Obama Beer Summits Have Not Helped, Study Finds

Apparently it doesn't matter if the president drinks a whiskey drink, a vodka drink, a lager drink or a cider drink. He's losing the enthusiasm of America's most beer-drinking states. 

That seems to be the evidence from 247WallStreet.com's compilation of states with the highest per capita beer consumption. Here are the top 10: 

10. Delaware 
9.  Nebraska 
8. Texas  
7. Vermont  
6. Wisconsin  
5. Nevada  
4. South Dakota 
3. Montana  
2. North Dakota 
1. New Hampshire 

I'm surprised to see Vermont, the bluest of blue states, on that list because the last time I was there they had some kind of irritating bar regulation that prohibited service of more than one drink at a time, which not only prohibited boilermakers but forced hapless dipsomaniacs to chug their existing drinks before the barkeep would serve the next round. I hear the Green Mountain State has since repealed this rule, which might explain why its rate of per capita consumption has risen the fastest of any state. 

In any event, fully half of these states — Delaware, Vermont, Wisconsin, Nevada and New Hampshire — went for Obama in 2008. But according to Real Clear Politics' current map of electoral college polling, only Delaware and Vermont remain solidly for Obama, while Wisconsin, Nevada and New Hampshire have all moved into the "Tossup" category.

All five of the states that went for John McCain four years ago — Nebraska,  Texas, Montana, North and South Dakota — remain red. 

"The great point is to bring [voters] the real facts — and beer," said Abraham Lincoln, one of many chief executives who understood the importance of suds at the ballot box. Obama has clearly opted not to bother with the real facts, but he's running against a teetotaller and on one economic indicator — the beer affordability index — he has kept America at number one. Yet his old drinking buddies are forgetting about him. Maybe they've realized that a hangover only lasts a day but you have to live with an election result for four years. 

Watch this space for rules on the Vice-Presidential-Debate drinking game.