Thursday, October 01, 2015

(Update) Democratic Debate Drinking Game for October 2015 Even Though The Election Is Still 2016 And All: The All's Fair In Love And Gwar Version

Update Above All Updates Considering the Amount of Traffic This Is Getting In the Run-Up to the November 14 Debate: Since I'm busy with my NaNoWriMo writing project (finally, I am succeeding by writing an intentionally overblown urban fantasy using a sexy vampire protagonist, I'm just gonna write it and be damned), and because writing up new drinking rules each month got to be a bore for the Republican drinking rules, I'm just gonna allow this one to stand and make revisions to the obvious fact that the Dem debates are down to three people now. Man, not even Lessig got a chance to get people drunk... So go ahead, follow these rules and please remember to DRINK AND VOTE RESPONSIBLY...

In the interests of fairness and balance, and in honor of this being the first month that the Democratic candidates for President will publicly face each other in the THUNDERDOME of... of... whadda ya mean, "no weapons"?  That's gonna put Hillary at a severe disadvantage...

Anyway, we've had excuses for Americans - and pretty much the whole galaxy - get drunk as they watched Republicans go batsh-t insane on stage trying to out-pander Trump each other.  Now we gotta watch the Democrats.  And while five of the six three sir! (official) candidates are relatively sane - I'm gonna make you "spot the loony" - there may well be a need to hit the bottles once or twice (or 108 times) during the slogfest.

Also wik, I will update this later to add links to any custom drinks or craft beers that my ally and co-conspirator Pinku-Sensei can put up on his Crazy Eddie Motie's News blog!

Update 10/9: Adding a few more rules here... turnout is picking up by the way, thanks for showing!

Update 10/10: At last.  Pinku-Sensei has a drink order in place for Hillary Clinton!  Together, we will cause much hangovers across the globe...

Follow-up to the Update: He's got the drink order in for Bernie Sanders now.  I think for Martin O'Malley he's gonna go for whatever Omar thinks is best.

Continuation of the Follow-up to the Update: And now he's got the drink order for Joe Biden in.  You can't stop Pinku-Sensei you can only hope to contain him!

Ultimatum Derived from the Continuation of the Follow-up to the Update: Pinku-Sensei has the final drink orders in for O'Malley and Webb and Chafee.  BRING IT, VEGAS.  WE ARE READY FOR THE DEBATE. Too bad they dropped out. You can still drink em if you want to.

That said, some of the rules from the previous drinking games I've set up for the Republicans still apply here, but I'll rehash:

  • No shirts
  • No shoes
  • NO DICE

...okay, serious now.  Here are the ground rules about drinking:

1. Respect your liver.  Have the decency to pass out before you drink to death.
2. Choose a designated driver to make sure you can get home safe.  Also have buckets and towels ready for any vomiting.
3. Get your declaration of love for your friendly toilet bowl done while you're sober.  Make sure the crawl path between your chair and that toilet is free of any sharp objects that can cut your kneecaps.
4. Even if you drink only water for this game, be aware that too much water is toxic.
5. Do not be surprised if something insane, insulting, and inconceivable not even covered by this drinking game happens during debate night.  Even with this being Democrats - the party that respects the electoral process - there are going to be moments where someone is going to cross a line to make an argument.

If anyone has suggestions for drinking rules regarding the Democratic round, I will consider and add them to this list.  Lemme rephrase this: If anyone has suggestions for rules regarding the Democratic roud that do not delve into conspiracy-driven fantasyland Fox Not-News talking points, I will consider and add.

So, here now for the CNN debate set in Las Vegas (!) for Tuesday October 13, 2015 "Who Has a Debate On a WEEKEND In Iowa?" Novermber 14, 2015 is the DEMOCRATIC PRE-PRIMARY "2015 IS STILL TOO DAMN EARLY FOR THIS SH-T" DRINKING GAME.  (Notice: Updates are likely).

General Rules

  • If any candidate has to defend the Obama administration, take a drink.
  • If any candidate other than Hillary has to defend the Clinton administration, take a drink.
  • If any candidate has to defend the Jimmy Carter administration, shout "that's 40 years now" and take a drink.
  • If any candidate has to defend LBJ's Great Society and civil rights efforts, finish off a bottle and throw it at the screen.
  • If any candidate has to defend FDR's New Deal, for the LOVE OF F-CKING GOD THAT'S 80 YEARS AGO AND THOSE REFORMS ARE STILL WITH US BECAUSE THEY WORK YOU RANDIAN LIBERTARIAN GOVERNMENT-DESTROYING SONS OF BITCHES.
  • If any candidate brings up income inequality as an issue, cheer and take a drink.
  • If any candidate brings up education reform that involves actually raising more money to pay for more and better teachers and more modern public schools, cheer and take a drink.
  • If you notice this rule-maker is a little biased about certain issues, take a drink.
  • If any candidate jokes about what happens in Vegas staying in Vegas, drink whole bottle if you are with the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and/or Tourism office.
  • If any candidate disappears and is later found working a slot machine feeding it coin after coin muttering "I can win this thing, I can win this thing", drink whole bottle.
  • If an Elvis Impersonator gets on the stage and provides valid arguments about issues during the debate, drink whole bottle and get that Elvis' agent to see if the guy will run for office.
  • If any of the candidates accidentally wind up getting married to each other in some wacky sitcom hijinks, drink whole bottle.
  • If Mulder and Scully show up asking what the candidates know about the nearby airbase, drink whole bottle.
  • If aliens show up asking the candidates about Mulder and Scully being in a relationship, cheer and drink whole bottle.
  • Update: If any candidate jokes about getting elected to the Presidency before House Republicans can even settle on a Speaker, take a drink.
  • Reminder I will add updated rules to any sensible suggestions, thank you.

And for the specific candidates, well there's currently only six THREE SIR! - although everyone in the Beltway media keeps pining for the fjords uh Joe Biden ah Elizabeth Warren - so this list is shorter than the Republicans.  Lessig is campaigning on the Democratic ballot but for some reason - is he below a cut-off line in the polling? C'mon, this is a smaller field, they can fit Lessig on-stage even if he's polling just six people total - he's not been invited (yet).

I'm still adding Biden though just for the sh-ts and giggles.  And if he declares before October 13 - like right at Monday October 12th 11:59 PM EST - CNN will consider him eligible.  Yes, the media is that desperate for a horse race.

Hillary Clinton

  • If Hillary enters the stage being carried by six of her handlers on one of those Egyptian royalty carts to the walk-up song "The Bitch Is Back," drink every bottle you got.
  • If Hillary reaches the podium and declares "KNEEL FOOLISH MORTALS FOR I AM YOUR OVERLORD", genuflect and take a drink.
  • If Hillary tries to laugh a little too eager before shredding the soul of the fool who dares question her, take a drink and avert your eyes before the bloodshed covers the screen.
  • If Hillary makes a valid point about how overblown the attacks on her character have been the last four eight  twelve twenty thirty forty years, take a drink.
  • If Hillary directly answers a moderator's question about Benghazi, take a drink.
  • If Hillary directly answers a moderator's question about Vince Foster, take a drink.
  • If Hillary refuses to dignify a moderator's question about the Lewinsky scandal, take a drink.
  • If Hillary mocks Trump, take a drink.
  • If Hillary gets asked about Jeb Bush and she replies "Jeb who?" cheer and drink whole bottle.
  • Update: If Hillary gets asked about the partisan nature of the congressional Benghazi committees, and she leans over the podium and shouts at the cameras "Hey How'd That All Work Out For Ya, McCarthy?" and laughs like a sadistic hyena, cheer and drink whole bottle.
  • If Hillary wins the evening as expected, slides on her sunglasses, checks her smartphone for texts and idly announces "Khaleesi out, bitches," drink whatever's left of your bottles.



Bernie Sanders

  • If Bernie ever gives off the vibe of being that absent-minded economics professor from your college courses, take a drink.
  • If Bernie talks about single payer replacing ObamaCare, bang your head against the nearest desk/counter and take a drink.
  • (Update) If Bernie points out that the size of the auditorium seating is smaller than most of the turnouts he's been getting at his campaigning events, take a drink.
  • If he shouts out halfway through the debate "Great Scott!  It's almost October 21, 2015!  I need to go warn Marty about this!" and hops into a nearby DeLorean with a flux capacitor and flies off, take three drinks in honor of the Back to the Future trilogy.

We're still waiting for our HOVERBOARDS, Doc!

Martin O'Malley

  • If anyone else quotes a line from the TV show The Wire to O'Malley's face, take a drink.
  • If the line is from Omar, mutter "A man gotta have a code" and take two drinks.
  • If O'Malley tries to hit Hillary on an issue, shout at the screen "Yo Bey you come at the queen you best not miss" and take a drink.
  • If O'Malley brings up his Irish background, refuse to drink.  Dammit, have some standards.

Jim Webb

  • If Webb's walk-up music is "In The Navy" by the Village People, take two drinks.
  • If Webb says "Semper Fi" at any point of the debate, pull out a silver dollar coin and slam it hard on the wooden table or bar in front of you and shout "Oo Rah".  Then take a drink.
  • If Webb challenges any person present to an honest-go-God wrestling fight, take two drinks and call the WWE for when the Pay-Per-View event is gonna be.
  • If Webb offers up a social conservative answer to a debate question, take a drink for each social conservative Democrat you know personally.  You may end up going thirsty, I know, but this is a rule. 
Thanks for playing, Big Jim Webb. We have some lovely parting gifts.

Lincoln Chafee

  • If Chafee gets confused for one of the lesser Republican candidates and told by the CNN moderators to wait outside, take a drink.
  • If Chafee has to defend the fact his state of Rhode Island is smaller than most American suburbs, avoid Beth Pizio's wrath and take a drink.
  • If Chafee brings up the fact that he's the only Republican (former) who voted AGAINST the Invasion  of Iraq 2003, take the beer bottle from the nearest Republican partier and take a drink from that bottle, then hand it back. If there are no Republicans near you, shrug it off.  If the Republicans near you already finished off their bottles, mock their existence.
  • If Chafee mentions the war, take a drink and act like John Cleese did in that episode of Fawlty Towers.
Saturday Night Live was right: this guy WAS the life model for Frozen's Olaf.

Lawrence Lessig

  • If Lessig even shows up, take a drink because it means someone at CNN or the DNC lightened up.
  • If Lessig talks about campaign reform, take a drink.
  • If Lessig talks about campaign reform, take another drink.
  • If Lessig talks about campaign reform, take another other drink.
  • If Lessig expresses realization on-stage that campaigning on a single-issue topic like campaign reform is going to limit the number of reasons for people to take a drink during the drinking games, drink whole bottle. 
Man, you really didn't have a chance did ya?

Joe Biden


  • If Biden strolls on-stage in Ray-Ban sunglasses and a Stratocaster slung under one arm, take a shot of whiskey from that stash you rescued from CBGB, rock and roll and motherf-cking A.
  • If Biden gets to the podium and goes "This is a big f-cking deal," take two shots of whiskey.
  • Whenever Biden gives an answer that shows he can be a genuine alternative to poor Hillary, take a shot of bourbon.
  • If Biden commits a gaffe that still endears him to the Democratic voting base, take two shots of bourbon.
  • (Update) If Biden answers "We're not gonna build a wall at the border, we're gonna build a water slide!" that means he's reading this blog, so cheer and drink the whole bottle.


There you go, you fanatics of the freenets.  Again, if you've got any suggestions add them to the Comments below or tweet me at @PaulWartenberg

Remember, everyone: PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

Do NOT Drink and Vote.  Even though the urge will tempt you.

7 comments:

dinthebeast said...

My friend, who is a little bit crazy, said that he thought the Democratic debates were going to be even more depressing than the Republican ones because someone on the Democratic stage will probably actually win. I don't think he'll play the drinking game, but other intoxicants are an open question with him.

-Doug in Oakland

Pinku-Sensei said...

First installment up! Drinks for the Democratic debates: Hillary Clinton. I have one suggestion for hard liquor, beer (complete with Madame Clinton drinking Presidente Beer), and a cocktail named after Clinton herself. Next installment, Joe Biden, even if he isn't participating.

On the general topic of the candidates, I also offer this bonus post: Democrats write better than Republicans, according to Grammarly.

Pinku-Sensei said...

Next installment now up. Drinks for the Democratic debates: Bernie Sanders. "Feel the Bern" with two hard liquor and two cocktail recipes, including the official cocktail of the Sanders campaign. I'm saving Biden's recipes for later.

Pinku-Sensei said...

I just posted the third installment. Drinks for the Democratic debates: Joe Biden. He may not be running (yet), but we'll be ready if he does.

I'll have drink orders for O'Malley, Webb, and Chafee up Monday and Tuesday. I'll skip Lessig for now and backtrack to Graham and Pataki before the GOP debate.

Pinku-Sensei said...

Assignment completed with Drinks for the Democratic debates: O'Malley, Webb, and Chafee!

Paul said...

VICTORY!

Remember kids, drink and drive and vote responsibly!

Pinku-Sensei said...

I completed the extra credit just in time for Lessig to drop out: A farewell drink for Larry Lessig. It's a Harvard Cocktail. Yes, there is such a thing.