There are multiple reasons for you to seek out the first Presidential Debate as opposed to, say, spending the night buried under thirty blankets like a small child hoping the monster under the bed will get bored and wander away to some other house.
Firstly: One of these two people will be handed the keys to the family car, so you'll probably want to know a little something about how they plan to keep this station wagon on the road and moving forward.
Secondly: It's likely going to be entertaining as fuck to witness a former Secretary of State, Senator, First Lady and Defense Attorney face off against a sentient skin tag known for multiple bankruptcies, thinly veiled White supremacy, and losing his most recent job as a game show host.
Thirdly: If it isn't entertaining and/or informative in and of itself, there's no shortage of venues in town looking to make it that way, blending civic duty with comedy, discussion, drinks, and games.
Election 2016 feels like it's been going on for the last 10 years, but it really gets started TONIGHT (Monday Sept 26) at 6 pm. Take a look at the list below, take that deep breath, and dive headfirst into the fray:
Dig a Pony
XRAY.fm and the Bus Project come together to present a special screening of the first face-off between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump (which is going to be a fucking bloodbath, by the way). Enjoy some drinks and indulge in some post-game political wankery with some of the city's best (and slightly soused) wonks, who will be in attendance.
The Secret Society
Hecklevision is made for mockery—put a thing on the screen, put a phone in your hands, and let fly the arrows of righteous comedic indignation. Normally the targets are some of history's most misguided attempts at moviemaking. Tonight though? Tonight the Secret Society hosts Mark Saltveit, Coor Cohen, Riley Fox, Laci Day, Nariko Ott, Alex Falcone, JoAnn Schinderle, and Paul Schlesinger as they lead the snarky charge against the guaranteed idiocy that will appear in this debate.
East Burn
The East Burn will turn over all available screen real estate to the first Presidential debate between an ambulatory nutsack with a mouth and a former Secretary of State, so that no matter where you are—dining room, patio, or basement—you can easily behold what is sure to be an unforgettable display of political circus.
Crush Bar
Since it's happy hour all night long on Monday, you'll have plenty of options to quench your thirst while taking in a rousing night of politicking.
Lagunitas Brewing Community Room
People will be playing drinking games throughout the debate, of course. But the Bus Project, Lagunitas, and Portland Monthly are turning the entire debate into one: $7 gets you a Bingo card and a beer, $15 gets you three cards. A rare opportunity to rub elbows with some of Portland's more politically-minded people as they get slightly soused. Proceeds benefit the Bus Project.
And if you're feeling like heading out and spending the evening with like-minded members of the community, but not particularly looking to join the circus that fully, multiple venues are forgoing the overtly drinkey-and-gamey aspects and simply turning their auditoriums over to screenings of the debates, including:
