06.17.2008 5:14 pm
Maybe he’s had one too many
WASHINGTON_Sen. Claire McCaskill thinks a takeover of Anheuser-Busch by InBev is a bad idea.
“And I’m going to take every opportunity I can to mouth about it,” she said this afternoon with a look on her face that dared anyone to tell her to do otherwise.
But minutes after McCaskill discussed her feelings with InBev’s CEO Carlos Brito – at his invitation – while they both enjoyed a Bud Light – at her invitation – he emerged from the meeting looking calm, confident and full of smiles.
Was it was the King of Beers that caused his nonchalance?
Brito has more plans for his time in Washington, including meetings with Sen. Kit Bond and Rep. Todd Akin tomorrow. Brito declined to offer information about these meetings – but we found out anyway.
I saw another comment that Sen. McCaskill made and that was to ask Brito how he was going to cut $1 billion in expenses. Brito can smooze Washington and St. Louis all he wants with his flowery comments regarding building the Bud brand…but the bottom line is the bottom line. He’ll get rid of:
-the in-house marketing and media departments
-all the parks
-Grant’s Farm
-some charitable donations
-a lot of the brands including, perhaps, the Michelob family of beers…which means a brewery or two
As a die-hard Republican, I find it hard to support McCaskill, Carnahan, or Clay…but agree that INBEV’s takeover of Anheuser-Busch will, over time, will be bad for St. Louis, bad for Missouri, and bad for the country. Thousands of people will lose their jobs as the company is streamlined and Anheuser-Busch will cease to be the great company that my wife works for. So, yay to McCaskill and all our Congressmen and Congresswomen who are against this deal! I am pro-business….pro-AB!