The Capitol Fax Blog » State of the State drinking game

Wednesday, Jan 18, 2006

The governor’s State of the State address is today. I’ll be doing public television’s pregame show, if you’re interested (and, yeah, I’m totally sunburned - quick weekend in Miami).

Let’s devise a drinking game, although drinking during lunch is NOT a good thing.

The way this goes is, every time the governor says “X” you take a drink. If he says “Y” you take another drink. Fill in the blanks.

UPDATE: Notice that a certain word is missing from this speech? Can you say “keno”?

- posted by Rich Miller

37 Comments

- Dave Comerford - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 9:41 am:
Well, since today is my birthday, maybe drinking at lunch would be ok, but probably not. I think you drink if he uses any form of the word school. That may get you a buzz. If he tells a joke or the prompter screws up, you have to pound your drink. If he mentions an individual lawmaker by name, 2 drinks.

- Anon - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 9:44 am:
X = children
Y = corruption

i might not get a lot done this afternoon

- Anon. - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 9:51 am:
What a terrible speech. He’s the worst. Lies, all lies. I can’t believe he said what he said!

- Anon. - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 9:52 am:
Whoops! Wasn’t supposed to hit “send” until after the speech…

How about a drink every time someone here makes comments - either way - that didn’t actually watch or listen to the speech.

- Common Sense in Illinois - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 10:32 am:
X = Reminders of either George Ryan or $5 billion debt
y = Any poorly timed self-depreciating jokes

Bonus = Announcing that because of his overwhelmingly heavy responsibilities, the governor announces he will be moving into the Executive Mansion next week. (Prize is getting to drink the entire bottle without waiting…)

- illinifan86 - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 11:20 am:
x= Elvis
y= Speaker Madigan

- bottoms up - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 11:21 am:
x = this isn’t about politics
y = it’s the right thing to do
z = we owe it to the people

- Papa Legba - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 11:53 am:
X = I
Y = Haven’t raised taxes

- Larry Horse - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 12:00 pm:
Kids, children, or something to that effect.

- Drunk Pundit - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 12:21 pm:
Balanced the budget without raising the income or sales tax = Borrowing/raiding your neighbor’s drink

Before starting assign one player education, one player healthcare and one player public safety. They each have to take a drink when it is said.

The people = everyone takes a drink

Joke that falls flat = Blow dry your hair and take a drink

- Anon - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 12:22 pm:
X = families
Y = children
Z = schools /healthcare

Drink the bottle if he says anything like “I have been wrong” oe “I have made a mistake”.

Drink the bar if he says “Today, I resign as Governor”. I’ll buy.

- Bill - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 12:26 pm:
x=5 billion dollar
y=raise taxes

- Drunk Pundit - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 12:33 pm:
MORE…

The first person to take a drink when the auditor general appears on screen or is introduced gets to be the auditor general. The auditor general gets to assign a drink each time Blagojevich says the word “savings.”

Each time Jobs is said = 1 drink, but on the first time Blagojevich says jobs the LAST PLAYER to drink becomes known as “Jobs” and is responsible for getting the players more beer when they need it.

- Anon - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 12:46 pm:
If you said take a drink everytime he attacked washington you would be clinicallly dead.

- anonymess - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 12:49 pm:
based on the speech so far, anyone who took a drink each time Rod said “Washington” would be pretty far gone by now.

- anonymus - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 12:54 pm:
x - plan
y - critically important

- Anon. - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 1:08 pm:
Good speech. Like him or not, it was a good speech. Good analysis by Rich, too.

- Anon - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 1:26 pm:
I can say keno, but apparently the Governor cannot (anymore). Dumb idea that has gone back to the muck pile where it belongs. So now what? Hey, I know, how about we double fees on businesses? That’s never been tried before.

- UncleBob - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 1:28 pm:
Good speech how? It’s the same speech he gives everywhere…just keep promising to give free stuff to everyone and you’ll be loved Rod.

Pretty easy to tell GW’s poll #’s are down - every paragraph of the SotS included some bash on Washington. Not transparent at all Rod.

If you drank every time he touted a new unfundable program, don’t try going back to work in the afternoon.

- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 2:01 pm:
Whoops. Mr. I’m going to clean up Springfield didn’t talk about that subject. That’s what four or five federal investigations will do to a fella.

- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 2:46 pm:
Yeah, what is up with his whole attacking Washington angle? Is this something he’s going to be doing a lot of in his campaign? Because it’s not gonna work.

- Jim in Accounting - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 2:47 pm:
4,711 words in the speech.

Jobs - 38 times
“I” - 30
Health care - 26
Washington - 21
Kids/Children - 21
Schools - 20
Families - 11
Hard Work - 10
Taxes - 4
Budget - 4
$5 Billion - 3
Corruption - 0
Keno - 0

- Anon - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 2:56 pm:
Thanks, Jim. That pretty much sums it up. I’m sure your list mirrors the results of a guv poll asking what words resonate best with voters.

- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 3:08 pm:
It’s all circus, but that was a pretty good circus. He who defines the terms, wins the war, and as I said before, if Blagojevich can make this election about George W. Bush — the one person who is clearly less popular than he is — Blagojevich can win the election.

His concentrated use of the word “jobs” reminded me of Clinton’s “Building a Bridge” speech. It not only is a carrot to lure GOP support for the capital bill, it’s a shield to defend him against GOP attacks on job creation. They can’t very well attack him on jobs if they won’t support his measure to create 239,000 jobs.

- DOWNSTATE - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 3:30 pm:
I am a veteran and yes we need to do something about healthcare and no we do not need socialised health care that is were he is trying to lead us.Free healthcare for evryone.Doesn’t this idiot or those cheering him on know we can’t keep borrowing and not paying.One of the problems in America today is credit card debt.I am just fuming that him and his bunch think people are that stupid.Let’s skip the primary and go straight to the election so we can get rid of him.Sorry I am not a drinking man.I have already contacted my legislators and told them to tell him no.

- Anon - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 3:57 pm:
I was planning to down a shot every time he mentioned “pension” or “holiday” or “shortfall” or “mortgaging the future of the state.”

I am still cold sober. Thanks, Rod.

- DefensorPacis - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 4:06 pm:
I am admittedly out of the loop, but I couldn’t help thinking that his barrage of attacks on Washington could double as a presidential stump speech. Is it just Blagojevich’s attempt to ride into a second term on Bush’s coattails, or is there something more significant in the works?

- just curious - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 4:29 pm:
how many times was “agriculture” mentioned?

- Common Sense in Illinois - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 4:34 pm:
As a review, the speech was pretty tame — pretty safe. That he didn’t mention Keno didn’t surprise me since the Governor plans to do this by administrative fiat. His attacks on Washington and Bush lead me to agree with Yellow Dog on the strategy of running agains GWB, but I also had a queasy feeling that he was revving up the campaign engine to perhaps test the Potomac waters. Nonetheless, the governor didn’t shoot himself in the foot, played well to his major constituencies and pretty much stayed on script.

- Can't Drink on the Job - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 4:35 pm:
Take a drink of your favorite beverage so you will have an excuse when you laugh yourself silly when ever he opens his yap.

- Anon. - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 4:36 pm:
“I am a veteran and yes we need to do something about healthcare and no we do not need socialised health care that is were he is trying to lead us.Free healthcare for evryone”

Aaah…needs vs ideology. A battle indeed.

- Just A. Guy - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 5:25 pm:
Maybe the vets here can explain it to me, but I thought they already had a medical insurance program called TriCare, with medicine costs even cheaper than Blago’s Canadian meds? I can imagine they probably have longer waits and less choice of facilities and doctors than civilians, but does it work OK otherwise? I really am not well-informed on this, and am willing to be schooled.

I do recall the Bush administration proposed slashing various vets benefits in their previous budgets,at the same time Bush demanded people “support the troops” but I didn’t think they actually got away with it. Meanwhile, it seems like the medical insurance plans Blago proposes are mostly re-branded medicare, a federal program.I don’t think you can have it both ways, Rod. Blaming all our ills on Washington, and then using federal money to “cure” it in your name?

Meanwhile, like the repubs like to say, where will the money come from? Guess we’ll find out next time.

- Bomber91 - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 5:45 pm:
After watching the speech, it felt like I had been drinking because my stomach was upset and I had a headache. I half expected him to say it was Washington’s fault that his father-in-law hates him or that GWB ran over his cat. No doubt GRod just tested his 2008 Presidential platform out on the General Assembly.

“The bill will dead on arrival” Really scary, I was shaking when he said that. Shaking with laughter!!

- Keno Man - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 7:44 pm:
Words, or phrases, that would have kept you sober today:

“I proudly live in the Governor’s Mansion”

“growing state debt”

“Cubs”

“White Sox”

“expanding gambling”

“soviet style bureaucracy”

“Chris Kelly”

“Panda Express”

“John Wyma”

“Recent Toll increase”

“What, me worry?”

- Tessa - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 8:53 pm:
Missed the speech itself because of a meeting that went long, but caught the tale end of follow-up afterwards. Read the scripted speech on-line tonight and don’t feel I missed anything, and then I read this. Still not feeling I missed much.

Waiting to get drunk when the Budget address happens. I say for that, we each pick a word - Downstate - maybe we could take turns for your word, okay? That thing is going to be a mess, because there’s no way he can truly balance the budget and make every end meet the means it needs to.

Oh, sorry, way off topic. Bad me, back to my dark corner of the world…..

- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 9:20 pm:
back in the day, a little schnort or a barley pop with lunch wouldn’t have bothered anybody. everyone’s so uptight now.

- Drunk Pundit - Thursday, Jan 19, 06 @ 9:40 am:
Blagojevich attacked Washington in his speech simply because he has ran out of Illinois villains.

He can’t attack George Ryan, because that reminds voters of his own corruption.

He can’t attack the “bloated bureaucracy” because after 3 years in office he is the bloated bureaucracy.

He can’t attack the “drunken sailors” in the House and Senate because Madigan and Jones are his campaign co-chairs.

He can’t attack video game manufacturers or tobacco companies or trial lawyers because all the legislation he could get on those issues are done and you know Emil still doesn’t want a cigarette tax.

The only way Blago can continue being that man of the people/hero in his own mind is to contrast himself with something evil that he imagines he needs to protect Illinoisans from.

In this case it’s Washington D.C. And boy, what better guy to protect us from those Washington politicians than an ex-Washington politician in Blagojevich, the undistinguished 3-term congressman.

TrackBack URI

Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.