Republican Politics: The Wine Factor

CandidatesAny wine pundit worth his syrah must at some point make the effort to evaluate the quadrennial crop of presidential candidates for their potential to promote American wine. Who would be most likely to push American-made wine front and center not only with visiting dignitaries, but in front of the American people?

I’ll grant you, most presidential candidates don’t exactly make haste to be identified with the elitist, effeminate, non-beer drink that is wine. And it’s likely that the 2012 campaign for president will continue the tradition of candidates keeping any personal appreciation of wine to themselves.

However, For those of us who vote based only and solely on a candidate’s likelihood to drink wine, promote the drinking of wine or simply promote the American wine industry, we are obliged to do the political math. Here’s mine:

MITT ROMNEY
Mitt appears to be the designated driver among the current crop of Presidential candidates. As a member of the Mormon religion who takes its rules on drinking and smoking quite seriously, it is quite likely that Romney has never had a sip of wine in his life—and this despite the fact that he apparently spent a good deal of time in France and Bordeaux on missionary business in his youth. However, it’s even more likely that the man will never have a sip of wine for the rest of his life. However, and importantly, it was then-governor Mitt Romney in Massachusetts that vetoed a a bill that would have allowed direct shipping to his state residents, but only from in-state and out-of-state wineries making less than 30,000 gallons of wine per year. He believed the bill was unconstitutional. His veto was overridden the cap on who could ship wine into the state went into effect. The law was later ruled unconstitutional. However, it’s unlikely that as president, Romney would ever find himself in a similar situation and if asked to sign H.R. 1161, the anti-consumer wine bill now languishing in Congress, it’s likely from his views on states-rights that he would overlook the the bill’s likelihood of leading to restrictions on consumer access and sign it as a gift to those who believe the 10th Amendment is the moral basis of good government.
VERDICT: IT’S HARD TO SEE A PERSON WHO HAS A MORAL AVERSION TO WINE MAKE AN EFFORT TO PROMOTE WINE.

JON HUNTSMAN
Huntsman too is a member of the Mormon faith who, despite reports that while Ambassador of China he was known to take a diplomatic sip of Chinese wine before switching to water, is a known abstainer who’s views of alcohol and drinking are informed by his moral world view. While I get the impression that Huntsman is somewhat more likely to be influenced by a more worldly perspective and with it an understanding that wine has a place in the world, I’m not sure this perspective would lead him to be any kind of advocate for American wine or wine drinkers.
VERDICT: DON’T COUNT ON A PRESIDENT HUNTSMAN TO BRING THE VIRTUES OF WINE INTO THE PUBLIC SPHERE

MICHELLE BACHMANN
In 1977, while a Junior at Winona State University in Minnesota, young Bachmann led a political effort to allow alcohol in the dorm rooms on campus. She took her crusade all the way to the governor. Later, while running for Congress in Minnesota three times, Bachmann took $24,000 from the National Beer Wholesalers of America. The former action appears to be the action of a person simply willing to get involved, rather than as an advocate of consumer access to a legal product, while the latter strikes me as par for the course as the National Beer Wholesalers of America tend to give campaign contributions to any candidate that demonstrates a heartbeat. It should also be noted that in October, Bachmann came to Napa Valley, ground zero for the American wine industry. She spent a few hours at the Napa Valley Country Club picking up checks from supporters and members of the Napa Tea Party. That said, there is no indication that Rep. Bachmann takes much delight or interest in things gourmand. She strikes me as the heir to Midwestern conservatism where public displays of refined appetites dont’ sit to well with her peers.
VERDICT: WHILE NOT AN IDEOLOGICAL ENEMY OF WINE, A PRESIDENT BACHMANN ISN’T LIKELY TO DEMONSTRATE ANY DELIGHT IN AMERICA’S WINEMAKING HERITAGE.

RICK PERRY
There are indications that Governor Rick Perry might be the best hope for wine lovers. To begin with, he has campaigned at wineries in Iowa as well as in Sonoma, where he spent time at Jordan Winery at a $500 a plate fundraiser. But consider that it was also reported that Food & Wine Magazine was among the few magazines are delivered by mail to the Governor’s posh digs in Austin. If nothing else, this indicates that Perry, or at least those closest too him, isn’t afraid of wine and may even appreciate the idea that some American’s are proud of their food and wine heritage. But consider this, Governor Perry has, at least twice, used location-based social media tool FourSquare to check in at liquor stores and proclaim his desire to get him some good Texas wine by using the #gotexanwine hashmark and the Governor wagered a case of Texas wine, not Texas Barbecue or Texas boots or a Texas cowboy hat, on a basketball game involving the Aggies and Notre Dame.
VERDICT: RICK PERRY HAS GONE OUT OF HIS WAY TO PROMOTE TEXAS WINE AND HE APPARENTLY LOVES TEXAS WINE. I’D BET HE’D BE A STRONG PROMOTER OF AMERICAN WINE IN THE WHITE HOUSE ON THOSE OCCASIONS IT MAKES SENSE.

RICK SANTORUM
Rick Santorum probably has the clearest statement on his relationship with wine. Upon being asked by a reporter about his fluency in being able to describe what kind of beer he liked, the former Senator said: “I don’t do wine tastings, I do beer tastings.”
VERDICT: NEXT!

RON PAUL
As the libertarian in the race, one gets the impression that Paul’s disposition toward wine is constructed around the idea that citizens ought to have access to it. However, his fervent belief that the state must control nearly everything, probably would lead him to believe that Granholm v. Heald was decided incorrectly and state could do as they please with regard to blocking access to wine. As far as I can tell, the only time Paul has even come close to commenting on wine is when he notes when arguing for the legalization of marijuana that dope is safer than alcohol. So, connoisseurs of marijuana probably have a very good reason to support Paul.
VERDICT: NOT MUCH FOR WINE LOVERS TO CHEER ABOUT

NEWT GINGRICH
One gets the impression that Newt Gingrich is the most “worldly” and culturally sophisticated person in the Republican race. And let’s face it, anyone with an expense account at Tiffany’s probably has a penchant for spending on the finer things, a category that wine fall into. But who knows. The man has had little to say about the subject of wine or alcohol in general. It’s merely a suspicion of mine that if place in the White House, Gingrich would be quite pleased to bring out the good stuff when dignitaries came calling.
VERDICT: LIKELY TO POUR, BUT NOT PROMOTE.


14 Responses

  1. Steve Heimoff - January 3, 2012

    Vote for Obama! We know he likes Chardonnay.

  2. daryl - January 3, 2012

    Obama has a thousand plus bottles in his wine cellar, so you know he’s pouring the good stuff to all of the visiting dignitaries…

  3. Tom Wark - January 3, 2012

    I was always under the impression that his cellar in Chicago HELD 1000 bottles, not that it HAD 1000 bottles in it.

  4. Morton - January 3, 2012

    So if I am to pick one of the above that I might hang with, share a glass of wine, and shoot the shit, your telling me I have to sit with Newt and listen to him pontificate on how brilliant he is? Gimme a break. Too bad Sarah didn’t run, I could envision pounding shots and maybe snorting a line with her off the top of an oil barrel… and maybe killing a moose. But a social moment with one of the above candidates? America has lost its way.

  5. gdfo - January 4, 2012

    Man, I really dislike this kind of post. Stick with Wine.

  6. Larry Chandler - January 5, 2012

    I hope this was intended as humor. It wasn’t as humorous as Rick Perry’s campaign, but I hope that was your intent. You don’t really “vote based only and solely on a candidate’s likelihood to drink wine”, do you?
    And I’m sure Huntsman is far more likely to be a wine drinker than you think. Romney may only drink his diet Coke, but here in Utah there are many Mormons who enjoy wine. The manager of our local wine store knows them all.

  7. Iowa Caucuser - January 5, 2012

    Overheard in Iowa with the GOP candidates over a glass of something.
    Michelle Bachmann over iced tea – “I talked to this lady who told me she had one glass of wine during her pregnancy and her daughter was born with mental retardation. And you know, I find it interesting that the last time the swine flu broke out we had a Democratic President in office who also drank wine.”
    Ron Paul over iced Coke mixed with antipsychotic meds – “I worry about the fences I’ve seen that so many put around their vineyards, that they might be used by FEMA in some concentration camp situation…. If we hadn’t been over there, trying to impose our alcohol in their Muslim society, 911 wouldn’t have happened.”
    Jon Huntsman over a virgin Mary – “When I was in China I had this great three penis wine. You ever had that? It wasn’t cheap, but I tell you it turned me into a plumber wanting to lay down some pipe…if you know what I mean.”
    Rick Santorum over an unknown frothy mixture – “In Pennsylvania we have a tradition of encouraging business with minimal regulation. Our state wine and liquor stores are some of the most profitable in the country. They do a bang up business on Thursdays when the blacks come in to cash their welfare checks.”
    Rick Perry over his Texas Tea – “We would do what we did in Texas to make us the fastest growing economy, like we did for the wine business when we eliminated the main thing that held it back….the….let’s see it was the …uh…uh….oops!”
    Newt Gingrich over a Grey Goose vodka martini (up and dirty) – “Living near Baltimore, I got to know Bob Parker, we became buddies and we worked out a deal. He gave me an advance copy of his newsletter and I bought out the DC stores of anything scoring over 96 before other collectors had a clue. Hah! ran up a $500,000 tab in one store.”

  8. Don - January 5, 2012

    Wow you guys are a sad group.

  9. Peter O'Connor - January 6, 2012

    “[Ron Paul’s] fervent belief that the state must control nearly everything”.
    In fact, the opposite is true:
    “Libertarianism includes diverse beliefs, all advocating strict limits to government activity, maximization of individual liberty and political [and commercial] freedom”.
    “Libertarianism can also be defined as any political position that advocates a radical redistribution of power from the coercive state to voluntary associations of free individuals”.
    Summing up, libertarians defend individualism and minimal government (minarchists and objectivists advocate that the government should only provide security, order, justice and protect private property) or no-government (anarcho-capitalism); but reject taxation (viewed as confiscation), welfare, proactive aggression, conscription; and advocate that any voluntary association/contract between two consenting adults should be accepted as legal.

  10. Riedel Wine Glasses - January 7, 2012

    Well, basing my decision solely on the likely hood that the next president would be a proud Wine advocate, I’d say Perry is my first choice. Of course, one cannot not ignore the Democratic front runner whom owns over 1000 bottles of wine which he stores in a wine cellar in his Chicago home.

  11. Richard - January 9, 2012

    Perry may be amenable to better treatment of wine, but that would assume Congress is in session long enough to get anything done and assumes Perry can remember what wine is

  12. cisco ccna - February 8, 2012

    I salute President Obama for his strategies in marketing business and to uplift American’s morale into the society. You did a great job!

  13. iphone apps - March 13, 2012

    President Obama I am behind your back. At the very beginning I have a high respect on you so do the thing you think is right!

  14. Sunshine Coast bookkeepers - August 15, 2012

    Wine toss for a successful wine factory launching! Thanks to Obama for making it. We will always support you.


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