DC/VA Obama meet-up?

February 8, 2008 2:42 PM

Anyone going to the Obama town hall in Alexandria on Sunday?

Barack Obama in Alexandria, VA

Stand for Change Town Hall with Barack Obama

TC Williams High School Gym
3330 King St
Alexandria, VA 22302

Sunday, February 10, 2008
Doors Open: 12:30 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Free tickets can be picked up at either of Obama for America's Northern Virginia offices.Tickets are limited to two per person. Tickets will be available beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

Obama for America Falls Church Field Office
6066 Leesburg Pike, 4th Floor
Falls Church, VA
Open 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Phone: [phone]

Obama for America Falls Church Phone Bank
400 North Washington St, 3rd Floor
Falls Church, VA
Open 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Phone: [phone]
---

I'm picking up my tickets after work.

posted by empath to MetaFilter gatherings at 2:42 PM (49 comments total)

Obama has a town hall named for him now?
posted by netbros at 4:51 PM on February 8, 2008

It's about damn time.
posted by box at 4:58 PM on February 8, 2008

I though Obama Town was in Illinois....
posted by wendell at 6:24 PM on February 8, 2008

sí se puede
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:31 PM on February 8, 2008

Anybody going to the SEA 43-2038 caucus at Lowell School tomorrow ? Maybe we could hold up a convenience store or something afterwards...
posted by y2karl at 1:43 AM on February 9, 2008

Anybody else coming over to MeTa to leave snarky, useless comments, because they know it's the only place that shit won't get deleted?

I'd be all over this if I were in town, but sadly, I'm visiting my parents in the Rust Belt. By the time Obama gets up here, I'll be back down around the Capital City. And hell, there's probably no tickets left by now anyway.
posted by god hates math at 7:26 AM on February 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Two comments exist:

One is snarky and implies non-participation in the meetup.

One condemns snark and confirms non-participation in the meetup.

As far as actual information is concerned, both comments are equally useless.

And, in an ironic twist, both contain snark.
posted by breezeway at 8:25 AM on February 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Well-deserved snark, though. y2karl's caucus meeting is interesting to about the same number of people as empath's, ie. damn near no one. Both of them appeal to, what, perhaps twenty people tops? Out of a population of 60 000 MeFi users? Asinine.

If everything that would interest a mere twenty people were posted to MeTa, the grey would be completely useless to us all.
posted by five fresh fish at 8:45 AM on February 9, 2008

I thought Obama Town was in Illinois....

Incorrect. Obama Town is in Japan.
posted by milarepa at 8:52 AM on February 9, 2008

If everything that would interest a mere twenty people were posted to MeTa, the grey would be completely useless to us all.

Ok, so please, enlighten me, how many people must be interested in a social engagement before it's acceptable to post it to the grey?
posted by kbanas at 8:55 AM on February 9, 2008

Anybody else coming over to MeTa to leave snarky, useless comments, because they know it's the only place that shit won't get deleted?

I apologise. To be frank, I was just jealous because I can't be there.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 9:04 AM on February 9, 2008

I know that at some level MeFi needs or may need a place for people to suggest meetup type things that aren't strictly meetups, along the lines of "I'm going to this, other MeFites interested?" but currently there's no good mechanism for it. This means that some people decide to not use Meta for this because it's not quite the right place for it. Other people decide differently. I personally decided to leave this open because I figured maybe someone might be going and because mathowie sort of made an Obama-facing move when we had that little ad on super Tuesday. That said this post reads a lot more like a stump post for Obama than a "hey let's get together" post and I think that's why all the snark is manifesting.
posted by jessamyn at 9:13 AM on February 9, 2008

Both of them appeal to, what, perhaps twenty people tops? Out of a population of 60 000 MeFi users? Asinine.

How is this post any different from someone posting an attempt at getting a meetup going in a less populated area, an area where there are only very few MetaFilter users?
posted by cmonkey at 9:15 AM on February 9, 2008

Because it's not MeFi centered. It's like saying "I'm going to the U2 concert in Boston next week, is anyone else going?"
posted by smackfu at 9:38 AM on February 9, 2008

It is MeFi centered, because it's an invitation to MeFi members to get together.

It's like saying, you know, "Hey, I'm going to this bar, does anybody want to meet up there?"

It's not about the bar, it's about the people.
posted by kbanas at 9:46 AM on February 9, 2008

Ok, so please, enlighten me, how many people must be interested in a social engagement before it's acceptable to post it to the grey?

How about "many"?

Otherwise, why shouldn't I post a link to MeTa about the Town Hall meeting that my local representative, Colin Mayes [spit], is having in Salmon Arm on Tuesday? There's are three users who live near me who might be interested!

Honestly.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:02 AM on February 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

If it were up to me, there would be a separate Craigslist-type site whose purpose was to service the MeFi userbase. This would satisfy all of our needs for posting gatherings, classified ads, rants, and other thigns that have nothing to do with self-policing (which I've always thought was the purpose for MeTa).

I don't know how hard this would be to do, or who would do it, or why, but I hope someone does it. Because right now, MeTa tries to be all things to all people, and it kinda fails.
posted by Afroblanco at 10:03 AM on February 9, 2008

Here's a thought experiment: suppose the "invitation" had been for an event for McCain instead of an event for Obama?

What kind of reaction do you think it would have gotten?
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 10:25 AM on February 9, 2008 [3 favorites]

That said this post reads a lot more like a stump post for Obama than a "hey let's get together" post and I think that's why all the snark is manifesting.

Well, I was having it both ways, myself. There are twenty members listed as living within a mile of me and that's not even counting tkchrist who lives within a block of me. Which suggests that there very well may be more than twenty members of this place who live in my precinct. So, snarkinfotainment was my intent.
posted by y2karl at 10:30 AM on February 9, 2008

What kind of reaction do you think it would have gotten?

A well deserved one, Duh.
posted by y2karl at 10:32 AM on February 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Well, considering there wasn't even a shred of indication about meeting up and socializing, this was totally a shill post for Obama.
posted by Dave Faris at 10:40 AM on February 9, 2008

Wow, his ad was really effective!
posted by NikitaNikita at 10:53 AM on February 9, 2008

uh.. there are about 40 people who went to the last dc meet-up and a lot of obama supporters on metafilter, so i figured people might be interested.

if not, whatever. apparently not though, since no one replied... so feel free to delete..
posted by empath at 11:29 AM on February 9, 2008

I don't know if i made it's clear from the post, but Obama is actually going to be there, it's not just a local Obama meet up or anything.
posted by empath at 11:30 AM on February 9, 2008

Hrm. I just inferred that, had someone from DC said "yeah, empath, I'm going!" there would then be post-Town Hall meetup action negotiated. Like MeFites actually finding one another and hanging out.

Was that your intent, empath? 'cos if so, that seems valid, and it's similar to the Jonathan Coulton concert-centered meetup, which looks to be shaping up to be a small but valid get-together.
posted by mumkin at 11:32 AM on February 9, 2008

It didn't help that there was no response of the "yeah, I'm gonna be there" variety, and I waited eight hours before adding my snark to the pool. A McCain meetup might have gotten even less snark, certainly from me, because I don't think "McCain Town" has the wordplay value that "Obama Town" does.

I'm sensing a plate of beans with overthinking sauce here.
posted by wendell at 12:57 PM on February 9, 2008

Here's a thought experiment: suppose the "invitation" had been for an event for McCain instead of an event for Obama?

What kind of reaction do you think it would have gotten?

Um, both the people on MetaFilter who are republican and support John McCain would have come dangerously close to flaming out when the thread got shit in (much as this one has)? And would then have said, "Here's a thought experiment: suppose the 'invitation' had been for an event for Obama instead of an event for McCain? What kind of reaction do you think it would have gotten?"

Anyway, the gripe misses the point -- the problem is less the political slant than the nature of its being something that's event-centric and not people-centric. I guess it could be read as stumping for Obama, but honestly, anyone who didn't have tickets within a few hours of this thread's appearance probably wasn't getting in there anyhow -- which is to say, anyone who wasn't already going probably wouldn't be going because of this.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 1:58 PM on February 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

(And full disclosure: I'm from Alexandria, more or less support Obama but am not going to this because I am entirely too dedicated to spending my weekends writing comic books about talking monkeys to bother with it and anyway I have a very low capacity for being "inspired" by polticians, and the last FPP I did is probably about as close to a McCain endorsement as I think we're ever likely to see on MeFi.)
posted by kittens for breakfast at 2:08 PM on February 9, 2008

I guess if I were posting it more as a meet up, I maybe would have not posted all that campaign contact info. On the other hand, it is so easy to cut and paste.
posted by Dave Faris at 2:10 PM on February 9, 2008

I will be doing a bunch of yard work tomorrow at my place, if you guys want to come and meet up with my rake and stuff.
posted by popechunk at 3:15 PM on February 9, 2008 [3 favorites]

Is "yard work" a euphemism? This "rake and stuff" action sounds interesting, if that's the case. As, too, are "popechunks." It all sounds so deliciously kinky!
posted by five fresh fish at 3:44 PM on February 9, 2008

I think he means he's gonna be clearing some brush. Which is a euphemism when I say it, but, you know.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 4:07 PM on February 9, 2008

THE THING IS...he's somewhere pretty near every damn day, he'll be in Baltimore Mon. So if everyone posted his incarnations, this would be Obamafilter.
That said, he has my support and is anyone going to the Balto meet-up on monday?
I mean, I hope *someone* goes, it would suck if no one did.
posted by dawson at 5:20 PM on February 9, 2008

That said this post reads a lot more like a stump post for Obama than a "hey let's get together" post and I think that's why all the snark is manifesting.

I think yall just hafta get your snarky MeTa rocks off and there haven't been any callout posts to do it in. There are likely more Obama supporting mefites in DC than mefites in fucking Ottawa, right? Can we behave ourselves? I have HOPE that YES WE CAN.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 5:58 PM on February 9, 2008

SI SE PUEDE!
posted by smackfu at 5:59 PM on February 9, 2008

that's why all the snark is manifesting.
posted by jessamyn at 12:13 PM on February 9 [+] [!]

This I like. The idea that snark is supernatural stuff that just manifests itself among us without any agents doing anything. Different actions can invoke it, can make it more likely to manifest, but it's not under direct control. Yes.
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:57 PM on February 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Does alcohol count as an agent?
posted by smackfu at 7:10 PM on February 9, 2008

The monster is made of snark.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:16 PM on February 9, 2008

Does alcohol count as an agent?

Does it have free will? If so, then yes.
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:37 PM on February 9, 2008

A McCain meetup might have gotten even less snark, certainly from me, because I don't think "McCain Town" has the wordplay value that "Obama Town" does.

See also...

WingNutbush City Limits.

BombBombBombIransylvania.

City of Lost Jaw Lumps.

CrazyUncleton.

MajorTJKingKongArmageddonWarmHowBoutYou'sville.
posted by y2karl at 9:47 PM on February 9, 2008

The all-important views of Beijing's men and women in the hutongs on the US candidates.
posted by Abiezer at 10:31 PM on February 9, 2008

Besides, John McCain is a cylon.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 10:35 PM on February 9, 2008 [2 favorites]

Besides, John McCain is a cylon.

THE LIBERALS!!! THEY'RE IN THE FRACKING SHIP!!!!
posted by Afroblanco at 12:10 AM on February 10, 2008

come early and you can help me "pull some weeds", "straighten the hose", "clean the beds" and "shovel the worm poo".
posted by popechunk at 6:42 AM on February 10, 2008

This I like. The idea that snark is supernatural stuff that just manifests itself among us without any agents doing anything. Different actions can invoke it, can make it more likely to manifest, but it's not under direct control. Yes.

And in a surprising twist, "Dark Matter" is finally pinned down. Cosmologists begin injecting nasty little jabs and dismissive remarks into their equations and all of a sudden everything balances. Theory advances by leaps, bounds; long-distance space travel becomes viable and simultaneously, on account of all the necessary bitching, unbearable.
posted by cortex at 7:49 AM on February 10, 2008

E = MCfucking², you Newtonian asswipes!
posted by five fresh fish at 9:17 AM on February 10, 2008

AfroBlanco, I am totally behind the idea of a MeFi space with a Craigslist functionality -- something like a site-wide corkboard for items that are of smaller interest or don't fit the guidelines for blue/green/gray, but are of interest nonetheless. If you ever post that as a feature request, I'll be there waving my "I'd hit that" flag of support.
posted by pineapple at 9:34 AM on February 10, 2008

Mattslist? I'd hit that too.
posted by GrammarMoses at 9:49 AM on February 10, 2008

Besides, John McCain is a cylon.

Yes, he is.
posted by Tehanu at 3:02 PM on February 10, 2008