Political Party!
Convention kitsch plus the hottest invitation in town
Hi Everyone,
Chicago is buzzing right now as delegates and media begin arriving for the DNC.
This post is inspired by a card I received recently — more on that in a bit—and also by a pop-up restaurant that’s appeared at all the national conventions since 2004 — it’s the hottest invitation in town! JH
Political Party!
There’s something endearing about the goofy Americana kitsch that convention delegates willingly embrace while nominating their candidate for leader of the free world.
Whether at the RNC or the DNC, the inner children of the conventioneers really cut loose at these wingdings.
Wear funny glasses! Dance like you’re drunk at a wedding! Yell and cheer and sloganeer!
“I Like Ike!” (Eisenhower, not Turner) “All the Way With LBJ!” (Because Lyndon Baines Johnson is a mouthful).
While the party favors are handed out at conventions, those of us living in the real world may notice that the vibe of the country is more akin to the uneasy lyrics of Talking Heads “Life During Wartime”:
This ain’t no party
This ain’t no disco
This ain’t no fooling around
Well, don’t tell that to these delegates doing the Macarena at the 1996 DNC in Chicago!
I’ve been obsessed with watching the conventions on television since the 1968 DNC in Chicago when I was a teenager in New York.
But there weren’t many lighthearted moments at that convention — the country was tearing itself apart.
Inside the hall, anti-Vietnam-war protests broke out. Outside the Conrad Hilton Hotel on Michigan Avenue, the protests turned deadly and an unforgettable chant from the crowd echoed around the globe:
“The Whole World is Watching!”
At the Hilton Hotel, (formerly the Conrad Hilton, originally The Stevens Hotel built in 1927) there is a permanent exhibit in the lobby entrance of various political events that unfolded there, including a recounting of the night of August 28,1968.
Senior Editor at NPR Ron Elving has written a terrific piece about the 1968 convention and I’ve linked to it Here.
There’s been a lot of ink spilled in the past few months drawing comparisons between 1968 and 2024. Mr. Elving points out, however, that in ‘68 the issue of Vietnam was “all encompassing”.
He also writes about the nature of political conventions and the press:
National political conventions are by nature difficult to manage events… there can be conflicts and controversies that thousands of news people are standing by to amplify.
How Many Members of the Press?
There will be approximately 20,000 members of the press in Chicago reporting on the DNC — the same was true in July in Milwaukee for the RNC.
Two news organizations, CNN and POLITICO, have been hosting a pop-up restaurant for twenty years at all the conventions and it’s described this way on POLITICO’S website:
The CNN-POLITICO Grill is the ultimate convention destination at the heart of all the action. The Grill has been a staple at every national party convention since 2004, a commanding presence at the intersection of food, politics and entertainment, for the influential decision makers, policy makers and delegates on the ground.
High profile interviews take place within the pop-up and seats at the dining tables are invitation only.
I did, however, find an article with the menu on offer at the RNC in Milwaukee last month in this article by Ethan Alter at Adweek which I’ve linked: Here.
I’ve been waiting for a post of the menu for Chicago, but so far the only information I’ve found has been that the food and drink will be Chicago themed. I’m thinking Italian Beef (maybe a whole The Bear menu?) Chicago-style hotdogs, and pizza. I wonder if they’ll serve Malört? (iykyk)
Wisconsin Butter Burger
One of the menu items on the Milwaukee RNC menu at CNN-POLITICO Grill was a Wisconsin Butter Burger.
The Original Butter Burger was introduced at Solly’s Grille (https://sollysbutterburgers.com) which has been in operation in Milwaukee since 1936. In 2022 Solly’s won a James Beard Award in the America’s Classic Category and
and who write visited earlier this year, it looks great.My homemade Butter Burger (pictured above) is not quite as luscious and rowdy as pictures I’ve seen of Solly’s (I used fewer stewed onions and didn’t have a brioche bun) but I did slather butter on the grilled bun and when the cheese and onion and butter and beef all melded and melted together, it was a dream burger.
Serve with an ice-cold bottle of Coke. Preferably in a glass bottle.
This is a step-by-step video of how to make a Wisconsin Butter Burger from America’s Test Kitchen, it’s really good.
Inspiration from an Illustration
My friend Danielle sent me this birthday card last month and I liked it so much I contacted illustrator Monica Schirmer Eshelman to tell her so. Thank you for the inspiration, Monica, and for permission to share “Political Party”.
Happy Days Are Here Again
In 1932, the Depression era classic “Happy Days are Here Again” was played at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and became the campaign anthem for then nominee, later President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Thirty years later, in 1962, Barbra Streisand sang the song for the first time on the Gary Moore Show, and it became one of her signature pieces.
Her bittersweet and soulful interpretation gave the song a whole new feeling during the ‘60s. The version I’ve linked to below is from the June, 1967 “A Happening in Central Park” concert.
Chicago has hosted twenty-four nominating conventions, more than any other city in America.
There’s a plaque here in the Chicago Loop that marks the site where Republican Presidential Candidate, Abraham Lincoln, secured the nomination of his party in 1860.
It’s a good reminder. Through all the most critical moments in US history, the Union survives.
Have a good week, Everyone. Jolene
And who could ever forget the unbelievable Nixon campaign slogan: "They Can't Lick Our Dick"!
Barbra is my write-in candidate