Wine School Pres Keith Wallace Backs Republican Tom Corbett

We're disappointed that Wine School of Philadelphia president Keith Wallace is backing Republican Tom "the unemployed just sit there" Corbett.  We like the classes offered at the Wine School and the email newsletter they send out, which always includes some good PLCB wine recommendations.  Which is why we were bummed to find in the latest Wine School newsletter that Wallace is backing the Republican candidate for Governor.

Since Wallace is president of a Wine School, we assume that it's in his interest to have the strict PA liquor laws changed.  Perhaps Wallace would like more and easier options to buy wine; or maybe he wants to sell wine himself.  All that is fine, but in the newsletter Wallace adopts an aww shucks I didn't want all this attention tone and represents himself as some kind of selfless consumer advocate and champion of the little guy.

In the newsletter Wallace says "...nearly every wine drinker in PA is fed up with the PLCB."

Really? Well, we're wine drinkers in PA and we are not fed up.  We are finding that with a little shopping around some very good deals can be had through the PLCB Chairman's Selections program.  In addition, other wine frequently goes on sale. We may be in the minority, but a number of wine drinkers on PAWineTalk would seem to agree. No doubt the PLCB has it's quirks, but we find it's critics tend to go overboard and are often politically motivated.

Wallace is also a critic of the PA wine kiosks. His quote about the kiosks, repeated in many news stories is this:

"The process is cumbersome and assumes the worst in Pennsylvania's wine consumers — that we are a bunch of conniving underage drunks," Wallace wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "(Liquor board) members are clearly detached from reality if they think these machines offer any value to the consumer."

We agree with Wallace that the kiosks look cumbersome. Yet even though fancy critics like Wallace have bashed the kiosks,  the sales have exceeded expectations, so consumers seem to like them. Consumers couldn't buy wine in the supermarket before; PLCB came up with a way to work within the law so that they could.  What is wrong with that? How does that hurt the consumer?  Maybe it's Wallace who is detached from reality. 

Alcohol is regulated in every state. Some states have weirder laws than others. We admit PA's laws are pretty weird. If PA's laws are going to be reformed, we need to see details of how they are going to be reformed and who the new laws will benefit. 

In the Wine School newsletter, Wallace says: 

"So, for the last few weeks I been talking with some folks down in Harrisburg.I am really excited: we have a once-in-a-decade shot at reforming the PLCB.In those conversations, I have gained assurances that Gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett will make reforming the PLCB an element of his administration. Don't ask me to say more than that-- you know I can't; all this political intrigue is not good for a simple soul like myself."

Ah yes, a simple soul. Wallace then asks his readers to attend a $500 fundraiser for Corbett, organized by none other than former PLCB chairman Jonathan Newman.

Well, sorry, but before we shell out $500, or even worse vote Republican, we need more than vague "assurances."  What are the details? How will the laws be reformed? Will the new laws really benefit consumers and the citizens of PA?  Or will privatization cost the state money and really only benefit Corbett and his cronies? Simple soul Wallace needs to come clean and spell out exactly what kind of reforms he is calling for before he gets our support.

If you stop and think about it, the PLCB can actually be seen as government run system that actually works. It provides money for the state of Pennsylvania, some good deals for consumers due to its buying power, and it provides good jobs for its workers. Maybe that's why Republicans and other free market fundamentalists hate it so much. 

Comments

[Ted]

Hey, I agree. Keith should stay out of politics and stick to marketing. I think the PLCB sucks and it should be privatized - but not at the expense of electing someone who is wrong on almost every other issue. I have also seen statements by Corbett that he wasn't in favor of privatization. Jonathan contacted me as well. I cordially said "no thanks." I also agree that the devil is in the details. I asked Keith to explain just what Corbett was for on this issue? Was he for giving the distributors a rock solid, no-shipping, three-tiered system? If so - no thanks.

Also - to your points - as I have stated previously on this issue - the system doesn't really "actually" work. It is an inefficient monopoly. The money taken in is largely tax dollars and the "buying power" occasionally has some bargains at the expense of choice and service.

[PhillyWineFinder]

Thanks for the comment Ted, you make some good points!

[Keith Wallace]

All in all, this is not a lucid argument against my positions. Most troubling, your post intentionally distorts my comments.

I have no respect for someone who hurls invective while remaining anonymous. At the very least, how about publishing this comment and linking directly to the newsletter and my followup, so your readers can make up their own mind?

http://www.wineclass.net/Keith/tom-corbett-plcb/
http://www.aweber.com/archive/wineschool/1VCVS/h/August_Newsletter_for_the_Wine.htm

[PhillyWineFinder]

Keith,

Thanks for the comment. We would have linked to your newsletter but we received it via email and didn't know how to link it up. We did link to the Wine School at the top of the post and even said nice things about it. We're glad you posted the link to the newsletter here.

Since you don't provide details of what your positions are, it's hard to argue against them. Even Ted above agrees, and he is anti-PLCB.

Its disingenuous to call yourself "a simple soul" when you are the owner of a wine school fundraising for a politician for the reason of reforming the PLCB.

We'd like to know how you would reform the PLCB so it would benefit consumers. Would you be for getting rid of the Chairman's Selection Program? Would you be for online buying? Would you legalize buying wine in other states?

[Omar]

It would do Philly a world of good to get some responsible Republicans in power.