplomacy does not resonate, apparently, with the group Pray at the Pump, which will be protesting Obama's choice of beverage today when he meets with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley at the White House. (During the summer of 2008, the group organized prayers for lower gas prices at gas stations around the country.) Earlier this week, Daily Show "Senior Black Correspondent" Larry Wilmore said, "Alcohol...that'll end well. Hey, Obama, booze isn't how you resolve a racial incident, it's how you start one." MSNBC's Domenico Montenaro wondered why they're not drinking Sam Adams; NBC called it "what may be the most anticipated beer ever." Too bad there aren't any polls on it...wait, SFGate's Zennie62 took one online ("other" was the preferred brew, beating out Pabst, Budweiser, Miller, and Sapporo). Is Obama's "beer diplomacy" too folksy, or is it an appropriate means to diffuse the tension he waded into during his primetime press conference? Does beer send the wrong message? If they have too many, will things get testy? Out of a shared hope for the future, we can all cross our fingers that another beer, someday, will be at least equally anticipated.