Alternet: Drinking Liberally: A New Strategy for Progressive Politics

[marmar]

Drinking Liberally: A New Strategy for Progressive Politics

By Nick Pinto, AlterNet. Posted January 18, 2007.



Social club? Revolution? A new progressive organization takes politics into the barroom and just about everywhere else.


If you want to know what the future of the American Left looks like, the answer may be no further away than your local dive-bar.

Every week, in cities and towns all over the country, thousands of the nation's progressives are coming together to drink beer. But far from drowning their despair in drink, these progressives are building networks that could form the underpinning of a new renaissance for the American Left. What do they call this movement? Drinking Liberally, naturally.

Three years after it was founded in a Hell's Kitchen Dive Bar, the Drinking Liberally organization has grown to include 174 chapters. And they're not just in predictable cities like New York, Washington D.C., and San Francisco, but also scattered in seemingly unlikely places like Salt Lake City, Utah; Moscow, Idaho; Amarillo, Texas; and South Bend, Indiana.

In September, the Drinking Liberally regulars gathered in Denver for their second annual national convention, and under the umbrella name of "Living Liberally," the organization is developing a national comedy tour, networks of reading groups and movie clubs, and perhaps even a dating service.

The organization's central leadership spends more of its time supporting local chapters than planning a national agenda. Local chapters don't make political endorsements, tend not to engage in issue activism, don't take attendance and don't have meeting agendas.

By and large, they just get together for some drinks once a week. But through some sort of social jujitsu, Drinking Liberally's decentralized, open-ended structure -- the fact that it doesn't require its members to do anything -- has proven to be its greatest strength. The result: It's members are doing more than anyone expected.

Drinking Liberally had its origins in 2002, when its two founders Justin Krebs and Matt O'Neill were working together on a non-partisan project called Speak-Up New York. With some funding from PBS, Krebs and O'Neill drove around the state trying to get young people engaged in politics by helping them ask questions of the gubernatorial candidates. The project was a relative success, registering a lot of young voters. But the two men, both in their mid-20s, found themselves talking about their shared frustrations with their effort. ......(more)

The complete article is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/46614/

[Lisa0825]

1. There was a group going in Houston for a while,

but it was hard to find time and people kept having things crop up on meeting night. When the DU contingent joined, it doubled the number of people in the group, but I don't even know if they are still meeting anymore. I haven't heard back from them in a year or so.

[marmar]

2. That's too bad....

There are three in the Detroit area, and I really enjoy going to the meetings.

[MontanaMaven]

3. What have you learned at the meetings?

Have you been motivated to do something? I'm curious about starting a chapter.

[marmar]

4. Initially it's a lot of talking, getting to know people, and a lot of drinking....

But eventually, it does turn into action. Out of the Detroit area meetings have come speakers nights (from the ACLU, Human Rts organizations etc etc), organized convoys to peace marches and to events such as John Conyers' town hall in Detroit on what the new Congress should do, charity fund drives, and various other activity, such as Congressional call-ins, etc etc.
And you learn how many people are as deeply passionate about progressive politics as you are! :thumbsup:

[Lisa0825]

5. To be honest.... not much, but hopefully we motivated the others.

The people who started the Houston chapter weren't really active in politics. They just saw it as a chance for like-minded people to socialize, I think. But when me, PDittie, WestHoustonDem, and a couple others joined the group, they were pretty impressed to hear our stories about protests and campaigns and stuff. We encouraged them to get involved. I hope some of them did.

[fasttense]

6. I saw that group here in East TN

and I thought it was a joke. I was looking to hook up with a liberal organization (cause the democratic party here sure ain't very liberal) or a club and saw their organization listed on the internet. I might just join them. Wow, I can't believe this red red state of bush lovers actually has a group of drinking liberally.