Mallards Drunk Blind and Blue Dog Democrates - FAIL

We had the opportunity to go to the Madison Mallards baseball game Saturday night with tickets to the Mallards Duck Blind. Did not really comprehend what the Duck Blind was. We were there many years ago but I tell ya - it's changed. It's basically all you can eat and drink beer tent with out the tent.

Don't get me wrong - if all you want to do is eat and drink and stand it's a great place, 20 some beers on tap (mostly grocery store beer) and there is what some would call food although all the good food was gone by the 2nd inning.  The below photo is the Duck Blind and if it looks crowded  - it is - ridiculously crowded.
 

The food was  . . . . ok I suppose.  The chicken sliders were about half the size of my hand but tasted good for the 3 bites you get.  The hot dogs?  hmmmmm,   pale, almost luke warm and well . . . . . take a look at my wiener! 

I had two and this is actually the better looking for the two.  I think they delivered the hot dogs in peoples back pockets.  OH - there were condiments but you had to use your fingers to apply then once you pried the bun off the dog (which was harder then I tough it could be).   

But the experience gets worse - you are pretty out of touch with baseball.  No one is actually watching the game at all - was there a game?  Did anybody care?  no - not really.

So DJ and I bugged out for the bleachers and - THERE ACTUALLY WAS A GAME!   And there is actually good looking food and a totally different reality OUTSIDE the Mallard Drunk Blind.

There is a great big store selling all sorts of Mallard stuff.

And the seating for watching the game is rather nice with each seat having a cup holder.

 

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I also had a chance to see the Columbus Horse and Carriage Festival which from reports everybody loved.  About 70 Carriages were in attendance and I have not had a chance to go through all the photos I took but here are a few - I'll have more this week.

As DJ said "I could just sit here all day and watch the horses, it's so relaxing". 

 

 I'll have more coming this week.

Politics!   From a Political Science friend (not sure I understand 100% of this but . . I don't understand 100% of what "I" type so . . . .  

Koch, who gave Scott Walker’s gubernatorial campaign $43,000 in direct contributions and funneled much more to Walker and other Wisconsin GOP candidates in 2010 through various groups, expects to receive millions of dollars worth of no-bid Wisconsin government contracts for his Koch Industries. Koch Industries is also in line to gain ownership of vital resources currently held by the state.

A key component of Koch’s strategy is incapacitating state agencies so they will be unable to provide services that Koch industries can then come in and perform at a profit. The elimination of collective bargaining rights for government unions in Wisconsin was part of Koch’s strategy to achieve this aim.

But if Democrats retake control of the state Senate through this summer’s recall elections, it could interrupt Koch’s agenda. That’s why Americans for Prosperity is gearing up to spend millions of dollars defending GOP senators in the state through phone banks, campaign ads and any other tactic that Koch’s money can buy.
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and in another piece -  The political equivalent of the Marines are beginning to arrive in Wisconsin for the July 12 recalls. While the Obama White House has been focused on its own re-election, the progressives activists are not waiting. They are beginning to arrive in Wisconsin and the Democratic Party is going to find out which wing of the party you can count on when times get tough, and it isn't the Southern dominated, Conservative, Corporate, Blue Dog Democrats, who exist primarily to enable Republicans whenever the Democrats win elections. Meanwhile, the leading Blue Dog in the US Senate, retired Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana demonstrated the true worth of Blue Dog Democrats, rather than facing down the Republicans in Wisconsin like Howard Dean is doing, Senator Evan Bayh decided to join the Republican Business activist group the Chamber of Commerce. For the record, the Blue Dog Democrats have sent bupkis in the way of assistance to the recall efforts in Wisconsin. It is important to remember who your friends were when times are tough, and they do not get any tougher than right now in Wisconsin.

That in a nutshell illustrate the difference between Blue Dog Traitorcrats, and true progressive Democrats. When the going gets rough, the Blue Dogs sell out, join the enemy, and treat any Democrats in power like fire hydrants.

There’s no doubt the progressive movement wants to use Wisconsin as a springboard for the 2012 presidential election and beyond. Just Thursday in Minneapolis at the liberal activist convention “Netroots Nation,” the intention to get involved in Wisconsin politics was made extremely clear by a number of national groups. Howard Dean’s “Democracy for America” announced it was going to spend $1.5 million and hire 35 staffers to help Democrats in the upcoming recall elections.

Six unions, along with Democracy for American and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, will bus conference attendees to Hudson to go door-to-door to advocate for Shelly Moore, a Wisconsin Education Association Council activist challenging in the recall against state Sen. Sheila Harsdorf.

Game on!