I worried that our endlessly hard-working congress might grasp the import of issues before them, end the stalemate and open the government before I could write this blog post.
Silly me.
Would sober-minded people act to jeopardize our economy? I think not. So there must be a little something extra in the Congressional Water Cooler.
Is the 3 Martini Lunch back in vogue? Is a drink hat, fitted with a donkey or elephant logo, one drink holder over each ear with straws part of the congressional orientation kit? Do members who bother to show up for sessions have round robin tournaments of beer pong during filibusters?
So with Big Bird still safely locked behind the closed gates of the National Zoo, I have time to wonder: “What was Congress drinking when they decided it was a good idea to bring government functions to a screeching halt and what are they drinking now?”
I threw the question out to my trusty Twitter friends who, despite the multiple policy decisions they tackle in the course of a day, are reliable and responsive.
- @Create_Daily says, “They were sipping a little too much Fishhouse Punch when they pulled the plug.” Now he’s sure they’re “…drinking Pepto by the bottle.”
- @mscharlies suggests, “Then: Mescal Now: Rye”
- @margaretomara believes congress enjoyed, “Long Island Iced Tea (Parties): easy to overindulge, with potentially disastrous consequences.”
- @WarrenBobrow1 throws his hands up and calls for “mint juleps for all!!!!” (I think the julep might be more for us than congress though.)
There is one person who doesn’t think congressional decisions are flavored by alcohol. He doesn’t believe our elected officials are drinking at all. And while I don’t agree, I’m including his response because I believe in the integrity of Twitter Polls. @MacCocktail says, “They’re smoking the crack rock! That’s what they’re doing!”
So come on, be truthful, how many of you have said the very same thing? Of course you say it in jest. Of course, nobody really thinks our elected officials use crack. (Marion Barry is old news and Toronto’s Mayor is obviously a Canadian.) But it would be nice to come up with an explanation for continuous under-achieving.
Maybe our Congressmen and Senators should come hang out at Gran Electrica (5 Front Street, DUMBO, NYC).
Gran Electrica continues to over-achieve in margarita mixing and taco making. I’ve written about them before and along with members of the Independent Panel of Judges, keep going back for more. They have a back garden and on a recent fall day, I sat outside with The Panel and made friends with the people next to us. Even though we were years apart in age, miles apart in home geography and culturally mixed, we figured out how to bridge the divide between tables.

Gran Electrica – Decisions made, bridges built, margaritas drank