The campaigning has been ugly, the debates felt more like one long episode of “The Real Housewives” than political powerhouse meetings and Jim Lehrer’s therapist probably put a down payment on a condo in Tahiti halfway through the first debate.
How does one deal with election night? The vice presidential candidates are probably either kicked back at Dairy Queen with a Dilly Bar or pumping out another set at the gym. But what about everyone else?
Naturally, like red-blooded Americans, many turned to drinking games for the debates. For some, it was a much needed way to calm their nerves and keep from pitching furniture at their television sets. For others, an alcoholic scavenger hunt was the only way to endure two hours of talking in circles about taxes and healthcare.
No matter their differences, Americans can agree: When it comes to the tough issues, it’s an American’s constitutional right to get wasted on Tuesday night.
DebateDrinking.com, has emerged as the leader in bipartisan boozing, posting rules for drinking games before every debate and using Twitter and Ustream to keep score in real time. Similar lists have circulated all over the country, carrying on the age-old tradition of coping with high-stress situations through organized binge drinking.
For those who are spending tonight camped out in front of a screen — TV, computer, phone, iPad or all of the above — here’s a little something to help you through it. Whether one sip, two sips or the whole drink, this is a roundup of some of the best election night drinking game rules around.
The Rules:
Tune into your network of choice and break out your laptop. Use some, use all, or add your own.
Take one sip when:
- You hear any of the following words: ground game, firewall, Sandy, photo ID, recount, youth vote, Obamacare, battle-ground, interest group.
- A state is declared red or blue.
- Any of the third party candidates are mentioned (Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, Virgil Goode, Rocky Anderson)
- Any of the swing states are mentioned by name (Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Colorado, New Hampshire, Iowa, Wisconsin).
- A past president is mentioned.
Take two sips when:
- You hear any of the following words: voter suppression, Romnesia, elderly, Latino, five-point plan, liberal bias, Benghazi, marriage.
- A hologram appears.
- Paul Ryan’s workout photoshoot is shown.
- Someone criticizes Obama’s performance in the first debate.
- Someone brings up Romney’s “47 percent” comments.
- A candidate’s Twitter account posts a picture of the candidate and/or his team watching the votes come in.
- Photos of Hurricane Sandy aftermath are shown.
- Anderson Cooper delivers a zinger.
- A person on your Facebook newsfeed threatens to leave the country.
Finish your drink when:
- You hear any of the following words: FEMA, Osama bin Laden, binders.
- The LSU/Alabama game is mentioned.
- Your candidate of choice wins a swing state.
