Drinking Liberally: Heath Shuler?

If you've been watching Scrutiny Hooligans, you know that it's become a hub for the Heath Shuler/Charles Taylor race in North Carolina's eleventh district. You've seen the details of Charles 'Delaybramoff' Taylor's duplicitous character from the forest selloff to the Signatures Dinner to Flight 93. But you haven't seen much about his challenger, Waynesville's Heath Shuler.

This Thursday it's time for another episode of Drinking Liberally, that weekly conglomeration of liberal booze hounds, progressive winos, and democratic guzzlers, We will gather again at downtown Asheville's Jack of the Wood from 7-10p.m. for a open session on the policies, philosophy, and politics of Heath Shuler.

He's for health care for all Americans, and he's against gay marriage. He's for a fully funded public education system, and he's against a woman's right to choose. He's for strong worker protections, and he's against gun control. He's for environmental protection, and he's against a liberal immigration policy.

He's a real puzzle and problem for many Asheville liberals and single-issue voters. He's a damned pot of gold when compared to the putrescent Taylor, but he's no progressive. How will you square your liberal values with this social conservative? How can you support the policy areas you agree with, fight against the policy areas you disagree with, and still vigorously support the campaign for Democratic majority in the U.S. Congress?

Shuler's raising a lot of money, leading in the most recent poll, and attracting the interest of national political watchers. The NC-11 was recently declared the 16th hottest race in the nation. Heath Shuler is exciting many moderate Democrats and Republicans across the district and the nation. But will he win the support of the liberal community?

It's been said, not least often by me, that Democrats want to fall in love with their candidates while the Republicans just fall in line.

So come out to Jack of the Wood where Drinking Liberally will scrutinize the Democratic candidate for Congress in NC-11, Heath Shuler. Everyone's welcome to this uber-casual political klatsch, where you can have the conversations you're not having anywhere else.