What if you sat down to eat with the President? This viewpoint could happen in the U.S., where the candidates do not hesitate to organize lotteries to win this sort of invitation. A way to win donations is telltale of the importance of food in the American campaign. Here are the explanations of Marie Brunerie, author of “Threats on Obama: Conservative America at the Conquest of the White House.”
It is a (complicated) mission that one accepts when one decrypts and comments on an American presidential campaign. One watches debates at 3:00 in the morning and accepts being showered with emails from the candidates and their supporters until indigestion. (Since we’re big masochists, we’re subscribed to all of their mailing lists.)
This year’s novelty aims well for our stomach with “eat with Mitt,” “grab a bite with Paul” and “share a dinner with Barack.” Our inbox is bloated! But it’s flattering, casual and cool.
The latest comes to us from Ann – yes, the Romney – who proposed last week for us to participate in a $5 lottery to “have the chance to eat a pizza with Mitt” before the candidates’ debate. In principle, it’s fundraising that excites our ego and our taste buds while tapping at our wallet.
The most unbelievable operation of this kind has surely come out of the little geniuses of Messina’s Chicago group with the famous lottery released in April for a “dinner with Barack at George’s.” (Yes, it’s at Clooney’s Los Angeles villa.) There isn’t much of an excuse! That was on last May 10. According to the statement of the funds raised after dessert, $15 million [was raised], of which $9 million was thanks to the lottery and $6 million was paid by 150 choice invitees (like Salma Hayek, Barbra Streisand and Billy Crystal) at $40,000 each. It’s a record! For a little story, the two happy winners were a housewife and an elementary school teacher.
The Romney camp copied them the following week with their first “grab a bite with Mitt,” but they had less success. … Republicans have visibly less appreciation of the stomach. And Barack Obama is welcomed with enthusiasm by the pizza parlor managers.
Will Republicans pick up on the grub frontier?
Three Strategic Considerations
1. Americans and their stomach are serious – dramatically serious. One of every four Americans is obese. (It’s one in three if one counts the “overweight.”) The first lady Michelle has made this her battle. Her anti-junk food program, “Let’s Move,” (notable in the fight against obesity in young people) contributed to her popularity. One has seen her give a lot of herself: Will Mrs. Romney attack this problem herself?
2. One is of course flattered by Ann’s generous invitation. But $5 is more expensive than the $3 Michelle asked for to “join Barack and myself for an informal dinner.” However, these small donations were undeniably one of the key ingredients of the 2008 campaign (and victory), and they could well also be a part of the recipe for 2012.
3. The pizzas with Mitt or with Paul are good. … But then again, Barack is both cooler than Romney and more in touch with the country. To know with whom you were meeting, the site Steadyhealth informed us that in 2008, he ate between four and six eggs every morning. (Commercials can take credit for this.) But above all, his thing is Mexican cuisine.
That went over well, since tacos, burritos and other tortillas were poised to supplement the other refined dishes of Yankee ground (hamburgers and pizzas) twenty years after salsa overcame good old ketchup. This year, Taco Bell recorded results never seen in the junk food industry, … uh, the fast food industry.
Could the Republicans have forgotten that they should seduce the Latino electorate (one of every six voters) if they want to have a chance to get [their vote]? In any case, one thing is certain for us, the poor commentators: Tuesday, we did well to set our alarms to 3 AM for the second Obama/Romney presidential debate. But this time, we prepared the seal of the popcorn; this changed us!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.