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.
To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
Thomas Jefferson
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