PrintSlice's Endorsements for Presidential Nominees
I try to keep things at Slice apolitical. After all, even the slimiest of Republicans and the skeeviest of Democrats enjoys good pizza. But this is an important election, and I figure all you homeslices reading the site could use some guidance as to whom the best pizza candidate might be among the front-runners in each party's nomination race.
My first step was to see how many times "pizza" was metioned on each candidate's website and how often the candidate's name and the word "pizza" came up together in a Google search.
I then contacted the candidates via their websites to ask four standard questions and one question specifically tailored to the candidate. In alphabetical order, here are the emails I sent and responses I got:
HILLARY CLINTON (D)
Instances of term "pizza" on candidate's website: 97
Instances of term "pizza" associated with candidate in the news: 142
[Editor's note: Each candidate received a variation of the following greeting; I include it here with Senator Clinton's correspondence but omit it in later correspondence, as only names and party affiliations were changed.]
Dear Senator Clinton,
I am editorial page editor of Slice, America's favorite pizza weblog, and we are trying to decide which Democratic candidate to endorse before the all-important make-or-break March 4 round of primaries. Because we focus specifically on pizza at Slice, I would like you to answer the following questions for the pizza-minded voters in our substantial audience:
- Thin-crust or deep dish?
- Favorite topping or topping combo?
- Given your background—Illinois-born but representing the people of New York State and New York City—where do you fall on the Chicago vs. NYC issue?
- Can you name your favorite pizzeria?
- You once derided the consumption of pizza, characterizing it as unhealthy. Would you like to take this opportunity to clarify your pizza position for Slice readers?
I know how enormously busy you are ahead of Ohio, and I thank you for your time. Good luck!
Hasta la pizza,
Adam Kuban
Clinton's Response
Dear Friend,
Thank you for your message. I have received thousands of emails from people all over the country. Your comments are very important to me and I am excited that so many people are joining our conversation about how to change the direction of the country. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of comments, I am unable to respond to each email individually.
Please visit hillaryclinton.com to learn more about my views on the issues and to read the latest information about my campaign.
Below are some suggestions for how you get involved in the national campaign today ...
[suggestions omitted for space]
Thank you again for your interest.
Sincerely,
Hillary
MIKE HUCKABEE (R)
Instances of term "pizza" on candidate's website: 76
Instances of term "pizza" associated with candidate in the news:68
- Thin-crust or deep dish?
- Favorite topping or topping combo?
- Where do you stand on the Chicago vs. NYC issue?
- Can you name your favorite pizzeria?
- How has your well-publicized diet affected your pizza consumption?
Huckabee's Response
None.
JOHN McCAIN (R)
Instances of term "pizza" on candidate's website: 38
Instances of term "pizza" associated with candidate in the news: 101
- Thin-crust or deep dish?
- Favorite topping or topping combo?
- Where do you stand on the Chicago vs. NYC issue?
- Can you name your favorite pizzeria?
- Your state is home to one of America's best pizzerias (Pizzeria Bianco). When was the last time you visited this establishment?
McCain's Response
None.
BARACK OBAMA (D)
Instances of term "pizza" on candidate's website: 1,380
Instances of term "pizza" associated with candidate in the news: 185
- Thin-crust or deep dish?
- Favorite topping or topping combo?
- Where do you stand on the Chicago vs. NYC issue?
- Can you name your favorite pizzeria?
- The call for "Change" is a central philosophy of your campaign. But do you support the type of change that has Americans stuffing cheese into the crust of their pizzas?
Obama's Response
Dear Adam Kuban,
Thank you so much for your interview request. It is now in our system and our communications team will follow-up with you when we have a better idea of your request’s status. We understand the difficulties a delay in response may cause and certainly appreciate your patience.
If you need to follow-up with our team before you hear from us, please email media@barackobama.com. However, we will touch base with you as soon as we have an update.
Best,
Communications Team
Obama for America
barackobama.com
ANALYSIS AND ENDORSEMENTS
Democratic Candidate: Barack Obama
Hillary Clinton gets points with us for her service to New York state, where pizza as we know it was essentially born. And she gets bonus points for her .jpg signature. We are, however, dismayed at her failure to respond to tough questions regarding her denigration of slices and pies. While we understand that an all-pizza diet is not healthy, it is up to the individual to monitor her own diet while on the campaign trail. Placing the blame for unhealthy eating on one of America's iconic foods rather than where it belongs—on the candidate herself—does not bode well for someone whose accountability will need to be beyond reproach after eight years of unchecked negligence in the Oval Office.
And while we have concerns about Barack Obama's experience, when we consider his pizza credentials, he wins our endorsement for the sheer number of supporters coming together at pizza meet-ups to work phone banks, organize get-out-the-vote drives, and make big talk about change. Many of his supporters are college students, who, as we know so well, are among the nation's largest pizza-eating bloc. We also like that Obama visited Caesario's Pizza in Manchester, New Hampshire:
Link: Caesario's Pizza [YouTube]
Republican Candidate: John McCain
While we were dismayed by the lack of response from either Republican candidate, we must nonetheless choose one to support. Mike Huckabee's total on-site pizza count is double that of John McCain's. But the senator from Arizona has some crucial pizza cred behind him in that he hails from an up-and-coming pizza state. Believe it or not, Arizona has what is said to be one of the country's best pizzerias (Pizzeria Bianco) and is home to a number of coal-fired pizza ovens. While we don't know if Mr. McCain partakes of such offerings (shame on you for not answering us, Senator!), we suspect that Governor Huckabee's diet would limit him from consuming pizza in quantities that would befit a nominee that this site could endorse. Therefore, our nod goes, by default, to Senator McCain.
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10 Comments:
I think a Slice-sponsored debate is in order: Barack and Hillary throwdown over Chicago deep dish vs. NYC thin crust.
bstetka at 9:52PM on 03/03/08
Dear bstetka, Thank you for your message. I have received thousands of emails from people all over the country. Your comments are very important to me and I am excited that so many people are joining our conversation about pizza. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of discourse, I am unable to respond to each comment individually.
Please continue to visit sliceusa.com to learn more about my views on pizza and to read the latest information about slices and pies.
Hasta la pizza,
HAH HAHAH ... Just kidding. I'll schedule the debate just as soon as I hear back from McCain and Huck. ;)Adam Kuban
Adam Kuban at 9:57PM on 03/03/08
Very funny response, Adam. :)
Wonder if Kucinich visited the Post Punk Kitchen for the vegan pizza extravaganza. You might want to see it: Post Punk Kitchen blog.
hereandthe at 10:15AM on 03/04/08
I think pizza and Pizza Hut contributed to Mr. Kucinich's downfall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIXrQ-47Fa0
Adam Kuban at 10:28AM on 03/04/08
I saw one of McCain's sons once at Pizzeria Bianco. I am sure he partakes, his main Phoenix office is like a 5 minute walk from Pane Bianco and only 10 minutes by car from the Pizzeria.
chasgoose at 2:21PM on 03/04/08
Slate says Hillary's favourite meat is Lamb. Maybe she puts roast lamb on her pizza?
Huckabee is definitely a thin crust guy, in my opinion.
ag3208 at 2:57PM on 03/04/08
Most important question of the pizza debate: "What do each of the 4 candidates think about pizza?"
Clinton: "Everyone needs pizza and it is getting too expensive for the average American to afford. My administration, on day 1, would ensure everyone has equal access to quality pizza. I would carefully examine all of this imported buffalo mozzeralla and san marzano tomatoes and find a way for them to be made right her in America!"
Obama: " Hillary and I have a a big difference here. While I agree everyone should have access to quality pizza, I would not mandate everyone to eat pizza like she will. What if people are lactose intolerant or have Coeliac disease. I have been eating pizza everyday since I was a community organizer in Chicago, so I know good pizza!"
Huckabee: "As it is written in Papa John 3:12 - god commands us to eat thin crust and deep dish. Because of my conservative values, I will cut taxes on everyone so you can decide how much pizza you should eat. Not only that, but every unborn child has a right to pizza as well according to the Domino's 3 for 9.99 passage."
McCain: "What we need to do is to close the borders to ensure no pizza gets out of this country. If we want our troops to conquer al Qaeda in Iraq, we are going to need more pizza for them. Without pizza to feed the troops, Iraq will be turned into an Islamic hot bed of hummos and other middle eastern delights which they will try to export to us. After the surge, pizza is the next best weapon against Islamic fundamentalism and the best way to keep our borders safe and our country strong!"
piermont at 12:38PM on 03/05/08
bstetka - I think they're both from Illinois and I for one have no interest in having Clinton as a representative for me in the senate and on behalf of my beloved pies. It's bad enough she's a senator, let's not make it worse by listening to her take a stand on pizza based on how her constituency feels on any day of the week.
canonizer at 2:05PM on 03/05/08
OMG, PIERMONT! Best. Comment. Ever. ("Papa John 3:12"? ... Priceless!)
Thank you for a much-needed laugh today!
Adam Kuban at 4:48PM on 03/05/08
A Pizza Debate may be the best idea since the ScienceDebate 2008!
(hey, that rhymes)
Stushi at 1:34PM on 03/07/08