CosmopolityCosmos

Progress and Promise for Living Liberally March 2006

Broadway’s Spotlight Shines on Liberal Laughter

F
rom the beginning of Drink-
ing Liberally, nearly three
years ago, we've always said,
“It's not about drinking, it's about
being liberal.” Bars are democratic
spaces, where you share booths,
pitchers and conversations—and are
a natural social scene to welcome
progressive politics.
Now, we are bringing the larger
vision to fruition. In February, 1,300
liberals gathered for an evening of
political comedy on Times Square
at Laughing Liberally. Over a dozen
chapters from around the country
gathered away from their taverns for
group showings of Robert Green-
wald's documentary Wal-Mart: The
High Cost of Low Price, and a new
partnership, Screening Liberally,
will create more chances for liberals
to view socially meaningful feature
films and documentaries.
On a more serious front, bloggers
are gathering regularly to hear from
policy guests at Blogging Liberally,
and an exciting book tour collab-
oration with national bloggers will
energize Reading Liberally.
On Saturday, February 4, 1,300 liberals
and laughers packed Town Hall on Times
Square for Laughing Liberally. The audi-
ence roared and political spirits soared as
seven performers entertained and electri-
fied the crowd, launching a new era of
political comedy… dedicated to saving
democracy, one laugh at a time.
Jim David (Comedy Central), Dean
Obeidallah (Air America), Julie Goldman
(VH1) and Rick Overton (Dennis Miller
Live) were joined by newcomers Katie
Halper, Baratunde Thurston, and Jamie
Jackson in an evening of laughter from the
left. This was no simple night of Bush-bashing (the Bush-bashing was
actually quite sophisticated). From the suspicious looks Dean gets for
his last name, to Julie's mom kvetching about her daughter's gay
marriage, the comics delivered a side-splitting, paradigm-shattering
blend of satiric savviness and political punch.
As Laughing Liberally prepares its encore New York performances
and national tour, the Laughing Liberally Lab continues to provide a
workshop for experienced and emerging comedians each week in
New York City. Visit www.laughingliberally.com for more on the
ongoing shows and the big plans for the future of liberal laughter.

This isn't a pint-sized vision. Our

movement was born in the taverns,
but it's not confined to them. As you
read the articles in this issue of the
Cosmos, you'll agree: it's not just
about drinking, laughing, screening,
blogging, or reading—Cosmopolity is
creating opportunities in all areas of
life to be Living Liberally.

— The Cosmopolity Team

David Alpert Justin Krebs
Katrina Baker Matthew O’Neill
and many more
cosmos@cosmopolity.org

The Cosmopolity Cosmos – Promoting Democracy One Newsletter at a Time

425 West 45th St 3FE, New York, NY 10036 • 212-489-7982 • http://cosmopolity.org/
Drinking Liberally City
Profile: Milwaukee
It has been called "the nation's watering hole", with
more bars per capita than any other large city in
America. It’s the home town of Miller and where
Schlitz got his start. Oh, and the Brewers are the
home team.
It was only a matter of time.
“We founded this chapter to help Milwaukee
recover from the grip the right has had on this area
for far too long,” explains Drinking Liberally
Milwaukee co-founder Jason Haas.
“Wisconsin was once a progressive state, but now
it’s gone in the opposite direction, and we need
bring Milwaukee back to its political roots,” like
1924 Progressive Party Presidential candidate
“Fighting Bob” La Folette, longtime Senator, Gov-
ernor and founder of The Progressive magazine.)
Haas started the Milwaukee chapter with Stacie
Rosenzweig and Scott Feldstein over a year ago.
Now, Club Garibaldi, on the south side of Mil-
waukee, welcomes between thirty and forty liberal
drinkers twice a month in a setting that Jason
describes as “dark, smoky and informal,” and has
become a stop for candidates for Congress, the
judiciary, and sheriff. The chapter even scored a 4-
minute special report on local WTMJ TV news
(available at www.drinkingliberally.org/press.html).
“Club G doesn’t only like us for our politics,”
explains Haas. “Apparently we’re also better than
average bar patrons. Big tips and no fights.”
So, if you are thirsty and near the nation’s watering
hole, swing by Club G. As Jason explained to an
NBC news crew, “Grassroots politics starts with a
glass of beer. Huge political change and new ideas
start with conversations like these.”
About Cosmopolity
Cosmopolity promotes progressive political
engagement through social networks and
entertainment events. You can learn more
about Cosmopolity at www.cosmopolity.org,
and send us questions, ideas, or letters to the
editor at cosmos@cosmopolity.org.
The Cosmopolity Cosmos – Promoting Democracy One Newsletter at a Time
425 West 45th St 3FE, New York, NY 10036 • 212-489-7982 • http://cosmopolity.org/
More Ways to Live Liberally
Screening Liberally launched
on March 16th with a preview
screening of Thank You For
Smoking. Giving liberals a
chance to enjoy films with like-
minded, left-leaning compan-
ions, Screening Liberally will
host advance showings of pol-
itically-oriented feature films and special presen-
tations of socially-conscious documentaries. We
are excited to welcome Time Out New York, the
popular weekly guide to city entertainment, as our
media partner on this project. Visit our Web site
at www.screeningliberally.org for details.
Reading Liberally: when popular bloggers Markos
Moulitous Zuniga of dailykos.com and Jerome
Armstrong of mydd.com go on tour with their new
book, Crashing the Gate, Drinking Liberally will
be hitting the road with them. The book tour’s
schedule, not yet public, will include stops at DL
chapters across the country.
Visit a DL Chapter Near You
Wherever you live, chances are there’s a DL
chapter nearby. Here are a few that are near most
of our Cosmopolity Cosmos subscribers, or check
out the full list at www.drinkingliberally.org.
New York
Thursdays, 7:30 pm at Rudy’s, 9th Ave and 44th St.
Plus chapters in East Village, Park Slope, Queens,
Upper East Side, West Bronx, Williamsburg, and
DL Steps Out (in Manhattan gay bars).
Washington, DC
Wednesdays, 6:30 pm at Mark & Orlando’s, 2020
P St NW; Thursdays, 6:30 pm at Timberlake’s,
1726 Connecticut Ave NW.
Cambridge, MA
Tuesdays, 8:30 pm at Middlesex Lounge, 315
Mass. Ave in Central Square.
San Francisco
Mondays, 7:00 pm at Dalva, 3121 16th St. between
Valencia and Guerrero.
Plus chapters in Oakland, Palo Alto, and San Jose.