-
- Ford Denies Smoking Crack
- Very Close Race for Senate Nomination in Georgia
- Welcoming 100 Sandy Hook Moms
- Bonus Quote of the Day
- Gingrich Warns Republicans About Overreach
- Blogs
- At the Races
- Political MoneyLine
- Rothenblog
- Columns
- Rothenberg
- Shop Talk
Whiskey Caucus Stresses Bipartisanship on and off the Field
Posted at 12:53 p.m. on May 21, 2012
The Whiskey Caucus is solving Washington’s partisan woes one drink and softball game at a time.
A member of the House Softball League, the Whiskey Caucus was started in 2008 by Capitol Hill staffers as a means of social gathering, and the team began playing softball in 2010. At the time of its creation, the club had six members. Today it has more than 100.
For some off-the-field mingling, the club meets every Friday (sans holidays) for a drink, though the location is not disclosed on its website.
Inspiration for the club comes from the early 20th-century actions of Winston Churchill and F.E. Smith, according to the club website. In 1910, both men were denied entry into The Club, a social organization for political dining. The following year, Churchill, who was the Liberal Home Secretary at the time, and Smith, a Conservative member of Parliament, founded The Other Club, which was made up of liberals and conservatives alike.
Following in the footsteps of Churchill and Smith, the Whiskey Caucus has opened its doors to members of all political stripes, proudly branding itself as a “multi-partisan social organization” and a “place for people in and out of politics to escape the partisan grind of the everyday.”
Of course, escaping discussions of a political nature isn’t always possible in Washington.
In the event that a conversation between two members of differing political stripes turns from casual chatter to neo-Crossfire, the higher-ups have implemented a diffusing form of etiquette. Once the discussion gets overly heated, a third party can call for the Brigger Rule, which acknowledges that the discussion has become too political and “a new line of conversation needs to start.”
So far this season, the team is 1-1 and ranked 20th in a league of 118.
Related Posts
-
DGS Goes Out With a Bang, Wins House League Championship
-
House League Bracket Is Out
-
Roll Call Softball Awards: HSL Regular Season
View more posts in the Archives.
Comments (0)
Comments are Closed. Logout
No comments just yet.
