George W. Bush is a hero. George W. Bush is a moron. Wanna argue?
I sure don’t.
I refrain from political debates in social settings, as these conversations, by nature, have no end. It’s impossible to change someone’s longstanding political theories in casual conversation between sips of Old Style and bites of nachos.
But that doesn’t stop people from trying.
It happened most recently–and most uncomfortably–in the steam room at my gym, or the “Republican workout room,” as the perspiring pundit called it. I recused myself to the locker room.
My Republican reticence, my Democratic demurral is mostly based on ignorance. I don’t follow politics closely, and I suspect those who shout their beliefs the loudest might be as lacking in information as I am. And that’s scary.
So it caught my eye when I read about a non-partisan series called Politics in the Mix, a monthly, non-partisan political-education forum. “Is the debate over the validity of Kelly Monaco’s recent ‘Dancing with the Stars’ win dulling your wits?” the advertisement asked. (Yes, I said internally.) “Maybe you’d prefer a discussion of Bush over your Busch?”
A chance to learn about politics, in a bar, from punsters without political agendas. Sign me up, governor!
Politics in the Mix is sponsored by the Youth Advisory Board of the League of Women Voters of Chicago, which is far less formal than the title suggests. Its mission statement: “I am committed to revolutionizing the culture of democracy in my community by fostering individual social responsibility and civic involvement.” They left out “… over beers at Jak’s Tap.”
My host at a meeting at the West Loop bar wore shorts and a rumpled shirt, his scruffy beard masking a youthful face. Brendan Hendrick, 24, speaks with the passion of youth and the clarity of someone twice his age.
“There’s a generation of young, civically engaged new voters who have very little idea how to get involved in politics,” he said. “City politics are designed to keep the young misinformed.”
Founded about a year ago, the group is strictly non-partisan, composed of young adults interested in engaging in the workings of their city and nation, while luring their peers into politics using tools that appeal to Chicagoans who might normally feel marginalized in the political process.
The group is creating www.civicfootprint. org, a site (launching Oct. 19) that will allow people to find political information with a single click. Type in your address and you get details about your state senator, your ward, etc. The monthly Politics in the Mix meetings invite speakers to offer their perspectives on rotating topics. At the session I went to, Aurie Pennick, executive director of the Field Foundation of Illinois, spoke with ease and eloquence about the evening’s theme–leadership development. She bounced between topics like Hurricane Katrina and the Constitution, Wal-Mart and Kanye West all while fielding questions from the dozen or so people in the audience.
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It was refreshing to see a collection of young Chicagoans enthusiastically engaged in discussion about something that didn’t involve Simon Cowell or Ozzie Guillen. And fruitless debate about whether George W. Bush is hero or a moron was kept to a minimum.
So why meet in a bar? Why not prompt members to attend City Council meetings? “These meetings are not as intimidating,” Hendrick said. “And this forum enables the speakers to open up.”
Similar to a steam room. Only with less hot air.
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More information
The next Politics in the Mix gathering,
focusing on electronic-voting technology, meets Nov. 7. For more information, e-mail [email protected].
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