Politics blurs the line between reality and art

An actor who plays a fake character hosted a fundraiser for one of the chaps running for president. So now there’s a report of a little backlash against the beer company for whom the actor’s fake character pitches.

File this under you can’t make this up.

It involves this guy, the most interesting man in the world.

Jonathan Goldsmith is the actor and he held a fundraiser in Vermont (did you really think he lived on his own island?) for Barack Obama, according to Ad Age.

“Since you are supporting Obama you just lost a customer,” wrote one fan on the Dos Equis page. “Mexican beer for Obama…………bye-bye Dos Equis,” it quotes one fan posting on Dos Equis’ Facebook page.

Brand importer Heineken USA closely guards what Mr. Goldsmith does in character, but since he is hosting the event as a citizen, the marketer has less leverage. In a statement, the company told Ad Age: “Mr. Goldsmith’s opinions and views are strictly his own, and do not represent those of Dos Equis.”

One beer company executive not affiliated with the importer said it’s “not smart business sense for any brand or company to be in the middle of a political debate,” adding, “people are going to associate him with the character he plays and that comes with a high degree of risk and I’m sure it’s not making the Heineken people happy.”