Cubs Fans Usher Obama Into The Fold

If you can name something, there’s a society, think tank or lobbying group for it in Washington. So too is it for the Chicago Cubs, who can count among their legions of downtrodden fans a bipartisan group of nearly 700 politcos who root on the Cubbies under the banner of the Verban Memorial Society.↵↵⇥Over the years, the group has included a dozen senators, three Supreme Court justices and numerous staffers, lobbyists and journalists. [Vice President Dick] Cheney, who attended his first Cubs game in 1958 while visiting Chicago for an academic summer camp, is one of the six original members.↵↵↵Named for Emil Verban, a mediocre contributor who hit .280 with only 39 RBIs and one home run in three seasons with the Cubs in the 1940s. Members say his meager output epitomizes the lack of historical accomplishments by their lovable losers in Wrigley.↵

↵↵Of course, why would it matter that there is a large contingent of politically minded Cubs fans patrolling Washington? Because the president, of course, is a supporter of the hated White Sox. Surely they hate that he makes his allegiance so visible by being occasionally spotted wearing the team’s hat, such as when he tossed out the ceremonial first pitch at Nationals Park earlier this month.↵

↵↵Being savvy political veterans, they subscribe to the axiom to keep enemies close, so without telling him, last year the Verban Memorial Society inducted Obama into its ranks. After all, the only criterion for joining is to be nominated by a member. Getting out, however, isn’t so easy. Last year, when Bruce Ladd, a White House aide and the organization’s founder, was asked about removing Obama from the society, Ladd issued a succinct reply:↵

↵↵“He can’t.”↵

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