Here is my (nearly) annual exhortation to seek out like-minded people at public meet-ups, after the jump …..
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From time-to-time, I make a plea (in this space) for people to attend a political meet-up ... at least one time. It may turn out not to be your cup of tea (or may be quite impractical) but for most people ... it can be a revelation. And especially if you live in a red state/region (with trips to visit family at holiday times being especially stressful). After all, it's easy to be a liberal in New York City or San Francisco ... it takes fortitude to be one in a rural conservative area. And so …. why not attend a gathering where you will not have to apologize for your basic beliefs? Not to say that we as left-of-center people agree on everything - goodness, spend any time here and you'll see that is not the case. But you can state your core beliefs and not be branded as an enemy-of-the-state (or even worse). For the individual who wants just to socialize, it's the perfect setting. Or if you wish to become more politically involved, but don't feel up to knocking on the door of party headquarters ... well, this is a relaxed, easy way to begin. As someone who is a co-host of a chapter of Drinking Liberally - which over time has become a much larger umbrella organization, as will be noted - I wholeheartedly recommend stopping in. There is no membership, no need to pay anything (besides what you may spend on food and beverage) and no need to RSVP ... just show up, stay as long (or as little) as you desire. Some groups have weekly gatherings, some 2x/month and still others (like our group) monthly.It began in New York City back in 2003, and our chapter sprang-up after I had read Atrios praise the Philadelphia chapter ... in the wake of the 2004 election debacle. Well, I was hooked after that.
I’ll drink to thatAnd it's very easy to start a chapter: find a local bistro that is suitable for a group, choose a standard date (once a month is good to start with) and contact the D/L management ... they'll get you started easily.
I mentioned that the original D/L concept has expanded (and I have even heard of informal offshoots like Knitting Liberally in some places):
Drinking Liberally is a project of Living Liberally, an organization which builds progressive communities through social networks and events. Living Liberally also runs Laughing Liberally, the political comedy project; Screening Liberally, a series of socially-conscious films; Eating Liberally, events with good gab and great grub; and Reading Liberally, book tours for progressive authors. Living Liberally is a New York-based LLC, led by a team in NYC and fueled by the energy of hundreds of volunteers and partners around the country.
Our Daily Kos compatriot cskendrick wrote about the chapter he is heavily involved with in Charlotte, North Carolina - and many chapters have interesting guest speakers from time-to-time.
While on a 2013 vacation in Memphis, Tennessee: a local elected official gave a short address on a local matter at the Drinking Liberally chapter's gathering ... but was delighted to talk to me, even though I was not a constituent.
And just the other night, I had a chance to visit our sister D/L chapter (75 minutes away) in Nashua, New Hampshire— where one can hear a different perspective (as well as insight into local issues).
Perhaps the best endorsement of D/L came not from a liberal .... but instead from a reporter for the conservative Weekly Standard - where writer Matt Labash attended a session (and, to his credit, didn't hide who he was) .... simply partaking of the discussion.
The group tells me that they often don’t discuss politics very much at their political gatherings. “Most of us live in the middle muddle,” Booker says. “We have certain tendencies in some directions. But we’re by and large caring people, have a kindly disposition toward our fellow sufferers, so we want socially to have kindness or gentleness be a part of our character. But at the same time, we want to make sure that we get to keep what we earn and we want to have a strong defense. So finding that right balance is a perennial problem.”
After making a night of it, I like these people. Enough that I’d like to drink with them.
Methinks you will feel the same way. If you plan on attending Netroots Nation, just look for the Drinking Liberally gatherings that will be held: a regular meet-up, plus a stand-up comedy show, etc. You can meet the D/L founder Justin Krebs, who has this new book out - telling the story of liberals living in red states through interesting vignettes, and how they cope. Here is a passage from it:
Lisa, Christina, and Byron are “blues in red states”—liberals who live in conservative communities that exist in every state, Republican or Democratic-leaning, across America. They and people like them are constantly reminded they aren’t quite like everyone else: from the churches they do or don’t attend, to their purchases and media preferences, to their loyalties at the ballot box. On a daily basis, liberals who have made homes, formed friendships, and participated in the civic life of conservative towns and cities are confronted with unsettling reminders that they’re different, and found myriad ways to take that truth in stride.
On some occasions, it’s best to say as little as possible: simple omission, to blend into conservative surroundings, staying quiet through sticky moments, or deftly navigating around political minefields in one’s neighborhood or workplace. But in some instances, it becomes too hard to stay quiet.
The key to happiness is not in choosing which type of liberal to be—but in developing a rich array of coping mechanisms, “code-switching” among all the approaches. Knowing when to escape inward and when to escape outward, when to find strange bedfellows, or when to let good fences make good neighbors, helps even the most true-blue liberal survive and thrive in deep-red pockets of America.
At your library (or via interloan)Of course, there are other meet-ups available. Hell, each day one reads here about the Connect! Unite! Act! meet-ups that take place across the country. Or maybe it’s your local political organizations. Either way — it’s fun to celebrate good times with like-minded souls. And, it’s much easier to cope (in bad times) when you have friends to help lighten-the-load.
Let’s close w/Canned Heat’s rendition of Wilbert Harrison’s classic: that says it all.
x YouTube Video Now, on to Top Comments: -------------------------------------From Wee Mama:
In the front-page Morning Abbreviated Pundit Round-up - a great thread of jokes appear today.From Alexandra Lynch:
In the diary by Walter Eienenkel about the ill-fated trip to a school in The Bronx by Ted Cruz — I would like to recommend this pithy and poetic comment by Its the Supreme Court Stupid — who paraphrased an old Ogden Nash quip.And from Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........
In the front-page story about the latest indignity handed to the LGBT community — this time from the state of Tennessee — a plaintive post from Kalisiin (who is a transgendered woman in North Carolina) — tells the story of speaking to her representative in the North Carolina house ….. and the not-quite-there words she was told.And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:
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