MOB Party: Outreach

First, the facts: The Minnesota Organization of Bloggers third annual Summerpalooza is coming up on Saturday, September 9, starting around sevenish at Keegan's Pub.

I say again - the MOB is rigorously non-partisan. We welcome everyone, regardless of politics (and of course non-political bloggers are welcome as well). Of course, most of the attendees trend right of center - because most of the Twin Cities' political blogs do, and because liberalism is dying a slow death - but it doesn't matter, because it's not a political get-together.

This notion seems to give some people some trouble.

I noticed that "Kevin M" at (the inopporunely named) "Insomnia Report" has taken notice:

Now, while I enjoy the tacit admission that they need liberals to get their parties hopping [Um, yeah. Sounds like a Green party meeting could bust out.] (similar to the way they need liberals so that they have something to complain about on their websites), I have to say that this isn’t the way to get my people to hang out with you. You can’t help but think of high-school. Mitch seems like he's trying to come off like he’s the captain of the football team or something, standing up in the cafeteria and announcing “Dudes! My parents are out of town, so we jocks are having ourselves a PARTY! It’ll be awesome! Even you band nerds ought to show up, even though you’re only stupid band nerds! You bunch of band nerds, you’ll probably be busy cleaning your flutes or something band nerdish like that, but you’d come if only you weren’t such a bunch of band nerds!”

I'm starting to see a pattern here.

I'm not sure how many times I've seen this analogy on leftyblogs, but it's gotta be at least half a dozen times; conservatives are the biiiig baaaaad jocks, liberals are the persecuted nerds.

I wouldn't know, of course; I was the orchestra nerd (who played guitar in my own band, eventually) who hated coaches and didn't do team sports after like ninth grade (but did win a state Speech championship). But John Hughes didn't model his little myths after my school for a reason - and eventually most of us, jocks and geeks and burnouts and cheerleaders alike, let it all go.

I’m sorry, but to draw liberals into a barful of bilious conservatives, you need to be suaver [???], more self-effacing. Make it worth our while. For instance, will there be organic vegan wraps available? Will folk legend Joan Baez be performing? What about a table selling handmade crafts from Ecuador? If you’re going to stereotype us, at least do it flatteringly. You’ve got to woo us, dammit!

Wooing?

OK. If you're done cleaning your flute, come on down. If I don't spot ya a Guinness, someone else will.

And the MOB parties are not only nonpartisan, they're about as "bilious" as one of Flash's "Drinking Moderately" parties.

At least the ones that Tild doesn't show up at.

Posted by Mitch at August 24, 2006 06:32 AM | TrackBack