McCain vs. Obama: Cast or Drink Your Vote

For the next seven plus weeks we are going to be treated to a series of negative campaign commercials that will make watching television painful. It should not be that way because for the first time in a number of presidential campaigns the country has been presented with two pretty decent choices by the major political parties.

On one side the Republicans finally got around to nominating a guy that might have been a better choice eight years ago. A legitimate American hero with the kind of experience and free thinking nature not often on display in Washington, John McCain has earned at the very least the respect of America. The Democrats have cracked open both racial and generational barriers that bring new ideas to the table. Barack Obama has managed to elevate the discussion of race in America to a place it has not been before and he offers a different perspective on national and international issues.

In short, I sit firmly in the undecided camp. It has been a long time since I could say that I would be happy with either choice. There have been elections when I was not happy with the Republican or the Democratic nominee. This is an interesting place to be. But the negative campaigning has to stop or we run the risk of lowering the expectations for this election. That would be too bad given the quality of the candidates. Debate the issues, gentlemen, or you will turn off more of us than you turn out at the polls.

It just might be that instead of letting the negative television spots decide the race, we should rely on beer. I'm not suggesting you get hammered on Nov. 4th before heading to the polls. Instead make your decision with the help of one of these beer promotions:

The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium chain's 13 locations are currently selling Obama and McCain glasses for $5 each. A giant banner in each Flying Saucer keeps track of the vote. The front of the glass has a caricature of the candidate of your choice (sorry, I did not see any Ron Paul glasses) and the back carries a message about getting out to vote. So far in the "Glass Poll," Obama has the lead.

At California's Half Moon Bay Brewing Co. they are selling 4-packs of 22 ounce bottles of McCain Ale and Obama Ale for $15. The "Alection" race so far is not close, with Obama leading by a wide margin.

If the polls of likely voters continues to be tight, the decision might come down to "who would you rather have a beer with?" The reality is that there are worse methods for deciding the next leader of the free world. It might be my deciding factor in this race.