Drinking Liberally -- In Walkersha?!

You never know what one will find in my inbox these days. Sometimes it is full of strange and wondrous things, like this:

DRINKING LIBERALLY IS COMING TO WAUKESHA! 

Phil Scarr and Lisa Mux are pleased to introduce the first-ever Drinking Liberally Waukesha. 

Drinking Liberally is a progressive social group, where left-leaning individuals go to talk politics and enjoy drinks. It's informal, inclusive and non-partisan.  And now, it's coming to Waukesha. 

The inaugural meeting of Drinking Liberally Waukesha is Monday, November 7, 2011.  Speakers include Zach W. of Blogging Blue and Drinking Liberally Milwaukee fame, and  celebrity radio host John 'Sly' Sylvester of the popular radio show "Sly in the Morning" on Madison's WTDY 1670! 

Drinking Liberally Waukesha will meet at 6:30 pm on the first Monday of every month, at Sprizzo Gallery Caffe (2nd floor), 363 W. Main Street, in historic downtown Waukesha. 

Come on down, grab a drink and/or food, and get to know your like-minded neighbors! 

Drinking Liberally was founded in New York City in May 2003 by Justin Krebs and Matthew O'Neill, and has grown to include over 100 chapters across America. 

For more information, please visit www.drinkingliberally.org.

Will wonders never cease?

Drinking Liberally This Monday

On Saturday, I got the opportunity to spend some quality time with some wonderful friends in Madison.  It was marvelous to be surrounded by so many amazing people, including the incomparable Waukesha Wonk and the most awesome radio hostess, Sara Schultz.  

In fact, I had so much fun on Saturday, the Sunday was rather anticlimactic.

But there is good news on the horizon for not just me, but for all of us.

Monday, it's time for Drinking Liberally.  This will be another chance to be surrounded by good friends and great conversation.  It will be a gathering of the liberals done in the old-school Milwaukee way.  

The time and place is still the same - 7 pm at Transfer Pizzeria located at 101 W. Mitchell St.

Zach, our host, says there is no special guest this month, but I think the people that come to these events are pretty dang special.

See you there!

Drinking Liberally: Fort Atkinson Chapter

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about the Fort Atkinson chapter of Drinking Liberally.

This is just friendly reminder that it is this coming Thursday, September 1, starting at 7 pm.

And in case you don't want to be bothered going through the hassle of clicking the link, here's the other pertinent information:

This one is in Fort Atkinson, held at the Cafe Carpe. Cafe Carpe is located at 18 S. Water Street West in Fort Atkinson.  It is being held the first Thursday of the month, with the next one on September 1.  They start at 7 pm.

This chapter is hosted by Lori Compass, also known by her tweeter handle @LightReading.  Lori has informed me when the whether is nice, they can be found on the screened porch in the back, overlooking the river.

Drinking Liberally: August Edition

If you're planning on going to the fair or any of the other great activities around town, don't spend all your money, even for cream puffs (unless you're planning on sharing, that is).

Save some of your cash for Monday and the August edition of Drinking Liberally.

It'll be held at the usual time and the usual place:

Monday, August 15 at 7 pm

Transfer Pizzeria and Cafe 

101 W. Mitchell St.

This month's special guest will be Milwaukee City Alderman Tony Zielinski.

And feel free to buy me a belated birthday beer.

Drinking Liberally To The Right Of Me, Drinking Liberally To The Left Of Me

We Milwaukeean liberals are familiar with our local version of Drinking Liberally, held every third Monday, like this coming Monday, and which is hosted by the highly esteemed Zach Wisniewski.

Now there is a new chapter of  Drinking Liberally.

This one is in Fort Atkinson, held at the Cafe Carpe. Cafe Carpe is located at 18 S. Water Street West in Fort Atkinson.  It is being held the first Thursday of the month, with the next one on September 1.  They start at 7 pm.

This chapter is hosted by Lori Compass, also known by her tweeter handle @LightReading.  Lori has informed me when the whether is nice, they can be found on the screened porch in the back, overlooking the river.

That sounds delightful.  I just might have to take a drive out there.

Drinking Liberally: July Rendition

On Monday, July 18, will be the one and only true gathering of Milwaukee area liberals and progressives. From our gracious host, Zach Wisniewski:

Greetings one and all!

Once again the time has come for us to gather, eat, drink (of course) and talk politics. There's a lot going on right now in Wisconsin, and I hope you all will join us to discuss the recall elections, the start of the 2012 presidential race, and more importantly, how we all can get involved to make a difference.

Though we've been fortunate to have been joined by a bevy of special guests over the past few months, we will not be joined by a special guest this month, but I hope to see many of you join us on Monday, because I consider all of you to be special guests.

Here's the details:

When: Monday, July 18th from 7:00 p.m. to whenever
Where: Transfer Pizzeria & Cafe, 101 W. Mitchell Street, Milwaukee, WI

I hope to see you on Monday!

Zach & the rest of the Milwaukee Drinking Liberally crew

Isn't it nice that a rock star like Zach is so humble?!

I'm planning on being there repping Milwaukee County First. So come on down! See you there!

Drinking Liberally: Another Rock Star Edition

This coming Monday, June 20, will be the next rendition of the one and only, accept no imitations, Drinking Liberally.*

This time around, the special guest will be State Representative JoCasta Zamarripa.

Also, Zach Wisniewski will be there. He's a big thing around these parts, y'know.

It will be at its new home, Transfer Pizzeria, located at 101 W. Mitchell St.

The festivities start at 7 pm.

Hope to see you there.

* Rumor has it that muttmutt will be buying the first three rounds.

Drinking Liberally: Rock Star Edition

This coming Monday, May 16, will be the next rendition of Drinking Liberally, with a cast of thousands, including some real rock stars!

First, there is the host, Zach of Blogging Blue fame, the man who broke teh Internets as he broke the story of Randy Randy "Bed" Hopper.

Then the night will be filled with two rocking guests.

One is the famous Chris Larson, State Senator and member of the Fab 14.

Also on hand that day will be Wendy Strout, Executive Director of Emerge Wisconsin and a rock star in her own right.

Drinking Liberally's new home is Transfer Pizzaria & Cafe, located at 101 W. Mitchell Street.

The festivities start at 7 pm.

Can't say that I'll be there as I don't even know if I'll be in town, but do go and enjoy yourselves.

Joel Winnig At Next Drinking Liberally

I know, you're thinking "Who the heck is Joel Winnig?"

Well, Joel is a Madison-based attorney who has thrown his hat into the campaign to take the Supreme Court seat currently held by David Prosser.

So come on out to the next Drinking Liberally, Wednesday, December 15, at the Sugar Maple, located in the historic Bay View, 441 E. Lincoln Avenue, to meet Joel and find out who he is for yourself.

(And don't forget my Christmas presents!)

Drinking Liberally This Wednesday

From our gracious DL host and proud papa, Jason Haas:

Hello! We are excited to report that Mike Tate, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, will be our guest host at next Wednesday’s Drinking Liberally! That’s on October 20, just under two weeks before the general election. I know we’re anxious about that, so come find out what Mike has to say about getting us through to the other side with victory by our candidates!

According to the ever-reliable Wikipedia, “Tate served as the Deputy State Director of America Coming Together in 2004. He was hired as the State Director of Dean for America. He served as the Regional Political Director for AFSCME Council 40, and was the State Field Director for Falk for Governor. He was a Statewide Student Organizer for the 2000 Democratic Coordinated Campaign. Directly prior to assuming the role of chair of the state party, he served as the Executive Director of Fair Wisconsin and then the Executive Director of Advancing Wisconsin.”

Come with your questions for Mike, and find out how help win the November elections for us — lest Drinking Liberally become a sort of support group as it was during the dark days of the Bush II administration.

I just may decide to drag myself out for this one. Perhaps someone who owes me a beer or ten will be there.

Drinking Liberally: Special Bonus Edition

There is a special, super bonus second-one-this-month edition of Drinking Liberally tomorrow. From our gracious host, Jason Haas:

Dear Milwaukeean liberal drinkers,

Tomorrow is a very special event for our humble little chapter: Living Liberally co-founder Justin Krebs is coming to Milwaukee! Krebs is the author of "538 Ways to Live, Work & Play Like a Liberal." It's full of little ideas for embracing your progressive values everyday life, as well as the big ideas of what it means to be a “liberal” in America today.

Justin's bio describes him as a "political & cultural entrepreneur based in New York City. He is co-founder of Living Liberally and serves as one of the organizations National Directors. He is one of the founders and Artistic Directors of The Tank, a non-profit venue for performing arts and public affairs in Manhattan. Over the past decade, he has been an Activist Fellow for CREDO in San Francisco, managed issue advocacy campaigns in New York City, produced an award-winning documentary for PBS on youth civic engagement, and served in the office of US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. He has published 'Grounds For Play,' a history of playgrounds in New York. He is a [New Jersey] native, Harvard alum and New Yorker for the past decade."

Well, let's give this Yankee a proper Brew City welcome! Justin helped start DL, and got us to where we are today. Come say thanks by getting a copy of his book. Copies will be available for your purchase and perusal.

It will happen at our standard time and place -- 7 PM at Sugar Maple. It's like an extra round of Drinking Liberally, all for the low low price of one good book!

Date: Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Sugar Maple, 441 East Lincoln Ave., Milwaukee WI

Till morrow,
Jason & the Milwaukee DL crew

Drinking Liberally Tomorrow With Tim John

Ah, yes, it's that favorite time of the month, when progressives (and the occasional Libertarian) gather together in good cheer and discuss the current events of the day. And these days, it's what else, but the political races which are current.

Well, the races and the birth of the next generation of liberals (Hi, Ellison!)

From proud papa and gracious host of DL, Jason Haas:

Hi folks,

Ever have one of those days where you're hanging around in the hospital room with your wife and newborn son, when someone says to you, "Hey, uh, you know, you should probably post something about Drinking Liberally..."&@#$@!!! Yes! DL meets tomorrow!

And I'm excited to report to you that two exciting events are happening in DL-MKE land. First, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim John will be coming to Drinking Liberally tomorrow night! Please come out to see what Tim John has to say, and why he thinks you should vote for him.

No matter who you voted for, I will thank Tim for upholding the democratic principles that our country was founded on.

The second exciting event is Living Liberally co-founder Justin Krebs coming to Milwaukee on his book tour! Krebs has written "538 Ways to Live, Work, and Play Like a Liberal." It's Krebs's personal and practical guide to embracing your progressive values everyday life -- I'm looking at you, Nick -- as well as the big ideas of what it means to be a "liberal" in America today.

Come meet Justin Krebs at 7:00PM on Wednesday the 28th at Sugar Maple. His book will be available for purchase there, and you can meet one of the folks that helped make Drinking Liberally possible. Here we've started conversations while we shared a drink and engaged with our neighbors. We've helped good candidates win their races, and we're going to do even more of that this year. Thank you, Justin, for helping bring this rag-tag band of lefties and liberals together.

As always, Drinking Liberally-Milwaukee happens at Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave., Milwaukee, at 7 PM.

Oh, and that stuff I said about newborns at the top? Yeah. Ellison Henry Haas joined us this past Sunday the 18th! As I probably will be absent tomorrow, my good friend Zach "Dubya" Wisniewski will be your cordial host for the evening. Do a heckuva job, Zach!

So put your DL pins and come on out! I'll see if you I can.

best,
Jason & the Milwaukee DL crew

Holy cow! Two events in one month! Don't these people realize I have to make my mandatory contributions to Walker's campaign?!Anyway, come out and enjoy the good things in life, liberally.

Drinking Liberally This Wednesday

It's that time already for this month's rendition of drinking liberally. Per our gracious host, Helmut Sr., er, Jason:

Dear friends,

We are happy to welcome Henry Sanders, Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, to the next Drinking Liberally! (And that's at 7PM on June 16 at Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave.)

Mr. Sanders will be facing Milwaukee's state Senator Spencer Coggs in the primary. To be fair, we'll try to get Sen. Coggs at a future DL. (Senator, you're welcome to make a surprise appearance at this one.)

Drinking Liberally cannot endorse any candidate. Instead, we seek to bring them to you in the friendly confines of our fine drinking establishment so we can have a more personal conversation with them.

Future guests at Drinking Liberally include Lieutenant Chris Moews, who is challenging Sheriff Clarke in the primary, and state senate candidate and primary challenger Chris Larson. (Will we get Rep. Chris Sinicki? Find out!)

To get more info on Henry Sanders, please visit his web site at . As always, we meet at 7PM onward at Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave. in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood. See you there! And be sure to bring your questions for Henry Sanders, ad anyone else who shows up.

Best,
Jason & the Milwaukee DL crew

Who knows, I might even make this one.

Drinking Liberally: Now With More Liberals

'Tis that time again in which liberals from near and far gather to share good drink and good conversation. Last month, a conservative, and not just any conservative, but a tea party type of conservative, Dave Westlake, infiltrated the gathering.

This month, there is another surprise guest, per our host, Jason Haas:

Hi folks, sudden change of course! We will indeed have a special guest this Wednesday, in the form of Democratic Congressional candidate Paul Morel. Mr. Morel is running in the 4th CD race against incumbent Rep. Gwen Moore. I will try to arrange for Rep. Moore to come to a future Drinking Liberally. In the meantime, Mr. Morel will looks forward to meeting you, and talking about why he's running against Rep. Moore.

Note: This does not represent the endorsement of either candidate.

Paul Morel's site: http://morelforcongress.com/
Rep. Moore's campaign site: http://www.gwenmooreforcongress.com/

Details remain the same: 7PM onward at Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave., Milwaukee.

Best,
Jason & the Milwaukee DL crew

Yeah, I know, me too. I didn't know that anyone was running against Representative Moore either.

But I Don't Wear Orange...

Jason and the crowd at Drinking Liberally are continuing with their threat of bringing an outsider into our midst.

This came in the mail sometime while I was gone:

Gather round, my lefty folk, come hear the tale of the tea partier who ventured into Milwaukee realm. The one who came, Westlake was his name, and into the land of beer and progressives he roamed. Over taxes and healthcare he groaned, under entitlement and non-discrimination he moaned, when really, there was no threat he'd be disowned. For it's nothing like what he'd been shown(ed).

(Rest assured we don't speak in verse at Drinking Liberally. Or anything remotely like it. And it may be telling that this meesage was composed *without* the aid of beer...)

Let me shove aside my rare (rare?) case of bad writing and give you the details:

Drinking Liberally
Wed. April 21, 7-9PM
@ Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave., Milwaukee

Special guest Dave Westlake, G.O.P./Tea Party candidate for U.S. Senate, who's hoping to challenge U.S. Senator Russ Feingold in November.

*** NOTE: A Republican-Tea Party candidate need to be treated gently. Pregnant women, the elderly, and children under 10 should avoid prolonged exposure to them. Do not taunt the candidate. If the candidate begins to emit smoke, get away immediately. Seek shelter and cover head. Failure to do so relieves the organizer of Drinking Liberally Milwaukee, and its parent group, Living Liberally, of any and all liability. ***

Fine print aside, let's give Dave Westlake a warm welcome. I think this will be a good conversation for all of us. Look at his info at www.davewestlake.org, and bring your questions. This will be good!

Your cordial host,

Jason Haas

Ah, well, we welcome Nick Schweitzer to these, and Westlake is not nearly as goofy. Close, but not quite.

Drinking Liberally?

Jason Haas, host of our local version of Drinking Liberally, has sent out the plug for the upcoming April 21 edition of DL, although it will not be quite as liberal as is the norm. From Jason:

Hi folks,

This is not an April Fool's joke. Republican (Tea Party) U.S. Senate candidate Dave Westlake is coming to the next round of Drinking Liberally Milwaukee. Westlake is one of the two declared Republican candidates who will be competing in the primary to run against U.S. Senator Russ Feingold.

As Dave will be our special guest, let's treat him with respect. Even if you disagree with him, treat him with respect. Show him what good hosts a liberal crowd can be.

Dave is not the first Republican candidate we've had at Drinking Liberally, by the way. That was Don Holt, the honest Republican (yes, I said...) who ran against the incumbent faux-Dem Sheriff Clarke in 2006.

I'll send out another note or two closer to the actual night. As usual, we meet on the third Wednesday of the month. This one will be on Wed. April 21, and as always, it starts at 7 PM.

I wonder if Drinking Right would ever have a Democrat at one of their events, and if they would be able to act civilly towards him or her.

Drinking Liberally With A Special Guest

Jason Haas, the wonderful host of Drinking Liberally, has notified us that tomorrow night is the February edition of Drinking Liberally:

Hello friends, the time has come for me to get the @*$&@#! date right with this announcement. It's D.L. time! We'll be joined by Ryan Alexander from the Barrett for Governor campaign, who will be on hand to meet the good librul drinkers and answer your questions.

As always, we meet at Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave. in scenic Bay View. Look for the huddled band of lefties in our usual place by the front door.

At once we've got good news, such as the announcement that Ingeteam will be building a wind-turbine generator factory in the Menomonee Valley. And we've got bad news, like the county about to lose millions more in funding due to incompetent governance. How will this all play out in the governor's race? Let's talk about it.

See you on Wednesday.

I can't say with any certainty that I will be able to make it, but don't let that slow you down. Go and see what the next governor of Wisconsin will be doing to help bring more jobs to this great state. Maybe they'll even find one that Scott Walker is capable of doing without screwing up too badly.

Ah, Drinking And Liberals- What Could Be Finer?

'Tis that time again, my friends.

Come and join this group of liberals as we wonder:

• Why Terrance Wall is running for Senator in Wisconsin, since all of his money is in Delaware,
• If Scott Walker is really painting the ever-widening part (really bald spot) or if it is just oil dripping off his scalp,
• What silly costume Mark Neumann will be wearing next,
• If Jason "Big Daddy" Haas will ever stop talking about how grueling graduating from school and trying to get a real job is,
• Just what the heck is Nick Schweitzer rambling on about now,
  
• If Zach W. will show up so we can tell him how much we like love his work, and
  
• If Boris is really the best name for the zygote growing in Stacie innards.

It will be in the usual DL time and at the usual DL bar:

Sugar Maple in the scenic Bay View
411 E. Lincoln Avenue
Wednesday, January 20th (30th according to Hassian calendars)
7 pm onwards.

Drinking Liberally - Talks of Budgets, Barrett And Beer

'Tis that time again kids.

From our fearless host:

* Drinking Liberally: Milwaukee
* Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave.
* 7:00PM, Wednesday Nov. 18

O friends of lefty and near-lefty persuasion,

The political season approaches! Our mayor, the Honorable Tom Barrett, has announced his plans to run for governor! With Bay View's aldermanic representative the only declared candidate for the Dems, and with the county executive running in the Republican column, Milwaukee is on the ballot in 2010!

Of course it's still 2009, which means there's just nine rounds of Drinking Liberally left before the election! (I'm taking August off. Gotta relax at some point!) That means we've got a lot of candidates to meet, positions to argue and discuss, and most importantly, a lot of beer to be enjoyed!

Our dear host bar Sugar Maple has sixty (60!) American brews on tap. They look forward to having us on the third Wednesday of each month ('cept August) when we mingle at 7:00 for the time-honored tradition of Drinking Liberally.

What candidates shall we meet in the coming months? Todd Kolosso has already surprised us. Whether you're a running for judge, mayor, Congress, or even the ice cream truck, you're always welcome at Drinking Liberally.

See you there!

Jason and the Milwaukee DL crew

Oh, yeah, I'll be there too.

Drinking Liberally - The Night Of The Petitions

From Jason Haas, Coordinator of Drinking Liberally, Secretary of Milwaukee County First, proud and lucky fiance of Stacie, and all around mensch:

Hello my friends,

The march of time is almost as steady as the march of the beer glasses at Sugar Maple, our drinking institution of choice. So, let us gather and discuss drinking! Or just have a beer and not talk about anything. It works either way.

As always, we meet on the third Wednesday of the month, which means we gather from 7PM to 9PM tomorrow, the 16th. We'll have a lot to talk about, including Milwaukee County First, and looking at what's happening in the health care debate.

Speaking of: Living Liberally has launched a petition with SEIU, calling for liquor companies to stop fighting health care reform. SEIU will donate $1 to Living Liberally for each signature they receive. Will you sign the petition (http://action.seiu.org/page/s/LivingLiberally)?

Thanks!

Jason & the Milwaukee DL Crew

I will be there as well, at least for a little while. Come on down, have some good beer and some good conversation, and sign the MCF petition while you're at it.