Bush Leads ... in Sales of Canned Beans





By DUNCAN MANSFIELD, Associated Press Writer





KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -

Judging by the bean vote, President Bush (news - web sites) could be on his way to a second term. A Tennessee

company that has been in the chili business for more than 100 years is selling satirically packaged 15-ounce cans of

beans for in honor of Republican Bush and Democratic Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) of Massachusetts.



Every online order draws a vote, and the Republicans were ahead

2,402-2,316 as of Friday.

"We don't call it scientific by any

means," says Philip Connelly, president and chief executive of Vietti Foods Inc., of Nashville. "But it could be

what they call a bellwether, one of those barometers of public opinion."

For Republicans, a grinning cartoon elephant graces Vietti's "Conservative Republican Texas Chili Beans" on a

label promising "Dubya would love!" them.

The counterpoint is a

smiling donkey on Vietti's "Liberal Democrat Boston Baked Beans," described as "liberally spiced Boston beans

married to a rich ketchup-based sauce," presumably Heinz. Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, is heir to the $500

million Heinz food fortune.

The labels carry other messages, too.



"Let's make sure no Kerry-bashing, meat-eating, fur-wearing,

gun-toting, oil-drilling, SUV-driving, Limbaugh-listening, conservative Republican, capitalist pig gets elected,"

the Boston baked beans bellow.

To which the Texas chili beans

counter: "Let's make sure no Bush-bashing, tofu-eating, tree-hugging, government-loving, NPR-listening,

Hollywood-hobnobbing, animal activist, bleeding heart, left wing socialist gets elected."



The beans went on sale at $9.95 for a case of 12 in early September,

around the time of the Republican convention.

For University of

Miami President Donna Shalala, having her school chosen as the site for the first of three presidential debates is

the plum in a semester devoted to bringing political events to campus.

Shalala has lobbied for the university, located in Coral Gables, Fla., to host a debate since she arrived in

2001 after finishing two terms as health and human services secretary under President Clinton (news - web sites).



She lined up $1 million in support from the Miccosukee Tribe while

making the case that Florida's role as a top swing state made it a logical choice. Bush carried Florida by 537

votes in 2000 after 36 days of legal wrangling that ended with a U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) ruling that

effectively called the election for the Republican candidate.

Recent

polls show Bush with a slight lead over Kerry in the state.

"We

argued that you've got to come to Florida," Shalala said, who predicted that finding a ticket for the annual

Miami-Florida State football game would be a cakewalk compared to getting one for Thursday night's debate.



Hundreds of student volunteers will help crush of media, political

pundits and observers who will be on campus for the event, and most students will watch at a campus-wide debate

party at the student center, she said.

"It should be fun. I'm just

delighted. But more than anything else, I'm delighted for the students because they're getting into it, they're

very excited about the whole thing," Shalala said.

The second and

third presidential debates will be held Oct. 8 at Washington University in St. Louis and Oct. 13 at Arizona State

University in Tempe. One vice presidential debate will take place Oct. 5 at Case Western Reserve University in

Cleveland.