Ian Swanson in The Hill has some important news for those planning to attend the Republican convention in St. Paul in September: Bars will be open late! Well, maybe. The Minnesota state legislature passed a bill allowing Twin Cities municipalities to extend last call to 4 a.m. (it's currently 2 a.m.), but the cities have to decide whether they want to take the state legislature up on its offer. St. Paul might not:
“It would be nothing short of a nightmare,” council member Dave Thune told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune at the time. He added that he wanted to spare residents of his downtown district the sight of “puking Republican lobbyists” in the streets.
What about the Democrats? The party of rum, Romanism, and rebellion has already lost its hold on Catholics and Southerners, and now it appears to be in danger of being overtaken on the alcoholism front too:
Bars in Denver, which hosts the Aug. 25-28 Democratic National Convention, also close at 2 a.m. But the mayor’s office has received no requests for extended hours and has no plans to do so, according to Sue Cobb, a spokeswoman for Mayor John Hickenlooper.
No requests at all? Disappointing. Where's Hillary Clinton planning on downing her whiskey shots? The convention floor?
--Josh Patashnik