HUFFINGTON
09.09.12
FOOD FIGHT!
California chain that is called Hardee’s on the East coast. This summer,
his tweeted pictures of pit stops at
Chipotle and Little Caesars.
While busy politicians have
always relied on convenient fast
food chains while traveling, the
Romney campaign is fairly unique
in publicizing these stops, according to Caudill. Clinton liked
McDonald’s, and occasionally
visited the restaurant during his
presidency. But his staff didn’t
do much to perpetuate the myth
in the media, according to Caudill. “It’s rare that candidates publicly go anywhere other than a local spot,” as fast food chains tend
to look bland on TV and don’t do
much to woo local voters, he said.
Yet fast food chains also likely
help Romney by furthering his
reputation as a big business expert. Fast food restaurants not only
seem like “regular guy” hangouts
but show that Romney appreciates
the work of corporations like CKE
Restaurants, the owner of Hardee’s
and Carl’s Jr., in creating jobs and
economic growth. In his Carl’s Jr.
tweet, Romney mentioned CKE
CEO Andy Puzder, who also promotes Romney on his blog.
Obama’s only public fast food
excursion so far has been at the
burger chain Five Guy’s in Washington, D.C., and that was in 2009.
Experts say this visit was more
about showcasing a hometown
company—Five Guys is headquartered in Virginia—than the fast
food industry itself. Both Romney
and Obama have received campaign contributions from fast food
purveyors. Restaurants and bars
gave a total of $456,386 to Mitt
Romney and $378,568 to Obama
so far this election year, according
to the Center for Responsive Politics, an organization that tracks
campaign contributions.
One fast food stop that got a
large amount of attention was
the time the Romney campaign
spend $498.99 at Chick-fil-A at
the height of the company’s controversy over gay marriage this
summer. While the campaign has
spent money at Chick-fil-A every
month since May, according to
public disbursement reports, the
choice has never inspired so much
ire or support from members of
the public. Experts in political
stagecraft say that smart campaigns
expect even their most banal consumer choices to be scrutinized,
and use this to their advantage.
Certainly, it’s unlikely the scrutiny will ever lessen. According to