Apparently, pseudo-job discrimination based on political ideology is praise-worthy as long as the company is towing the Democratic Party line.  At least, that’s the message the White House sent when it held up New Belgium Brewery as a thought leader on paid family leave, according to Democratic State Sen. Jessie Ulibarri’s tweet below.

Colorado company .@newbelgium brewing featured in @WhiteHouse briefing materials as a business leading the charge 4 paid family leave #coleg

— Jessie Ulibarri (@jessie4CO) March 6, 2015

For those who don’t know what we’re referring to, first let’s recall the time that New Belgium Brewery told America that it only hired Democrats.  From The Wall Street Journal in 2012:

Still, “we try to be really careful to allow everyone to have their own  opinion,” says Jenn Vervier, the director of sustainability and strategic  planning at the 450-employee company. Because the company considers “cultural  fit” when hiring, she says, most staffers tend to agree on partisan issues.”

It’s true that political ideology is not a protected class in terms of discrimination, but her stance is unsettling.  Only hiring one side of the aisle makes a lot of sense for a political consulting firm, but less sense for a brewery.  But, perhaps it is necessary when one considers all the Democratic Defense that New Belgium Brewery plays.

Beyond New Belgium being spotlighted by the White House recently, the beer company has towed Obama’s line for some time. In 2013, New Belgium spearheaded a letter from 26 craft brewers against fracking, (irrationally) complaining that fracking was harming…beer. No word on whether beer was harming oil and gas companies.  In 2012, New Belgium CEO Kim Jordan funded the Longmont ballot initiative to ban fracking in Colorado as well as sponsored protests for Frack-Free Colorado.

We’re not saying she can’t have an opinion or exercise her First Amendment rights, but we are reminding readers to consider the source when Democrats hold up companies like New Belgium as thought leaders.