Formerly known as the Yearly Kos, Netroots Nation gathers this weekend for its third annual convention in Austin, Texas to discuss politics, the media, and how the netroots can influence the '08 election. In just three years the event and the blogosphere itself have become a prominent part of our political conversation. Last year, of the Democratic candidates, everyone but Joe Biden made an appearance at the convention. From Howard Dean’s virtual rise and fall to Barack Obama’s web savvy campaign the net has been hyped and some would say over-hyped.
On our roundtable Sam Seder, host of the Sam Seder Show on Air America, Robert George a columnist for the NY Post, Justin Krebs of Living Liberally, and Katie Halper, a blogger and co-founder of laughing liberally discuss the future of the blogosphere.
Halper says that a brief recovery period after Bush leaves office will be necessary but that the left will not retreat. These are after all not the Clinton years. According to Seder the liberal media will continue to grow and in fact become more liberal. Listen to the roundtable here.
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It should be an exciting time here in Austin. Thanks for this preview, Laura.
And those of you who cant afford travel and a ticket to the Conference can still attend! Netroots Nation in Second Life is ABSOLUTELY FREE. So, go sign up for a FREE account, rez an avatar and teleport to NN in SL. (see link for more info)
I don’t like Sam Seder’s argument that “Barack Obama’s vote on FISA didn’t matter - he’s just one vote.” He’s the party leader and he did not lead. He could have stuck to his original position on telecom immunity and moved the Senate Democrats to his position. He could have stood up for what he told us in the primary he believed. And he would have moved some Democrats to that position. Enough to change the vote? We’ll never know.
But saying “he’s just one vote” (and that his vote would have made no difference) ignores the outsized impact his leadership on this issue could have had on the debate, and perhaps on its outcome.
Another great GritTV! Thanks, Laura!
New post at FDL.
looseheadprop’s up at firedog (sorry can’t linky)
1,705 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…
Citizen Flanders and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
I am gettin’ very tired and very worried about all the talk about “where are the netroots going” and even “what is the place of the netroots” in the new information matrix. We are facin’ the final crisis of corporate capitalism and are losin’ our grip on democracy and the democratic tools to shape what comes next…so to dance around the Maypole, singin’ songs of love and askin’ each other where our next piece of pie is comin from is makin me sick to my stomach.
The netroots and it’s mission right now in the preservation of democracy and the destruction of corporate fascism is simple: to provide the organizing and funding base for a coalition of common people to replace the corporate stooges in elected politics and use the institutional tools in the democratic arsenal to redistribute the incredible concentrations of wealth laundered from the public treasury, destroy the long standing corporate oligarchy in this country and allow a truly democratically driven new economic realty to be created out of the actions aforementioned.
The destruction of American fascism and it’s oligarchic masters is the only purpose for the existence of the netroots and it’s future will be determined by the success or failure of that mission.
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, IT’S NOT TIME FOR A SEMINAR, IT’S TIME FOR ACTION!!
I very much agree with you citizen Norske… sadly, while I love Gina and support her efforts, as long as Kos, Bowers and the others who’ve chosen to advance their personal agendas by kissing up to Obama and other corporatist elements of the DNC this will not happen.
The ‘netroots’ are divided as never before and while I do not think this is a priori a bad thing. I did not attend this year’s gathering as I do not want to support the inept, me-first ‘leader$hip’ which, mostly self-styled has now revealed itself to be not only lacking in political acumen but as corrupt and anti-progressive as any group from the other side.
The one thing that is certain is change and the folks who really matter the Ginas, Locksons, Kid Oakland’s and others will soon see that a reformation is required.
I do take exception with your goal for the netroots. We are capable and must make the effort to do far more as I outlined some months ago in: Peace, Health and Prosperity for Everyone.
Indeed the only way you can prevent the recurrence of a cancer such as Dick Cheney is change the conditions of the body politic so as to make his parasitic existence….
Impossible.