An early morning Twitter post on Election Day captured the possible mood of many Democrats regarding Tuesday’s midterms.
It demonstrated either extreme confidence or resignation.
The tweet showed a clip of Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Tim Ryan appearing Monday night on the MSNBC program “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.”
Ryan was presenting his “closing remarks” in his race against Republican J.D. Vance, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
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He went beyond just words and made a telling final gesture, holding up a beer can as O’Donnell was wrapping up the segment.
“We’re going to bring it home, Lawrence,” the Democrat said, making a toast to the camera, brandishing the can of Miller Lite as if to make sure the logo was visible.
“Gotcha,” O’Donnell replied, probably surprised that the candidate exposed himself apparently drinking during the interview.
“We’re going to bring it home,” Ryan repeated, and smiled.
Maybe the beer can wasn’t just a prop.
Win or lose, he ran the best Democratic campaign in the country start to finish, a playbook for others to learn from in 2024. The only thing you can only control is your part of the process. pic.twitter.com/G4fTjhItJp
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) November 8, 2022
It was not the first time Ryan showed a taste for Miller Lite. The candidate advertised his regular guy credentials as a fan of beer and football in an Oct. 29 Twitter post.
“There’s always time for a Miller Lite and some football,” he said.
There’s always time for a Miller Lite and some football. pic.twitter.com/gSoV2U1ZX3
— Tim Ryan (@TimRyan) October 29, 2022
Apparently televised interviews are also Miller time for Ryan.
His Republican opponent in the Ohio Senate race also has a regular guy reputation.
Vance is the author of “Hillbilly Elegy.” In 2016, NPR said in a review of the book, “J.D. Vance grew up in a Rust Belt town in Ohio, in a family from the hills of eastern Kentucky. His new memoir details the social isolation, poverty and addiction that afflict poor white communities.”
Ryan’s beer-infused closing argument fell short of the mark with voters, apparently. Vance was declared the winner late Tuesday night, leading the Democrat about 54 percent to 46 percent.
Maybe Ohio voters prefer Budweiser.
