tuesday at manuels

World War II veteran Manuel Maloof once served as the CEO of DeKalb County. He also owned a bar on the corner of North
and Highland Avenues which he operated with his family. The bar is still called Manuels and literature promoting the place
touts his reputation as the "Godfather" of Georgia Democratic politics. Odd that on my first visit, I didn't notice the portrait of
JFK that hangs above the main bar, nor the scattered collection of images depicting other politicians who leaned toward the left.

I just assumed Manuels was your typical blue-collar bar. The aging wood interior and the bevy of domestic brew taps
seemed like a good indication that this was the place where you could ingest saturated fat and carcinogenic air
in the same mouthful. The servers and bartenders had a non-conformist appearance and still maintained a cheerful smile as
they dotted about the pub slinging suds and placing orders in the glowing LCD screens that contradicted the vintage atmosphere
and reminded you that it was still the 21st century. The vibe reeks of positive energy and easy going attitudes. This is place
you want to get drunk and lose your wallet because the gut feeling is your wallet will turn up and someone will volunteer to
safely drive your inebriated ass home.

I spent super Tuesday at the bar, watching CNN scroll down the primary reports as districts began declaring their numbers.
McCain, Romney, Huckabee, Paul...but the only politicians being accounted for were those of the two democratic frontrunners.
Every time a state had Obama as it's winner, the standing room only crowd burst into applause. Clinton supporters were few,
and even received boos when they applauded the New York senator after her wins were announced. "Hey, we're all democrats
here!" shouted a Clinton-supporter sitting near me. We had to leave early, but considering the close results, I'm sure the rest of
the night was any less tense. When things get crazy over the next eight months I'm going to have to remind myself this is an
election year.