Keep Your Friends Close…

“Keep your friends close, but visit the Republican Caucus every few months.”    Don Barack “Corleone” Obama

As the staff at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel were attempting to best configure the seating arrangements for the sit-down between the Republican Caucus and the Capo Di Tutti Capi of Pennsylvania Avenue, my crew and I were enjoying pints at Mahaffey’s Pub in the gentrified Canton section of “Charm City.” This historic meeting between the President and the “loyal opposition” seems to have been the first stop on Mr. Obama’s  “Got Dem Beleaguered Beltway Lack of Bipartisanship Blues” tour of 2010.

While the early response to the Baltimore bilateral beef session seems to hold some promise of yielding a rare bit of legislative cooperation, I still would have opted against the formal downtown setting in favor of a more welcoming neighborhood locale – and Mahaffey’s would have been the perfect choice.

This gem of a tavern sets the standard for big tent camaraderie and hospitality. It offers a remarkable selection of beer, and with three 10-ounce drafts for only $4 every day during “Happy Hour” – Mahaffey’s has achieved affordable healthcare and effective stimulus in true bipartisan fashion.

“Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me. But uh, until that day, accept this justice as a gift on my daughter’s wedding day.”       Some future presidential deal for that one elusive Republican vote. 

Posted by: Chris Poh

 

 

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