The Un-Beerable Cindy McCain

By GottaLaff

Cindy McMealTicket's problems are getting close to un-beerable:

A Belgian brewery’s recent attempt to buy out iconic American firm Anheuser-Busch is putting Cindy McCain in a politically difficult position.
Mrs. McCain, the wife of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), is chairwoman of a lucrative Anheuser-Busch distributorship in Arizona and is starting to attract political pressure on the possible deal.

She tends to shrug off doing the right thing. Why should this time be any different?

Since Belgian beer company InBev made an offer of $65 per share to St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch on June 11, a number of Missouri politicians have publicly opposed the deal, expressing their wish for Anheuser-Busch to remain an “American” company. Some have referenced Mrs. McCain’s stake in the company.

I bet they have.

Mrs. McCain’s distributorship, Hensley & Company, was founded by her father, Jim Hensley, in 1955. She became chairwoman of the board of directors of the company in 2000 after her father’s death, and her role in the company is a large source of Sen. and Mrs. McCain’s personal wealth.

But as InBev’s offer becomes more politically radioactive, so too might the McCains’ stake in the deal. Sen. McCain has received $23,250 in political donations this cycle from Anheuser Busch employees, which is the most by any corporation, according to the Center for Responsive Politics’ Open Secrets website.

Oh, but who cares about them? They're just the help.

The potential Anheuser-Busch deal is not the first time McCain has found himself criticized for supporting foreign business interests over domestic interests. McCain intervened in 2004 against Boeing’s contract for refueling tankers with the Air Force, citing what he called a “rip-off.” McCain’s actions resulted in a joint bid between Northrop Grumman and European-owned Airbus prevailing in the contract, and subsequently attracted criticism from Democrats.

Missouri is a battleground state that has gone Republican the past two presidential elections. George W. Bush won Missouri by 3.3 percentage points in 2000. The president bested Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in Missouri, 53-46, in 2004. However, Democrats have captured a Senate seat since then, and face a competitive gubernatorial campaign this fall, pitting Democratic Attorney General Jay Nixon against Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.). Hulshof did not comment for this article.

This isn't the first time I've posted about Cindy McMealTicket's beer problems. Maybe she should consider giving up alcohol altogether.

Never mind.