I’m always one to look for a good excuse to throw a party… Halloween, Christmas, New Years… Been there done that… Graduations, Christenings, Leap Year… Heck, I even had a “My kid caught his first fish!” party…
But there’s another opportunity for an unscheduled party about to happen… November 2nd. However, I’m not sure what to call it. Currently, I’m torn between “Political Apocalypse” and “Political Genesis”, given that my friends are pretty evenly divided (just like the rest of the country, I guess). So, I’m just calling it an election party.
So, as with any good party, you don’t need a lot of streamers, or balloons, and such — BORING. Good interaction is what you want, and activities bring that interaction. Whenever possible, I try to bring in the old “Football Cards” type interactions, and this election is perfect for that. With sheets of paper, you need lists of the big races. People pick their winners, and voila — you’ve got a contest on your hands. With football, you’ve got winners at the end of each quarter, and there’s nothing to stop similar time based events for the election (who’s winning at 8PM, 9PM, etc).
Then there’s the costumes… In 2008, I was shocked to see one of my co-workers was a dead-ringer for Sarah Palin (once she had the business suit on, the hair done, and glasses). But there’s plenty of other people (or events) to spoof this year — you could go as a Witch (one popular politician is, apparently), or a caveman (a certain Floridian congressman evokes the image), or perhaps even an oil spill…. There’s more than enough political fodder lately, that’s for sure.
And in addition to everyone putting a few bucks into the winners pot, you can add in a few Prizes – include things like a copy of The Constitution (or Alinskys “Rules for Radicals”), or a Richard Nixon mask (for the big loser of the night). And don’t forget the drinking games — A “shot” for every race declared “final”!!
So no matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on, even the most seemingly boring of things, an election, can be a good excuse for a party.
