The Beerchaser's Best Bars for Bridget Barton
The final installment of Don William's suggestions for gubernatorial candidates about which bars in the state are best to get to know their constituency.
Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Bridget Barton is the final candidate to whom “the beerchaser” will offer suggestions as to the perfect watering holes that they can visit to have meaningful dialogues with voters.
Ms. Barton is open about her past experience, disclosing that she has spent “forty years in recovery from alcoholism.” That said, and as I have asserted in my blog thebeerchaser.com, and also valid for this type of interaction, one does not need to drink alcohol to beerchase. It’s the conversation that matters, and one can do this over a Sprite just as easily as a Budweiser.
Barton lists her occupation in the Voters Pamphlet as “Publisher and Business Advisor” and there is reference to her starting the conservative magazine, Brainstorm NW “in the late ‘90’s.” She has also authored a number of romance novels. She has extensive volunteer experience, in addition.
Brainstorm, the conservative magazine she founded in 1997 “became Brainstorm NW in 2001 when purchased by investors. The magazine ceased operations due to economic conditions affecting many publications in 2009.” (Wikipedia)
She labels herself as an outsider stating in one ad “Everyone knows, you get the same horse s*** electing the same stale politicians.” One wonders, however, if she has the experience to manage the people, budget, and issues required of Oregon’s Governor.
But let’s visit the Nauti Mermaid, a bar on Highway 101 in Lincoln City that would be a good place for her to meet constituents.
According to the outspoken bartender, Di, in 2014, it had previously been home to a lending library. Besides an impressive piano on which the owner--a classically trained pianist--practices, there are numerous interesting 33 LP covers on the wall including artists such as Van Cliburn and Tennessee Ernie Ford, which reflect the owner’s avocation.
Barton states on her book website, that she “has always been intrigued by rascals, vagabonds, dukes and rogues, so having the chance to write stories about them is a wish come true for her!” Perhaps as governor, this would be job-related! And since in one interview she refused to answer the question whether Joe Biden won the election, the fantasy and romance genre’ might be her forte’.
And as an author, Barton would appreciate “The Little Corner,” an alcove at the bar - a mini- lending library - where a few bookshelves were stuffed with Hemingway, Steinbeck and non-fiction, but no romance novels. Perhaps Barton could remedy this? And one has to ask, “is the Nauti Mermaid a more appropriate location for her books than the Governor’s residence at Mahonia Hall?”
For example, in her book For the Love of an Untamed Soul, “Miss Samantha Morton is a rebellious soul who has always been determined to prove her worth to her father. However, when all of a sudden, a distant cousin makes a legal claim on their business and family estate.”
Then there’s A Courtship to Remember which asks rhetorically, “Will Elizabeth realize that she can find the love and passion music has given her in a different place too?”
But the Beavercreek Tavern (previously known as “Buffalo Bill’s Saloon” in rural Oregon City) might be a better fit. It’s in an area of farms and ranches where cattle and horses are raised. Barton could relate to the bar’s regulars, since she broke horses to put her kids through school, and is a rider in horse jumping competitions.
I loved Buffalo Bill’s and wrote “(some bars) simply radiate charisma and character – maybe it’s the combined personality of the regulars, the bar’s story or history, the tales of the staff and the bartenders along with the trappings that convey an ambiance that one wants to bottle. Whatever the composition, it is an abstract presence that draws one in and makes you want to stay.”
Buffalo head and trophies from hunts of elk, antelope, and deer hang from the walls--plus the skilled taxidermy of bobcat and brown bear along with interesting western memorabilia, farm equipment ranging from traps, old whiskey bottles, cowboy gear, and numerous western pictures.
It appears that Barton, rather than taking specific positions, attacks the cost and tax implications of programs and refuses to admit any progress has been made:
“Oregon has already taken substantial steps to “address” climate change at immense cost, with negligible, if any, benefits. Most efforts thus far fall into the category of virtue signaling, meaning they make some Oregonians feel better, but don’t have any real impact.”
Barton concludes one ad, by saying “I’m coming.” Perhaps she feels that climate change is not.
She should also talk to the wonderful owner of the bar, Patrick Whitmore, who in 2018 drove to Paradise, California to donate his RV to a family who had lost everything in the Paradise Fire. He might have suggestions on her rant:
“If leftists were truly concerned about CO2 emissions and wildfires, they would stop bowing to radical environmental groups and manage our forests appropriately instead of letting them overgrow and burn.”
Whatever her views, the regulars at Beavercreek Saloon would welcome her.
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