I did something very fun on Thursday. I went to the Bipartisan Cafe and watched the vice-presidential debates alongside about 60 other people. The cafe’s walls are filled with all sorts of US paraphanelia, flags, and a couple big Norman Rockwell posters. The television that showed the debates was surrounded on either side by cardboard cutouts of Barack Obama and John McCain. I’ve always thought the Bipartisan was an interesting place but this event made the place even more attractive.

What I thought was great was that regardless of one’s religious affiliation (or lack thereof) to their political party they could come together and watch the debates together. It was nice that everyone was coming together just to watch something on tv and this simple act was a social action that brought together a local community. I know I know, we’re in Portland and the likeliness of there being a Republican in the cafe that day was slim-to-none. So the event was probably not the most “bi”partisan. Also, a bipartisan system is not really the most democratic system but that isn’t the cafe’s problem…they were trying to create a public space where people with different ideals could come together and do something together…”without precondition.”

Watching football games with friends at a local bar might be a similar action. Yes? No?

Oh hey, if you wanted coffee you had to get yourself either the Biden blend or the Palin blend. I thought that was a fun addition. Hopefully this is my last election post, but I also hope that you see that this wasn’t really an “election post” as much as it was about the construction of a community space.