Political parties

As regular readers of North Star Liberty know, my favorite part of politics is the political parties. I don't mean the partisan political organizations, I mean the social events that those groups conduct!

From attending Republican election night parties, Red, Right and Brew happy hours, SD44 PUBlicans happy hours, Minnesota Organization of Bloggers events, senate district fundraisers, candidate meet-and-greets, and other such events, I have learned that Republican activists are well-informed, intelligent, passionate, interesting, successful, and just plan fun to hobnob with.

SD44 had its most successful event in years last Thursday, a fundraiser at the Medina Golf and Country Club. The attendance was great. They had a silent auction and a "wine pull." The food and drink were excellent. The men cleaned up and the women were dressed to the nines. They attracted great speakers like U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz (a district resident), Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Zellers, Hennepin County Commissioner (and district resident) Jeff Johnson, and of course local candidates David Gaither, Sarah Anderson, and Mark Stefan. (In the auction, I won an American flag and four dozen oatmeal M&M cookies freshly baked by Rep. Anderson.)

Also this year, SD44 has held happy hours at various venues around the district. You never know who or how many will show up, but you can usually count on district treasurer Geoff Shipsides to save a spot for the group. I attended events at Jake's in Plymouth and The Muni in Wayzata. They were great opportunities to meet other Republicans to talk politics and other common interests. At Wednesday's event I met a supporter and friend of Marc Berris, a candidate for Hennepin County judge who strongly endorsed him and handed out his campaign cards for good measure.

Once in a while, campaigning can almost seem like a party. The Pawlenty bus tour in 2006 was a fantastic experience. So was blogging at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, where I met U.S. Senators Fred Thompson and Jim DeMint.

Election night parties can be exciting, and of course they are a lot more fun when your candidates win than when they don't. I enjoy being a part of history in the making, along with the media, candidates, and activists on election night. But win, lose, or draw, I am always proud to stand with my fellow activists, knowing that we did our best, and looking ahead to the next campaign.

MOB goes to Ol' Mexico for winter confab

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Last Saturday, the Minnesota Organization of Bloggers (MOB) convened its winter social at Ol' Mexico Restaurante & Cantina, one block north of Larpenteur Avenue on Lexington Avenue in Roseville.

As usual, first to welcome this blogger into the room with an outstretched hand and an introduction to the two other bloggers in his knot of conversation was the inimitable
Mitch Berg, Shot in the Dark and AM 1280 The Patriot. Nearby, I sighted MOB luminaries Brian "Saint Paul" Ward, Fraters Libertas, and Andy Aplikowski, a.k.a. AAA, Residual Forces.

I spent some time catching up on the latest BPOU and CD3 gossip with my northwest suburbian SD45 neighbors Derek Brigham and Nancy "Lassie" LaRoche, Freedom Dogs.

I enjoyed a pint of Summit Maibock and some freshly made, very salty, and highly addictive tortilla chips with Walter Hudson, Fightin' Words. Hudson — affable, articulate, and a very compelling advocate of conservative values — was recently elected to head the North Star Tea Party Patriots, an umbrella group for independent Tea Party groups in Minnesota. He has been doing yeoman's work recently, making media appearances and speaking before audiences ranging from youth groups to the Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota.

I briefly chatted up that walking conservative brand Katie Kieffer, KatieKieffer.com, about her interview at the Minneapolis auto show with a Ford spokesman about their innovative Sync technology.

Perhaps knowing how many Minnesota state GOP delegates are MOB bloggers, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson and former state auditor Pat Anderson separately worked the room. Johnson and Anderson are both candidates for Republican National Committeepersons, which represent the state party to the national GOP.

As the evening wound down, the MOB filtered back into the night, like so many wired Punxsutawney Phils, to their keyboards until the next MOB event.

The MOB rules at Keegan's

During last night's ideal summer-like evening at Keegan's Irish Pub in near Northeast Minneapolis, the trivia questions were especially obscure, but the Minnesota Organization of Bloggers emerged from behind their screens and keyboards to christen Keegan's new, improved deck out back with $2.75 pints of the refreshing Sam Adams Summer Ale, bar food, a few cigars, the Yankees-Twins game on a shiny new TV, and the standard, lively banter that one has come to expect at a MOB gathering, even with some of the stars of the MOB galaxy missing in action.

The conversations at my table, between trivia questions, centered around the various state campaigns. The gubernatorial endorsement battle between former state Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall) and the eventual endorsee Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Delnao) reportedly got too heated for Seifert's comfort, even with his campaign slinging most of the arrows. The consensus on DFL gubernatorial hopeful Matt Entenza's pick for lieutenant governor, Robyne Robinson, is that it's a primary election play against Mark Dayton's money and the Margaret Anderson Kelliher-John Gunyou ticket. The new WIN Minnesota PAC will apply some big money to try to put a Democrat in the governor's office.

There was optimism that Secretary of State candidate Dan Severson can defeat incumbent Mark Ritchie with an urgent call for voter ID and election integrity, although the liberal 527 Secretary of State Project will be a force to be reckoned with. And yes, SD43 state Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka) is "beatable" in this November's election, even with her incumbency, union endorsements, and "Republican lite" persona facing the center-right leaning district. Several MOBsters present said they have been impressed by Bonoff's Republican-endorsed challenger, Norann Dillon, tirelessly working the district for months already, meeting, greeting, listening, and refining her message.

Blogger and Northeast Minneapolis resident Barry Hickethier told us that he will appeal to disaffected independents, DFLers and Republicans in his bid to unseat SD59 Sen. Larry Pogemiller (DFL-Minneapolis).

The affable Mitch Berg of Shot in the Dark and AM 1280 The Patriot, sporting a sharp-looking black Shot in the Dark t-shirt, received props for his recent blog post on the mythical relationship between local government aid and property taxes. Berg anticipates the next MOB gathering for late summer after primary election day on August 10, and before the State Fair.

Married to the MOB

I arrived late —around 8 pm — at this year's Minnesota Organization of Bloggers (MOB) reunion party at Keegan's, but it was like walking into a place where everybody knows your name. Quintessential MOB host Mitch Berg (Shot in the Dark and Northern Alliance Radio Network) hailed me immediately, introduced me to several new MOB members, and collared several who already knew me to let them know I had arrived.

I had some great conversations with Dan McGrath from Minnesota Majority, who asked me to add Dan Conry's web sticker to the sidebar of this blog (done). It was great to see fellow west metro bloggers Derek Brigham, Nancy LaRoche, and Guy Collins from Freedom Dogs. I got a hearty "ahoy" from Captain Fishsticks, a.k.a. Craig Westover from the Minnesota Free Market Institute. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to greet David Strom and Margaret Martin (also of the Minnesota Free Market Institute) before they left. Also present were a number of blog readers wanting to meet and greet MOB authors in person.

Minnesota has a vibrant blogger community, especially around the Twin Cities where a conservative offshoot of the MOB has its own web site, True North (which I helped to establish). It feels more like a community rather than merely a blogroll after an official gathering at Keegan's. The MOB counts among its members political activists mostly of the center-right, media personalities, lawyers, nonprofits, libertarians, and just plain folks. It is free speech and "peer production," as they call it nowadays, at its best. Being a member of the MOB has introduced me to many fascinating people whom I never would have met otherwise.

Thanks to Brian "Saint Paul" Ward (Fraters Libertas), Mitch Berg, and all members of the MOB for establishing and maintaining our merry band of bloggers.

See Freedom Dogs and Shot in the Dark for detailed recaps. There are also photos and comments on the MOB Party Facebook page.

Convention blogger headquarters

Members of the Minnesota Organization of Bloggers have long enjoyed the friendly confines of Terry Keegan's Pub in Minneapolis, for impromptu meetings, MOB gatherings, and trivia contests. With great brews (I discovered Smithwick's on tap at Keegan's), wonderful pub grub, and free WiFi, what's not to like?

Keegan's will become even more blogger-friendly during the Democrat and Republican national conventions. From Terry Keegan:

Keegan's pub has declared itself the official blogger headquarters for both the DNC and RNC.

Bloggers are invited to gather at Keegan's Pub for both national conventions. The Democrats meet in Denver, August 25 through 28 and the Republicans are in St. Paul, September 1 through 4. Bloggers who enjoy face-to-face interaction with fellow bloggers are invited to meet at the pub. Bloggers who wish to work quietly and on their own are also invited to attend.

Keegan's offers free WiFi for real-time blogging during both conventions. The televisions in section 1 (turn right when entering through the front door) will be tuned-in to convention coverage, with audio. Pub quizzes on Tuesday and Thursday nights will work around the convention coverage. Twins baseball will be telecast in other areas of the pub, without volume.

The patios will be open for cigar smoking and Keegan's will serve the Best Beer in the Twin Cities.

The biggest problem will be getting a table, so get there early if you want to blog. If you just want to hobnob, no worries!

Keegan's Pub is located at 16 University Avenue SE — take a left on University after you cross the Hennepin Avenue bridge from downtown. You can park on the street or in the ramp behind Keegan's.

No, I didn't snub the MOB

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. —Benjamin Franklin

Pass the beernuts. —Norm on Cheers

I was on a family vacation last week, so I missed hobnobbing with my fellow wizards at the third annual MOB summer bash at Keegan's. Mitch Berg has the lowdown.

Speaking of beer, my family was vacationing in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas last week. Although my planned pilgrimmage to the Miller brewery gift shop did not happen, I did notice two new summer-friendly Miller brews (at least I have not noticed them in the Twin Cities market):

Miller High Life Light - a light version of the High Life brand, better tasting than the original less filling, tastes great, Lite.

Miller Chill - a chelada style beer flavored with lime and salt, which, depending on whom you ask is either a bold challenge to Corona, or an abomination. Unfortuntely, I didn't try it so I can't review it.

Another refreshing summer beer served in Chicago and here in the Twin Cities is Blue Moon, a Belgian-style "white" wheat ale, spiced with coriander and orange peel. Try it in a clear German wheat beer glass (or other clear glass) to enjoy its characteristic cloudy color.

Although Goose Island brews are available on tap throughout Chicago, the waitress at the Dock Street Cafe on Navy Pier had no idea which "seasonal" Goose Island variety was on tap (for $4). In response to my question, she returned from the bar with some beer names copied from the kegs on a scrap of paper, but none of them looked like any Goose Island variety I have ever heard of. Perhaps it was the flagship Honkers Ale, a good choice in any season, but it would have been nice if it was the Summertime pale ale. How disappointing it is when the waitress is clueless about the beer being served, especially when it's being brewed only a few miles from her tables.

Recently at the Sam's Club liquor store in Saint Louis Park, I noticed a 24-bottle variety pack of beers from the Milwaukee craft brewery Sprecher. Their Sprecher Hefe Weiss is a fine summer beer, especially at the end of their brewery tour, freshly brewed and served in a Sprecher tasting glass.

UPDATE: For the record, I rechecked that scrap of paper before I tossed it into the recycling. It was scrawled with "Summertime Ale" and another beer name.