When even the US Constitution explicitly addresses alcoholic beverages, governmental actions become intrinsically interlaced with the the business of alcoholic beverages.
But it's a tricky thing to determine where to draw the line concerning partisan politics.
Since beer, craft beer, is my issue, I am indeed a partisan for that. And that may mean I will lobby for that cause, and for or against legislation and regulations which affect alcoholic beverages.
(Lobbyists, per se, are not the nefarious villains they are often made out to be. They are partisans, paid partisans, for a cause, whether it be beer or other things. What should be required of all lobbyists is transparency of purpose, source of remuneration, and actions.)
That being said, Yours for Good Fermentables.com is a blog concerned with beer and other good fermentables. So, even though I don't hide my politics, I've split most of my political comments into a separate blog.
Several breweries and brewpubs have produced beers to celebrate Obama, or at least to mark the occasion of his nomination, election, or Inauguration.
Mike Franklin can attest that restaurateurs’ concerns about customers’ perceptions are not idle worry. Part of the enormous appeal of Franklin’s popular Hyattsville restaurant and brewery is their general store. The store’s selection of pro-Obama t-shirts, when jumbled together with the pro-Obama magnets, paper-dolls, and bumper stickers, didn’t get much reaction from McCain supporters. When those shirts were moved to the cash register, however, where shoppers and diners alike must check out, some customers went “ballistic,” says Franklin, and declared, “We’re never going to come in here again! How can you be political?’” When a second group had the same reaction, Franklin relented and returned the t-shirts to a spot deeper in the store. “We kind of have to be Switzerland,” he says.
Which Restaurateurs Are in the Tank For Obama?
Washingtonian.com
January 19, 2009
Dumbest thing in the world is to alienate your customers with your take on politics or religion. You want 100% of your customer base buying your products, not half of them. It's hard enough nowadays to run a retail operation, especially a restaurant, without further complicating the bottom line.
ReplyDeleteIf I want to spend some money on a beer and a meal, I don't need flag-waving/flag-burning, abortion/pro-life, Democrats/Republican views, etc. to get in the way of an uncomplicated night out.