The Metropolist

The State of the Union is...not scheduled to be part of tonight's address

Why do we watch the State of the Union?

Why do we organize parties as Drinking Liberally chatpers around the country are doing, and as we will host tonight at San Marcos (St. Mark's btw 2nd & 3rd)?

We certainly don't believe it's an honest address, rigorously fact-checked and determined to present the American public with truth. Those 16 words about uranium handled that myth.

We don't believe that it even represents an agenda for the next year. Remember when W. spent a speech discussing hydrogen-fueled cars and defeating AIDS.

If anything, the State of the Union Address is a weird sibling to the Alito hearings: nothing of substance will be said, tough questions will be avoided, the concerns Americans have going in will be given no audience, and the public will just be numbed by platitudes and pleasantries.

In Santa Barbara, at their Drinking Liberally, a member argued that Dems should have announced a filibuster before the Alito hearings began. I laughed -- won't that paint us as obstructionists? His response: the hearings won't illuminate any of our deep concerns, and will only present a palatable dish of Alito to a less engaged, broader public.

And he was right.

So is the answer that we shouldn't watch the State of the Union? That we should have a prebuttal (which I believe Dems are doing)?

Or just do what we're doing...treat it as grusome entertainment and watch it with friends and family with drinks (and drinking game) in hand.

Rose Garden vs. Beer Garden

Tom Suozzi, the Nassau County Executive who plans on mounting a primary run against Eliot Spitzer, surprised the crowded dive bar Rudy's last night with a visit to Drinking Liberally.

Seemingly out of place in his suit and flanked by his staff, he quickly showed himself to be quite at home in the dark, loud bar -- greeting Liberal Drinkers and others, exchanging jokes and just making the assemblage of Hell's Kitchen locals and pint-pouring politicos feel...well...important.

Every hand he shook was one more person who went from "Who's Tom Suozzi" to "Seems OK...I'd consider him."

And this shold be a Spitzer crowd. These are progressives who admire the AG's proactive assaults on big corporate greed on corruption. These are people who know Spitzer's resume and hunger to win back Albany.

Yet these people were impressed: this Suozzi guy showed up.

There is a gnawing perception that Eliot Spitzer is running a "rose garden" strategy -- pretend you've already won. Look how it helped Kerry and Ferrer in their primaries -- they sailed through...completely ill-prepared for the general.

WEe don't need rose garden candidates; we need beer garden candidates. Mr. Attorney General, you're always welcome to come lift a glass -- or soberly shake hands -- at Drinking Liberally.

So Absurd It Makes One Want to Blog

After a hiatus, The Metropolist is returning to regular commentary. What atrocity finally tipped the balance? The President standing above the law? The Court nominee ducking beneath the questions?

No. Just NYPD having no sense of humor.

The Fifth Annual No Pants Subway Ride should be lauded as fine piece of urban guerilla theater. Its glory should be sung in the pages of travel guides so tourists giddily hope to be on the lucky subway car that greets the spontaneous arrival of pantsless riders. Its organizers, Improv Everywhere -- with the slogan "We Cause Scenes" -- should, and will, become urban legend.

Instead, eight of them were taken into custody and issued tickets for disturbing the peace. And that's what our police spent their day doing.

It reminds me of when the police jailed Gameboy musicians for postering for for their performance at The Tank. Or when the Mayor threatened to shut down a street fair that featured mock graffiti because it would incide subway vandalism (the judge who overruled the Mayor scornfully asked whether an outdoor performance of Hamlet would incite revenge murder).

You'd think this prank would be welcomed by the cops: its much easier to conduct a random search when your subject's not wearing any clothes.