Free beer would have put Cindy McCain on track for a victory lap.
Think of the votes for her husband John that Cindy would have garnered at the Pennsylvania 500 at Long Pond had she poured all the brew race fans could drink.
Alas, despite Cindy’s being a Budweiser beer baroness, the day didn’t come to that for NASCAR fans.
But they did get a chance to see a First Lady candidate in a Corvette.
That might have been enough to pull some independent, conservative Democrat and Republican voters into her husband’s camp.
After all, NASCAR fans are flag wavers.
And, even if they’re wrong, many of them might still believe that Democrat Barack Obama refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance and is a Muslim.
If perception is reality – and it often is - McCain picked up more than a few voters at Sunday’s race just because his wife showed up.
Not only did she make an appearance, she took the race seriously enough to attend the drivers’ meeting, shake hands with fans, tour the garage area, and jump into the pace car.
Can you imagine Michelle Obama doing this?
Of course you can’t.
That’s why Northeastern Pennsylvania is a battleground state that could put the McCains in the White House.
As McCain strategists pick up the pace of their campaign to win the hearts and minds of working-class and middle-class voters, they’ll send Cindy to a few more races.
Maybe she’ll even give out free beer.
Snooty Democrats might laugh, but I’ve been talking for a long time about a McCain rally in the biggest arena in our area that not only pulls NASCAR fans but country music fans as well.
A “Freedom Rally” at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre would galvanize the All-American support of race fans and country music fans who are military veterans, church-goers, gun owners, all-terrain vehicle riders, hunters and outdoor sports enthusiasts who like to catch and eat fish.
Obama can have Bruce Springsteen.
Bet Bruce can’t gut a trout.
Downplaying the import of Cindy’s visit to the track ignores the fight for the white working and middle classes. Ignoring those constituencies ignores the reality of what Obama is up against in parts of America that don’t like his sense of entitlement.
My guess is that most NASCAR fans won’t vote for Obama for a variety of reasons, including his race.
Many, though, simply don’t believe he has paid his dues. In race parlance, he simply hasn’t qualified.
You don’t just get behind the wheel of car in a big race.
You earn it.
Ain’t that right Dale Earnhardt?
To win, you got to earn hard.
Driver Bobby Labonte said Cindy McCain seemed “down-home.” Then he endorsed John McCain for president. Pay attention to this day in the Poconos. It’s bigger for our region than our two new gambling casinos put together.
A voter registration drive – pun intended - is a McCain must for as many stock car races as they can find from now until November’s election.
John and Cindy must now start showing up at as many “down-home” events as they can find.
That means heading to American Legion and VFW halls for John and ethnic festivals for Cindy. That means dancing the polka at a Polish wedding or two. Go to an Irish picnic. Stop by an Italian festival like the big La Festa Italiana coming up this Labor Day weekend in Scranton.
Even without free beer, disenfranchised Hillary Clinton Democrats, Reagan Democrats and conservative independents can wave the checkered flag at the McCains.
Either way, McCain backers can point to their candidate and say, “This bud’s for you.”
Sue Henry
