Whether he deserved to or not, there was every indication that Gore was going to win. Then, before the crucial third presidential debate, something happened. A beer company, Sam Adams, commissioned a poll: Which candidate would you rather sit down and have a beer with, Bush or Gore? By three points, 40–37 percent, Americans narrowly decided they’d rather have a beer with a recovering alcoholic than Al Gore. That’s right: this madness began as a publicity stunt by a beer company, looking to latch on to debate coverage as a way to score free PR. Reporters loved the innovative poll. The “beer
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