Nashville

Hi there, Liberal Drinkers! If you haven't yet gotten to it, go VOTE and then join us, after 6pm at the Flying Saucer, for another round of Drinking Liberally!

It's full-on election madness these days, as one side turns up the heat on an angry kettle of fear and anger in response to the rising tide of hope, but I do think our better nature will prevail in the end. It's hard to maintain that feeling alone though, what with ugly accusations flying thick and fast, children being shot, mad plans hatched to kill black schoolkids, and gun sales skyrocketing.

That's why it's so important in this climate to spend some time among like-minded people who share a common dream of creating a better world for the next generation.

So come raise your spirits with us, literally! Make sure you stop by a voting place first, though, if you haven't yet had a chance.

See you tonight!
-amie

Hey there, Liberal Drinkers! I'm dropping in with just a couple of important notes:

First: GO VOTE! At my neighborhood early voting place this evening there was a line, as there is at nearly every early voting place, but thankfully it went very quickly. The very nice poll worker who helped me pointed out that there are 58,000 newly-registered voters in Davidson County, and that I was the 160,000th (give or take a few hundred) person to vote. That means nearly half the registered voters in Davidson County have turned out, and you should join us!

I've always been an Election Day voter, but this year I was convinced to jump on the early voting bandwagon for a few reasons:

1) Who knows what will happen to me on Election Day? What if I'm sick, or my kid is sick, or there's a problem at my polling place, or some other emergency? Best to get it done now.

2) What if there IS a problem when I try to vote? I'd like to know now, while there's still time to get things resolved before the crush of Election Day. My vote matters this year more than ever.

3) What if the person in line behind me can't wait to vote, or needs some other assistance? By voting early I'm opening up my place in line on Election Day, which makes it that much easier for the people who would have been waiting in line behind me.

So go vote NOW! Early voting is open through the end of the week, so you still have a chance!

Second Thing To Tell You:

Election Watch Party at the Saucer! We'll be joining with the Young Dems one week from tonight, Tuesday, Nov. 4th, after 7pm in the main rooom at the Saucer, for a very special Drinking Liberally!

Come early (you won't be alone!) and be among friends while we watch the results roll in across the timezones. We'll have some party platters to pass around courtesy of our friends at the Saucer, and Sam Adams is pitching in with beer specials, raffles, and swag! So come join us; I hear there's extra good luck when you cross your fingers in groups!

See you this Thursday, and next on Election Night!

-amie

p.s. If you want to help out with any kind of election work just shoot me an email!

Hello, Liberal Drinkers! Come join us this evening, after 6pm at the Flying Saucer, for another round of Drinking Liberally!

And go vote early! I've had a glitch with the email program and lost the long email I've been working on, but the short version is: VOTE EARLY. There have been vote flipping problems. There's record turnout. You or your kid might get sick on election day, or there's a problem at work, or your car breaks down...this one is too important to leave to chance. Go vote NOW!

See you tonight!
-amie

Hello again, Liberal Drinkers! Come join us this evening, after 6pm at the Flying Saucer, for another round of Drinking Liberally!

We had a great time watching the debate last night and I know I'm starting to draw some conclusions; what did you think? We got a lot to work with: policy, character, demeanor, pandering, temperament, the works!

Do you think either candidate made a big impact last night? Did anything stick out to you?

And what's going on with all the campaign resource-shifting right now? Lots of action, eh?

Can't wait to hear what you think about it! See you tonight!
-amie

p.s. Early voting is open! Go vote!

Happy Debate Day, Liberal Drinkers! Come join us this evening, 7-ish at the Flying Saucer, for a special Debate Watch round of Drinking Liberally!

We'll be at the rails in the main room, so we should get the big screen, yay!

Another thing to celebrate tonight is the beginning of EARLY VOTING IN TN!

That's right, early voting is OPEN! Our friends in in the DCYD put all the info in one place:

Early Voting Times:

Wednesday, October 15 - 8:00 am - 8:00 pm

Monday - Friday October 16 - 30 - 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday, October 18 - 8:00 am - noon

Saturday, October 25 - 8:00am - 4:00pm

Early Voting Locations:
Belle Meade City Hall
Bellevue Community Center
Bordeaux Library
Davidson County Election Commission
Edmondson Library
Friendship Baptist Church
Goodlettsville City Hall
Green Hills Library
Hermitage Library
Living Word Community Church (Antioch)
Madison Library
Woodbine Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Woodson Chapel Church of Christ

Download the full early voting schedule (http://www.nashville.gov/Vote/).

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So that means you can actually VOTE and then come to the debate watch party! If so, wear your sticker, nice things might happen to you!

We will, of course, be getting together for the regular DL tomorrow evening, and I'll send another email to let everyone know.

See you tonight!
-amie

Quick note, Liberal Drinkers! There's a "get out the vote" rally this evening, from 6-8 at the Flying Saucer, with the actor Louis Gossett Jr.!

Um, why? Turns out Gossett is in town to support the troops:

"Gossett is visiting Tennessee to raise funds for homeless vetern housing through a celebrity golf outing. If you would like to participate (including a chance to golf with Mr. Gossett's group), please see below:

"Swing for the Troops Golf Outing"
Celebrity Guest: Mr. Louis Gossett, Jr.
Monday, October 13
The VA Golf Course - US 231 North
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Contact: Bob Farmer 219-614-5263"

So come join us, this evening from 6-8 at the Flying Saucer, to promote early voting, raise awareness and support for homeless veterans, and as always, keep finding new ways to be Living Liberally!

Also wik, join us Wednesday at the Saucer for a debate watch party! It's the last debate, and we'll be at the rails in the main room. So come on out, and let's see what happens!

See you soon!
amie

What is UP, Liberal Drinkers? Join us this evening, after 6pm at the Flying Saucer, for another round of Drinking Liberally!

So the Belmont debate has come (woot!) and gone (thank goodness!); what'd you think? I know a LOT of you were there showing support, so how did it go? How were the watch parties?

And what comes next? I had an interesting conversation with a conservative friend the other day, who said she was frustrated by the debate and the lack of details. I've been really puzzled by people who say that, because I heard a lot of details!

Turns out, anytime a candidate's answer starts out with generalities about the problem (e.g., "global warming is indeed a huge issue and a crisis, but it's also an opportunity for us because...) she and I think a lot of people immediately tune out. I used to do it too, and sometimes I still do. I realized that I consciously make myself wait through the first bit to hear if an actual answer is forthcoming. Further, I analyze whether a real answer is buried in the fluff at all!

That's an awful lot of attention to pay, when you think about it, and I understand why a lot of people don't want to do it. So what ARE the answers? What can we tell our friends who ask about the candidates' policies? What's the nitty-gritty, and how do you each communicate that to others? Come share your best ideas!

See you tonight!
- amie

Hello, Liberal Drinkers! We're NOT hosting our own Debate Watch party tonight, but I encourage you to take advantage of one of these opportunities:

- DLers Dave and Joyce are being Visibly Liberal over at the Belmont campus today! Dave writes:

"We are joining other Obama supporters and will be part of the the visibility campaign happening at Belmont throughout the day. These gatherings will start as early as 5:30am (whoa, we have volunteered for that early shift!) and we'd like to invite you to join us and/or volunteer for any of the other shifts that day. The scheduled shifts are:

5:30am - 8:30am
8:30am - Noon
Noon - 4:00pm
4:00pm - 8:00pm
8:00pm til post debate

The location is the Belmont Quad. You can call the Obama HQ (244-1244)."

There's also a debate watch party afterward at Bongo Java on Belmont! The Young Dems are also in on this one, so it should be awesome.

- Veterans March and 'I Miss America' Pageant!:

"Today is the day for the huge Pre-Debate and Rally/March for Obama at 4:30pm at 21st and Magnolia (Hillsboro Village)!

Just a note to confirm and reassure that EVERYONE is invited, and encouraged, to participate in the veterans and military families rally/march from 21st and Magnolia to the Belmont campus...call Lucas Leverett for more info: 615.423.3459.

Debate Watch Party at the La Hacienda back room, at the corner of Mack Hatcher and Hillsboro Road...beginning at 7:30pm...fun time!"

- Tuke for TN Debate Watch Party at Mercy Lounge!

The Democratic Party is hosting this shindig: Live music, a couple of candidates (Tuke and Cooper), etc. Check it out: http://www.mercylounge.com/

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That's all I have in the way of announcements, folks! Have fun tonight, tune in to the debate, and we'll see you on Thursday at the Saucer as usual!

-amie

Happy Debate Night, Liberal Drinkers! Come join us this evening, after 6pm at the Flying Saucer, for another round of Drinking Liberally!

Pop Quiz!

1) Which magazines and newspapers do you read?

2) Are there any Supreme Court Decisions that you disagree with?

3) What do you think of the Bush Doctrine?

If you can answer ANY of these questions, congratulations! You're better informed than "some." Ahem.

We'll be in the Pool Room tonight at the Saucer, hoping to hear some direct answers to the questions many of us have in mind, given our multiple wars, failing economy, energy dependence, and flaking infrastructure.

We might even play Palin Bingo! http://www.palinbingo.com/. Print yours and come join us! We'll also have voter registration forms, and this is your last chance at DL to register before the October 6th deadline next week!

See you tonight!
-amie

p.s. Speaking of debates, you might be aware that Nashville's about to host a Presidential Debate at our very own Belmont! Here are a couple of related opportunities to get involved:

1) Mary Mancini sent this, for Monday:

"With all eyes on Nashville next week for the second Presidential debate, we're going to take the opportunity to screen UNCOUNTED at the Belcourt Theatre (Monday, 10/6, 6PM) and raise two questions about voting and voting rights that undoubtedly will not be asked of either Presidential candidate:

1. If voting is the cornerstone of our democracy, then why isn't every vote counted?
2. Why can't every American who wants to vote, do so without interference?

Hope to see you there!"

2) DL-er Clay Capp is organizing Obama supporters to come out Tuesday evening and support their candidate at Belmont! If you're interested just shoot him an email at claycapp@gmail.com.

That's right, Liberal Drinkers! Come join us for a debate watch party, after 6pm at the Flying Saucer, for a "very special episode" of Drinking Liberally!

We'll be in the pool room (go straight back after walking in the front doors) and our wonderful managers at the Saucer will make sure we have the TVs all set up, so come out!

I've had email from several of you asking if it's okay to just drop in for the first time, and the answer is YES! Please drop in for the first time! It's pretty common, actually, for us to have a few new faces almost every week as people's schedules change, so don't worry at all. This Thursday in particular is a great time to join us so we can collectively hold our breath to see what's going to happen in this momentous VP debate!

Look at it this way: have you seen any YouTube videos lately of either VP candidate? Did you watch the first presidential debate? Have you found yourself all alone yelling at the screen? I thought so. Wouldn't you rather yell with others who share your feelings? Think of us as a support group for liberals of all stripes.

See you tomorrow night!
-amie