St. Paul

I tend to get the heebie-jeebies when I’m around large groups of likeminded people. When I went to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul last month, I nearly broke out in a rash. Tonight I went to a debate party at the Parkway Theater in South Minneapolis. The democratic wing of my local senate district hosted the event. Folks were drinking beer, eating popcorn and enjoying each other’s company.

But even when I agree with the politics, I can’t seem to make myself comfortable. All of the predictable cheers and jeers just seem silly. So once again I found myself leaving the party early. I went next door to a Mexican restaurant that was screening the debate to an empty dining room.

Sitting alone drinking a Margarita, it occurred to me that I’ll never feel home with party politics. I’m more interested in loner politics. Forget about hockey moms and Joe Six-Pack, when will our leaders reach out to hermits?

Republican National Convention, 2008.

Presidential debate, Pepitos’s Mexican Restaurant, Minneapolis, 2008.