Prepping For Tonight's (Sort Of) State of the Union Address

Drinking Liberally Shot of Truth

As we joked last year, it used to be simple for Drinking Liberally to prep for the State of the Union address: guess where the Bush team would get creative (Human-animal hybrids! A new Mars mission! Uranium from Niger!), get ready to cringe so hard at our President that you required medical attention, and you were more or less set.

With President Obama at the podium tonight, it's a bit trickier: aside from the fact that it's not technically a State of the Union address tonight (oh, DC protocol...), and that we don't expect to hear Bush-caliber falsehoods and belligerent "tough" talk, there also hasn't been a SOTU address in a while where the size of our problems, and the President's interest in solving them, seemed to be even close to commensurate. As much as some of us critique and push the administration on the issues, a lot of us forgot what it's like to watch a State of the Union address where we weren't set to be strictly in cringe-mode throughout.

To make things a little more intuitive, we're bringing back our ever-dependable State of the Union Drinking Game after the jump, as well as a mini-game for the Republican response. And if you want to watch with progressive friends, check out whether your local Drinking Liberally chapter is hosting a watch party (in New York, we'll be at the Grisly Pear in Greenwich Village.) Check out the game (and hope the item about Sarah Palin doesn't come true), make predictions about tonight's address in the comments, and maybe we'll see you this evening.

Take a Sip when:
President Obama refers to the state of the union as "strong"
The camera shows the First Lady
He uses the word "hope"
He uses the word "stimulus"
He makes reference to the mistakes of the past 8 years

Take a Gulp when:
He refers to the state of the union as strong, but in peril
He refers to Bush in a positive or neutral light
Joe Biden starts grinning
He receives a standing ovation from only half of congress
The camera shows Secretary Hillary Clinton
He uses the word "change"
He uses the word "bailout"

Chug when:
He refers to the state of the union as at a crossroad in history
He uses the word "partisan" like it's a bad thing
The Camera shows John McCain
Joe Biden starts chuckling
He receives a standing ovation from all of Congress
He mentions the word "progressive"

Celebratory Toast if:
He refers to the state of the union as bad and says "But given the act
I'm following..."
He uses the word "partisan" like it's a good thing
He refers to Bush in an openly critical light
The camera shows Ted Kennedy
Joe Biden interrupts the speech to tell a charming anecdote
He mentions the word "liberal" in a positive light

Finish Your Drink if:
He starts to talk about the state of the union, but just breaks down in tears instead
He mentions the word "socialized"
He mentions the word "nationalization"
The camera shows Sarah Palin
Joe Biden interrupts the speech and embarrasses everybody
He mentions "Yes We Can"

Special Republican Response extra game!
Take a drink if:
Gov. Bobby Jindal refers to some absurd pork supposedly in stimulus package
He proudly points to zero House Republican votes for stimulus
He proudly announces he's refusing funds to his own state
He accused the President of partisanship
He mentions Terri Schiavo (take a gulp)
He asks to go home