A successful First Tuesday puts the lie to conjoined posturing.

Yesterday marked the third time that Develop New Albany has sponsored a “First Tuesday” networking event. It was held at Liz at Home on Main Street, and was attended by roughly 150 people. Seeing as I have a pocketful of business cards, I’d say that the premise is more than valid.

Considering that the number in attendance yesterday doubled that of the inaugural event in May, others apparently agree with this assessment.

There was a wonderful spread of nibbles assembled by Liz at Home and the Main Street Café & Treats (never ignore smoked salmon and a dusting of capers), plenty of wine, and NABC beer. More importantly, there was a good vibe afoot, and that’s important, because while there’ll always be naysayers, positive thinking and simple optimism on the part of those willing to work hard – and who put their money and names on the line every single day – cannot be overestimated in terms of ultimate achievement.

You can’t win the game without believing you can win. It’s trite, but it’s true. Events like yesterday’s after-work networking gathering help to instill and perpetuate positive thinking in both a business sense and in terms of civic sentiment. They help make things happen.

Of course, for some, making things happen rates a scarlet letter … and it’s unfortunate.

In the political sphere, the coming weeks are going to feature a great deal of histrionic, theatrical grandstanding on the part of those lesser lights in the locally elected firmament, whose preconceived notions of limited personal aptitude compels them to constantly work against success on the part of others.

Having done all they could to rig failure and induce chaos, they’re happy to mount their respective soapboxes and point to previous dire warnings of doom as evidence of Nostradamus-like skills of prognostication.

It’s all bunk, and nothing could be further from the truth. With each passing month, Boner & Jethro’s jihads against modernity grow more shrill and repetitive. As forthcoming items are considered here at NAC, always remember that a steady stream of “no” votes emanating from the likes of Dan Coffey and Steve Price have never been accompanied by alternatives, further options or a platform of their own.

Like the Wizard’s tiresome and self-aggrandizing council chamber monologues, all of it amounts to little more than an ongoing filibuster against the future.

Too bad, then, that alongside sure things like death and taxes is the sad knowledge that neither of the conjoined councilmen will ever be caught dead at a First Tuesday function. Not only would they be forced to chat with far too many of “them people,” whom they loathe, but they’d be confronted with the damning cognitive dissonance of consorting with the capable, with the doers, and with those who can. Like the Wicked Witch, there’d be summary melting of obstructionists, and it would be ugly.

Not unwelcome, though.