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What happened when KENNEDY braved the most divided bar in liberal DC - and dared to ask the question that no one else will By Kennedy for Dailymail.com Published: 21:38, 5 November 2024 | Updated: 22:55, 5 November 2024 e-mail 13 shares 10 View comments There are a few rules inside most bars; no talk of religion, wear a shirt, don't play Gasolina on the jukebox and – by all means – no politics! But at Political Pattie's in Washington D.C.
knockdown, drag-out fights over national debt, raw milk regulations and cock-fighting rules are the whole point. The co-owners, husband and wife team, Drew and Sydney Benbow long dreamt of owning a spot that merged the things they love about the nation's capital, politics and know-it-alls. They're both lawyers and it's a mixed marriage, he's a Republican, she's a Democrat .
After they set up shop in a shuttered gay bar called The Dirty Goose angry neighbors immediately accused them of replacing it with a - gasp - Republican watering hole. The Political Pattie's logo had a donkey and an elephant, which of course was misconstrued by local snobs as untenable support for the antebellum south. There's the Filibuster Fizz, The Running Mate, Espress-Obama-tini and the Moscow Donkey, a refreshing take on the typical mule that blends vodka, a thimble of pineapple juice, mint, cranberry and ginger beer.
The moment they opened the pitchforkers demanded they close. The Political Pattie's logo had a donkey and an elephant, which of course was misconstrued by local snobs as untenable support for the antebellum south. In a concession – that would make a typical Congressman wretch – the Benbow's took the animals out of the logo, setting off a firestorm on the right.
(These partisan dolts could drive anyone to drink.) But Drew, who grew up on the bad side of the Capitol , said he's always been aware of two very different DCs. To him, there was the one where the wealthy and powerful break bread over a $500 meal – and DC he's from.
Anacostia, where he grew up, is not known for Michelin-star restaurants and multi-million dollar townhomes. His dad was shot and killed earlier this year, a tragic casualty of D.C.
's relentless gun violence. Drew also spent 20 years in the Army (retired as a major), did several tours in Afghanistan and worked Special Operations command in Korea and Africa. 'I'm lucky to be in a position where I have access to both sides.
A very rough part of town – Anacostia – and now I live and operate on a side of town that's more sophisticated,' he told me. 'We want to bring people together who may not agree with each other or speak together,' Drew explained. My liver was waving the white flag, but I still had to try the Elephant in the Room.
Gin, vodka, tequila, rum, pineapple, Sprite. Oh, and a dash of cirrhosis. At Political Pattie's in Washington D.
C. knockdown, drag-out fights over national debt, raw milk regulations and cock-fighting rules are the whole point. It sounded like a heavy lift to me given where America is right now.
And heck, I just wanted a good drink. And not just one. In fact, I tried multiple politically themed cocktails.
There's the Filibuster Fizz, The Running Mate, Espress-Obama-tini and the Moscow Donkey, a refreshing take on the typical mule that blends vodka, a thimble of pineapple juice, mint, cranberry and ginger beer. My liver was waving the white flag, but I still had to try the Elephant in the Room. Gin, vodka, tequila, rum, pineapple, Sprite.
Oh, and a dash of cirrhosis. The weird thing about it? I couldn't taste the alcohol! Or remember my own name. I sat with a patron named Chris who, as a Democrat, has plenty of friends who vote Republican, like his best friend the Marine who's stuck on Trump.
His friend told him, 'Chris, you're the smartest person I know, how can you vote for Kamala?' Chris shook his head when I asked if that made him mad. 'No, I made my case. He listened.
I know I made him think. Now, I hope he changes his mind, but if he doesn't, I still love him.' That's the spirits! Inspired by the Political Pattie crowd and fortified by every single liquor in grandma's cabinet, I ventured out into the DC night too Standing outside the neighboring bar, I asked the patrons, as they walked in and out: 'Are you voting for Trump?' The politest response that I received was 'Ewwww!' The rest included suggestions of shoving my ballot in a spot that would require a licensed physician to retrieve it.
For the time being, what happens in Political Pattie's stays in Political Pattie's – especially in Washington D.C. The co-owners, husband and wife team, Drew (above, right) and Sydney Benbow long dreamt of owning a spot that merged the things they love about the nation's capital, politics and know-it-alls.
I capped off the evening – and doubled the brutality of my handover – with a rooftop gathering of whiskey and cigar entrepreneurs. I capped off the evening – and doubled the brutality of my handover – with a rooftop gathering of whiskey and cigar entrepreneurs. There I met, I kid you not, a young man named Tom Brokaw (no relation) who kickstarted my heart with his special brand of Rooster Cigar.
Tom explained why cigars are the perfect tool for overcoming chasms: 'If I sit with you and we are each having a cigar, we have an hour to figure things out.' Perhaps, Tom. Or you may end up getting a smoldering ember shoved into your eye, but you've got to appreciate his sentiment.
Here's to a less divisive next four years. I'll drink to that. Share or comment on this article: What happened when KENNEDY braved the most divided bar in liberal DC - and dared to ask the question that no one else will e-mail 13 shares Add comment.
