Politics & Government

Drinking Game for the State of the Union Address

The Super Bowl we can understand, but the State of the Union?

Call it cynical or a creative antidote to the sometimes probable and predictable, but a drinking game has emerged for those gathering to watch President Obama's State of the Union address.

Do people really gather to watch the State of the Union address?

Ok, let's assume they do. 

We don't know of any special SOTU nacho recipes, but here are some of the rules of the game posted by Marc Melzer and Howard Deutsch in case you're planning to imbibe, or if you just enjoy a bit of political satire (players are to drink a shot or chug a beer when Obama says specific words or phrases): 

  • "The state of our union is strong" (or some version of this) - 1 drink of choice
  • hope - 1 wistful shot
  • health care - 1 shot of Nyquil; just kidding, you'd be out for the rest of the week
  • healthcare.gov - 1 shot of something you can buy three months after the liquor store proprietor put out an "open for business" sign
  • "childhood education" - juice box
  • debt - borrow a shot from a friend, promise you'll really pay it back this time
  • jobs - +1 if you've been unemployed in the last year, +2 if you're unemployed today 
  • "common sense measures" - 1 shot, be sure to measure it out first
  • future - Aurora shot or something equally futuristic
  • poor - Natty Light
  • middle class - Rolling Rock
  • wealthiest Americans - Goldschlager (it's got actual gold flakes)
Melzer and Deutsch reportedly first invented the game in 2002 when they were seniors at Princeton University, and it has since been updated.

For the rest of the rules, go here, and, of course, if you drink, drink responsibly, and call a cab.  

The SOTU is Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014 at 9 p.m. EST. It will be broadcast on all major networks and cable news outlets. For streaming online via the White House web site, go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/live


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