The Metropolist

Schneiderman Live

New York State Senator and dynamic, progressive leader Eric Schneiderman is speaking right now at The Tank in Lower Manhattan.

The room is full; the crowd is quiet -- listening, engaged.

He's talking about progressive movement building, and imagining the pyramid that needs to be established for our side.

But here's what's truly unique: he spent very little time talking about Republicans. Very little time talking about how destructive conservative policies are.

He's talking about what Democrats stand for -- that we're better in union with each other, that we can tackle poverty, that everyone deserves a fair shot...and it's making me realize how few of my leaders speak in such simple terms of who we are.

Laughing Liberally Turns 1

Laughing Liberally is no small thing. Its packed night at Town Hall is leading to encore events and a national tour from this spring through the midterms and beyond. Comics are delighted by the chance to perform political material often unwelcome at comedy clubs and audiences are excited by shows that elevate while they entertain.

But it started as a small thing. When The Tank found itself with an empty Friday the night before the 2020 Democrats brought the Principles Project conference to town, we hit upon a simple idea: if liberals liked gathering in social settings like bars, as Drinking Liberally demonstrated, maybe they would like meeting in a comedy venue as well.

And they did. People who had lurked on the Drinking Liberally list, but didn't like the crowded bar environment, turned up for the first Laughing Liberally.

That was 52 weeks ago tonight.

Come celebrate the Laughing Liberally Anniversary, with performances by established and emerging comics, at the venue where the project began: The Tank -- at its new location -- 279 Church St. The show is at 8pm. And it's timeless.

We Stand With Rod Serling

I love The Twilight Zone. Beautifully-constructed, twenty-three minute morality tales -- challenging us to study the world around us, ask ourselves what we value, fear atomic annihilation and never judge too quickly.

That's why this ridiculous ad for conservative congressional candidate Vernon Robinson makes me so sad.

He refers to a country of gay rights, immigration and free speech as "The Twilight Zone," scaring viewers with extreme and distorted versions of each.

Of course, in the real Twilight Zone shows, Rod Serling argued for tolerance, diversity and patience. And when a quiet suburban block turns murderous for fear of "invasion," the message is that paranoia is the real enemy.

The Twilight Zone was creative, unflinching, serious in the issues it addressed, playful in execution, unafraid of moral assertions that praised compassion, inclusion and humility, and a frequent dance partner with the foggy gray areas of a complicated world.

In other words, Twilight Zone was a liberal show. Don't worry, Rod Serling, we know where you stand.

City vs. Country

Blue-Red, Northeast-South, Secular-Fundamentalist...the political divisions, when laid out on a color-coded map of America, tell a very clear story: Urban vs. Other. Cities are Democratic strong-holds; the blue oases against the red desolation that covers so much of the electoral landscape.

And yet, the debates in 2004, 2002 and 2000 were not city issues vs. rural issues. In fact, city issues -- urban poverty, overcrowded schools, environmental racism -- just don't get talked about much. Ever since Clinton put more police officers on the streets, urban issues have been off the table.

The Drum Major Institute is promoting Thursday's event with Buffalo's new Mayor Byron Brown and New York's Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott by broaching that question. "When is the last time you heard a presidential candidate talk about cities?" it's flier teases. "Exactly."

But setting aside who urban issues divide, for a moment, look at who they are uniting: the Democratic Mayor of Buffalo, and the Deputy Mayor of New York's Republican leader. The bi-partisanship isn't even whispered in the invitation, but we know it's there.

Walcott's appearance is an extentenion of Mayor Mike duking it out with DC by going after guns and angering Albany by supporting schools. It seems like in their second term, the Mayor's team is choosing times and places where city comes before party.

Big Night Out

Will the sleet scare New Yorkers away from a big night of political possibilities?

Tonight, Air America's Sam Seder is moderating a Harpers-sponsored panel on impeachment at Town Hall. Demos is hosting a conversation on political blogging at the offices of People for the American Way. And, as happens every Thursday, the original chapter of Drinking Liberally gathers in Hell's Kitchen.

No, you can't do them all.

In many cities, the Town Hall event featuring Congessman John Conyers would be front-and-center on the minds of local liberals. Here in New York it just becomes one of the menu of offerings. There has been a dry spell...lulls in the number of panels and performances...but that's changing.

Nights like this -- when liberals have to choose between exciting events -- are coming back. It's reminiscent of the summer of '04. Only this time, even without the Presidential election, it's starting sooner.

It's a sign of the energy to come.
Don't let the sleet scare you away.