First of all, I hope that Americans are having a good (and extended) Memorial Day Weekend, and I hope that Britons are enjoying their Bank Holiday Weekend. And now...
UEBER-COMMERCIALISM 1, IGNORANT MASSES 0
Look, when one crafts something, one makes it by hand, and "it" features some sort of solid component. One crafts baseball bats, canoes, or little metal garden shovels. One does not craft beer; one brews it. I suppose one could "craft" beer if one brews it, freezes it, and then sculpts it into a miniature statue of Angela Lansbury, Andy Griffith, or David Souchet, to be given as a cheap, fairly nonsensical gift at one of the more raucous gatherings of the local chapter of the "Murder, She Wrote Thursday Evening Club," during which--in the U.S, at least--the Hallmark television network would be playing in the background. But that's about as close to "crafting" that beer will ever come. (There's nothing wrong with the word "brew," anyway.)
Yet all I seem to hear on the radio and see on television commercials is "craft beer" this and "craft beer" that, as if such a moniker gives it authenticity. I've had a couple of these so-called "craft beers," and I'm here to report that they got the name wrong, though they were close; it should be called what it is: "crap beer," which is short for "the-same-old-crap-beer-that-you-never-used-to-buy-but-this-time-were-dumb-enough-to-buy-simply-because-you've-been-duped-into-this-'craft-beer'-nonsense."
THE GOVERNOR JINDAL FILE
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal, the thirty-six year old Governor of Louisiana, is apparently one of three potential running mates who spent time with Senator John McCain this past weekend, fueling speculation that he has perhaps leap-frogged other big names in what the blog-o-sphere is unfortunately insisting on calling the "Veepstakes." (The other two potential running mates in attendance were Governor Charlie Crist of Florida and former-Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, both of whom I've written about previously, and will most likely write about again at some point.)
Governor Jindal (born in the U.S. on June 10, 1971, the son of immigrants) would make for an intriguing choice of running mate for Senator McCain, who is nearly thirty-five years his senior. For starters, Governor Jindal is ethnically Indian, and is the first ever Indian-American governor (and the second ever Asian-American governor, at least insofar as the continental United States is concerned). He also converted to Catholicism in his teens (he was originally Hindu), which would help Senator McCain with a certain percentage of the Catholic vote in an election year in which the likely Democratic Nominee, Senator Obama, is struggling to win the votes of that large, possibly crucial (and increasingly unpredictable) group of voters. He would also most likely help with Asian-American voters, at least in a broad, general sense.
Governor Jindal is also both conservative socially (he is fervently pro-life on abortion issues and opposes using tax money to pay for stem-cell research) and with regards to energy issues (he sponsored a bill that would ease restrictions on oil drilling over the "outer" portions of the U.S. continental shelf). He has served in the U.S. House of Representatives (which gives him legislative experience at the national level) and, as already mentioned, is Governor of Louisiana (which gives him chief executive experience). He was educated in both the United States (Brown University) and the United Kingdom (Oxford University), is a husband and father of three, and is a rapidly-rising star in the national Republican Party.
Legislatively, Governor Jindal is not exactly my idea of an "ideal" politician. Yet he is undeniably intelligent and charismatic, and his relatively soft Southern accent may appeal to Southerners without offending Northerners. He is young (one needs to be thirty-five years old to be the president; he is just old enough to ascend to the presidency in an emergency), which would obviously help to off-set some questions regarding Senator McCain's advanced age. Whether or not he is chosen as Senator McCain's running mate, he is someone that Democrats will have to keep a wary eye on in the coming years. In fact, I would suggest that Democrats start preparing young, intelligent legislators and political thinkers such as Harold Ford, Jr. to take on the likes of Governor Jindal in the not-too-distant future.
(I will provide an updated version of my "Top Five" running mate picks for Senator Obama and Senator McCain soon. Some things will have changed since last time.... I will not provide a list for Senator Clinton, as she is presently trailing Senator Obama in the Democratic nomination race, though I do admit that she still has a chance--if a very low-percentage one that would require the superdelegates overturning the will of the pledged delegates--of pulling off the Democratic Nomination.)
THE MILIBAND-ING OF BRITISH POLITICS
David Miliband, the young Labour standout about whom I've written in the past, is making his voice heard increasingly in national interviews in the U.K., including one this past week. At present, Prime Minister Gordon Brown seems to be caught in a free-fall into political oblivion (though, with luck, that could conceivably turn around), and the individual from his party who seems to be positioning himself for potentially stepping into Mr. Brown's position (should the party attempt to oust him or convince him to step down) is Mr. Miliband. He is most likely the only member of the current British government who could greatly revive Labour's chances against David Cameron's Tory Party in the next general election.
The machinations of the volatile nature of Labour's leadership will be interesting to watch over the coming months. So too will be how Mr. Cameron responds to the drama across the political aisle.
BEST OVERHEARD ODDLY-WORDED CONVERSATION OF THE PAST WEEKEND
Person One: "She called, but there isn't a message because the answering machine knocked her out."
Person Two: "Knocked her out?"
Person One: "Yeah, the answering machine knocked her out."
Person Two: "Do you mean the answering machine cut her off?"
Person One: "Yeah, it cut her off, knocked her out, whatever."
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