Does Obama have a drinking problem?

Obama is constantly stating that he is going to have a beer. It has reached the point that having a beer is almost  part of his stump speech.

The Huffington Post recently ran a story entitled "President Obama Makes Bid For Beer-Drinker-In-Chief (PHOTOS)" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/11/obama-beer_n_1874440.html. The article had a number of photos of Obama drinking beer.

Obama has used beer to smooth over rough patches, when his comments on the police handling of the Professor Gates incident caused an uproar, his solution was to have a beer summit in the Rose garden with the policeman and Professor Gates.

He has instituted several microbrew flavors at the White House. There is White House Honey Ale, White House Honey Blonde Ale and White House Honey Porter. He recently released the formulas for these flavors to allow people to brew the same beer at home.

Some of this love of beer is probably genuine and some of it would appear to be a political calculation to appeal to the every man. Most Americans enjoy a beer and it is a way to connect with them. Obama makes a similar calculation in mentioning his love of playing basketball all the time, while remaining silent on his enjoyment of golf. He does not mention golf, because golf is regarded as a game for the wealthy while basketball is for the common man.

Obama understands that he needs to better connect with the average voter. In his speeches, he often adopts the manner of a professor lecturing a student rather than a person discussing a subject with equals. This style runs the risk of the alienating voters. His enjoyment of basketball and beer provides common bonds with voters.

In this election, there is another reason to mention his beer drinking.  His opponent Mitt Romney does not drink because of his religious convictions. An important part of campaigning is to draw distinctions between yourself and your opponent. Obama is able to subtly do this by mentioning he had a beer.

Expect to hear Obama say I had a beer many more times in the election campaign. You could turn this into a drinking game, every time Obama mentions that he had a beer you have one too. Then you could have a drinking problem as well.