Drinking Liberally

President Obama declared combat in Iraq over
even while tens of thousands of troops remain
in a fractured, tumultuous, uncertain country.

He declared it was time to turn the page
though we still turn to military contractors
and still pour wealth out our national coffers.

He didn't say "stay the course" --
rather, he insisted we completed it,
even as we sink deeper into the quagmire
of the uncompletable Afghanistan.

The Prez basically said "Mission Accomplished."
We've heard that before...
Let's hope the Mission's now More Accomplished
...for his sake, for ours and for Iraq's.

Share your thoughts, doubts & ideas
as you share pitchers, shots and beers
at your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.

On August 28th, 1963 , Martin Luther King had a dream.
Now, in a country still haunted by racial division,
Glenn Beck's taking the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
to fuel fear, suspicion and dishonor the "dream."

A hurricane devastated an American city 5 years ago.
Areas of New Orleans are still abandoned
& its residents still scattered & struggling
as the city now suffers again with the BP spill.

Two years ago, Barack Obama accepted the nomination.
He's pushed reforms & reached out to the world,
but also continued wars & presidential secrecy.
And Americans increasingly think he's Muslim.

The dream 47 years ago was a powerful vision
& the hopes of 2 years ago were a great step
but while we've made strides, we're not there yet.

The dream has been deferred...
but we cannot be deterred.

Come out to share a vision, not sow division,
and share what you're thinking & drinking
at your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY
Tonight - and every Thursday
7:30pm onward
Rudy's - 9th Ave btw 44th & 45th
[back booths beneath the DL banner]
Questions: nyc@drinkingliberally.org

By Adam Bartel

Drinking Conservatively doesn’t have much of a ring to it. After all, who wants to be overly conservative when they’re enjoying a beverage with their friends. A group of Republicans in Seattle that are trying to duplicate the success of Drinking Liberally felt the same way, and decided to come up with their own name. However, their selection – as well as the group itself – leave more than a bit to be desired.

The CEO of a website called Red County ran a contest to see who could come up with the best name for the fledgling group, and offered a prize of “a paid for bar tab of up to $100” (I’m sure Justin & Matt offered up a similar prize when DL was created). After much consideration, the winning name was “Right on the Rocks”, which would be an excellent description of their electoral results in the last two congressional elections.

Where it gets more interesting is when you start reading about their events. Their second meeting (which they say had a smaller crowd than their kickoff event) featured speaker Lynn Brewer, a former Enron executive and current CEO of The Integrity Institute. The Economist lauded her as “the real whistle blower” at Enron, which is extremely impressive… until you do a simple Google search and realize that the only places where this quote appears are sites promoting her. Nowhere in the article in question does it ever refer to her with that moniker. In fact, there’s just as much evidence that she greatly inflated her credentials as both an executive and as a whistle blower.

Regardless of Ms. Brewer’s authenticity, it sounds like she gave a very impassioned speech about the sustainability of corporate cultures to the smaller than expected crowd that was gathered at… Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Because really, when you’re trying to show off your grassroots credibility and involve all members of the community, you want to do it at a restaurant where the average steak runs about $35.

In an election year where the Democrats should be making it a referendum on which party works for the common man vs. the well-to-do, it’s also important that we look at the differences between the social groups created by members of both parties. While Drinking Liberally chapters meet in bars with beer specials and cheap food so everyone can afford to attend, and host genuine guest speakers and politicians, groups like Right on the Rocks meet in venues where only the upper class can afford to attend, and bring in questionable former Enron employees to talk about integrity.

That’s a debate we’re willing to have any day of the week.

A judge delivered news the right-wing has most feared:
that their stance against marriage equality is wrong --
not just morally, not religiously...but Constitutionally.

Conservatives switched fear mongering from gays to Muslims
attacking the right to build an Islamic Cultural Center
though free practice of religion is old as the Constitution itself.

And because the right-wing loves to hate immigrants,
the GOP has started an attack on the 14th Amendment
-- a direct assault on out Constitution & its principles.

These guys on the "Right" are just plain wrong.
Being wrong is in their constitution.
But let's keep their hands off of ours.

Whether you want to wash the taste of the Right away
or toast to a Constitution that is stronger than they are,
come out to drink a little & think a little
at your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.

President Obama followed in President Bush's footsteps
when, he declared our mission in Iraq accomplished
-- while planning to leave over 50,000 troops behind.

The President also walked his predecessor's walk
by declaring the economic recovery underway --
while the unemployed & underemployed feel no relief.

Then with Afghanistan, where the military urges the Prez
to revise any drawdown & plan a longer stay,
the Presidential path he's following is that of LBJ.

President Obama needs to choose a new pair of shoes.

Maybe f he walked a day in the life of the millions
of Americans who just want to go back to work
he'd find the resolve to invest less in war & more in jobs.

Come out tonight to share your views over some booze,
as we vent & rant, debate & drink, toast & roast
at your local, progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.

Pundits obsess with elections. Will the Democrats hold both houses of Congress? Will Obama voters return to the polls in the midterms? Do recent primaries send a warning to incumbents -- and if so, what warning: that they should move left, right or center?

Around the country, though, the politically-minded population has had more than election cycles on their mind. They care about the systemic structural issues in the Senate and the temperament of the administration, issues which won't change with a single vote. They are equally obsessed with local transit and neighborhood redevelopment. They exchange book and move recommendations and argue over favorite news anchors and comedians.

These people belong to America's Liberal Tribe: a growing community of people who share attitudes and culture rooted in common values that transcend single election cycles.

And good news America: the liberal cause is growing.

Over the past six weeks, I have had the chance to meet local liberals around the country, as I've toured with my recent book, "538 Ways to Live, Work and Play Like a Liberal." I have been visiting chapters of Drinking Liberally, the ubiquitous progressive social club. What is really remarkable is how much the members of these groups -- separated by city, state and region -- have in common.

They love Rachel Maddow and are getting to love Ed Schultz. They are split over who prefers Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. They know when the local green market is open. Many of them are surprisingly knowledgeable about local beers. They can often tick of local and national bloggers as though they were naming network anchors. They are more familiar with their public transportation options, even in cities with anemic mass transit, than the average barfly.

And yes, their commonalities extend into more conventional politics. They debate whether they are disappointed in the President's resolve, or whether they sympathize for him being hemmed in by a constitutionally-conservative Senate. They are often as versed in the contours of their local races as they are in the contests to send representatives to DC. They know the name "Alan Grayson." They also know the name "Michele Bachman."

I visited groups that were majority senior citizen and groups that were recent college grads. I visited the classic "red state" of Kentucky, the urban liberal oasis of San Francisco, and states Obama tipped over like North Carolina and Indiana. While the accents varied with the beers on tap, many of these cultural-political markers remained the same.

The politicians themselves differ -- a Democrat in Orange County, California, may not offer the same assessment of what it means to be a Democrat as one in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The candidates focus on different issues and hedge their talking points.

The self-identified liberals, though, aren't defined or divided by narrow parochial issues. They may diverge on many issues: limits of gun ownership, best ways to improve public schools, which favorite local industry to invest in. However, they share a larger set of values about investing in common resources, pursuing shared goals, and building diverse, inclusive, sustainable communities that connect them more than any local differences may parse them.

I had a conversation with a woman in Indianapolis active in neighborhood organizing in the city's Near Eastside. What she expressed as their goals, resonated with conversations around the country: improved transit, which is a major effort in DC and Cincinnati; more community gardens, a hot button issue in New York and San Francisco; greater neighborhood involvement in schools, which I heard in Durham and Los Angeles; and the hope to draw more options for fresh, affordable food into the area, which was a conversation in Covington and central New Jersey,

She would immediately feel comfortable at a Drinking Liberally chapter anywhere around the country. Wherever she went, people would discuss Olbermann's latest special comment. They'd laugh and vent about Andrew Breitbart. They'd give recommendations for local movie theaters, music venues and bookstores. They'd share a tasty local beer.

They'd know she was part of their Liberal Tribe, and they'd welcome her home.

As I continue to travel through the midterm elections, I'll report back about our Tribe -- and if I come to your town, join me for a drink.

The Drinking Liberally family would like to extend a most-enthusiastic CONGRATULATIONS! to Ted and Saskia of Lexington, Kentucky. The two were married last month after having met in 2007 at -- you guessed it -- their local Drinking Liberally chapter.

How did this come to be?

Mellow Mushroom pizzeria, downtown Lexington. Chance meeting at a gathering of our Drinking Liberally friends. Lots of pizza, eye gazing, and political sparring, um that means flirting. That was December 2007. Many beers and political debates later, the happy couple wants to get married, and we hope you will join us in celebrating the nuptials...

You can read more about how they met, see pictures of the wedding and even send your own well-wishes by visiting their wedding page at http://www.mywedding.com/webecoolenwright/index.html.

On behalf of everyone at Drinking Liberally, we'd like to raise our glasses and toast Ted and Saskia as they begin their wonderful life together.

Did you meet your special someone at Drinking Liberally? Know someone else who did? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

On President Obama's 49th birthday,
America celebrated with a gift of equality.

A Federal judge threw out Prop 8,
thus affirming the right of Americans
to marry the people they love.

And as heterosexuals wake up today,
their own marriages are the same as yesterday.
For better or for worse.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President.

Now, let's fight to protect more equal unions
...and thus work for a more perfect Union.

Toast the decision & the future newlyweds
as you sip and share, drink and debate
at your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.

A leak in the Gulf that's taken 100 days to plug
spilled away our country's faith in off-shore drilling,
spreading new concerns & new ideas about energy policy.

A leak in the media about Afghanistan
may be even harder for the military to plug,
& as it gushes new evidence about the war
may spread new concerns & ideas about our mission.

Meanwhile, an economy that continues to leak jobs
won't be plugged by half-measures or deficit-mongering.
Can the Obama Administration stop that leak
before it gushes away our faith in our President?

We can stamp & fume and damn the leaks.
Or we can respond, work & dam the leaks.

Either way, a little leak can lead to big change.

There will be no leaks coming from our liberal libation
as we share ideas, hopes, frustrations & insights
with fellow like-minded lefties over a a drink or two
at your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.

Nearly two years after the titans of Wall Street
brought our economy careening & crashing,
Washington actually passed financial reform.

It should've been inevitable but was near impossible
as the sluggish centrists & sellouts of the Senate
seemed to serve Wall Street over Main Street
& as the industry of excess lobbied for its life.

And while there's no doubt the financial industry
will find ways to evade any authority,
to grab with greed & rebel against regulation,
for this moment, at least, we made it happen.

The people won.

In the face of new measure, will Wall Street reform?
Or with new exotic investments, will it simply re-form?

That may be up to us.
Passing reform is one step.
Now let's make it stick.

Come out tonight to toast the new reforms
& share ideas on strengthening them
as you share a drink or two & a night of fun
with your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.