Netroots Nation: Long on Good People, Short on Good Ideas
Cross-posted on justinhamilton.org/blog
My 2 cents: Good from a "projection of power" standpoint, bad from a generating new ideas, new battle plans & strategies angle.
Don't get me wrong, its hard to ignore the fact the a convention full of people, who, not but a couple of years ago, were mistakenly thought to be a bunch basement shut-ins taking time off from Dungeons and Dragons and ComicCon to share themselves with the world, could summon the most powerful Democratic politicians in America to appear before them. That is an impressive feat in and of itself.
But less we run the risk of becoming the stale, static pillars of insider political power we seek to change, we must keep our eye on the ball.
One of the most fascinating conversations I had was with Zack Exley about his "Revolution in Jesusland" project. And it made me think...
Jesus was an architect of radical social change, not a pundit. And what an architect has that a pundit doesn't is a blueprint. That's what I felt was the missing link in Austin.
The sheer number of topics and panels each day was breathtaking: around 40-50 different subjects were discussed for somewhere between 45 minutes to an hour a piece. Just enough time to give people a brush stroke look at a topic, not enough time to get substantive. So you got to hear about what some people are doing, but not how you could do it.
Topics ranged from "War Pundits" to "Emerging Trends in Health Care Online." There was a little something there for everyone, but a lot for no one. It's like old Mark Penn learned the hard way: you can't micro-slice your way to the goal line.
An impressive gathering of such bright, revolutionary thinkers, and political activists should yield more actionable ideas than I believe was the case this year.
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ksyellowdog,
If the "We" you were talking about is the Netroots attendees at the annual Kos Worshipfest, it say s a lot that Harold Ford was heckled there. It seems that the people at that convention are rather like the ones who post on the Blogs like Firedoglake and Kos who aim personal attacks at anyone who dares to say anything to the contrary of what the faithful believe. It is more like a cult than political movement.
It takes 50.1 percent of the people to have a majority of vote. In the 50.1 percent that you hope to be a member of, there are going to be a lot of people who do not agree with you on all the issues. In that 50.1 percent there are going to be people of all ages, with different experiences and ideas.
All the elite Liberal Bloggers have to do is keep their servers up and running and spout the Daily Bull. Kos is not held accountable for his failure to advocate withdrawal of any kind in 2005 when we could have saved thousands of lives, at least of which 2000 would have been US Soldiers.
We have a chance with Obama. I hope the Netroots put their inflated egos aside and go to work to have a President that understands that it is not about him, but about us.
Electing Obama is not the only thing that has to be done to correct the course we're on.
No but it better than the alternate. Obama says, it is not about him it is about US. IT is our country we need to get about the business of doing something about the issues rather than just talking.
What a bunch of Whiners. Maybe Gramm had it partialy right. Get a life will you? The progressives have a game plan, and if you don't know what it is, you aren't a progressive. We spend time at these conferences to share info, network, and build Espree De Corps. Again, if you couldn't tell, why were you there?
"The Progressives have a game plan."
Oh really, please share that plan with me. "Progressive" today is a word that Liberals started using to aviod being called LIberal. I am not sure what a Progressive actually is. I certianly do not know what their plan is.
A lot of "Progressives" are busy living their lives, raising families and working jobs that do not involve public opinion. They worry about the price of gas and making their home payments. They would love to spend a weekend in Austin, Texas, obstensibly debating the fine points of political theory.
There are times when good people examine & evaluate ideas presented to them. Good people support the good ideas or better the good ideas to craft excellent ideas. Sometimes good people dismiss ideas touted as good ideas as spin, impractical or useless. Netroots Nation's gatherings can be see as an opportunity to market & modify ideas. As the old saw goes, it's amazing what can be done if nobody cares who gets credit for an idea.
Re: cats. Cats don't have owners. Cats have staff to serve them. Since herding cats is most difficult, if not impossible, stampeeds of cats are rare. Not all humans are capable of serving on a cat's staff. Cat's don't bother with people they can't train quickly to serve them well. Cats don't suffer fools.
If you want a loyal & devoted friend, get a dog.
Consider yourself fortunate if a cat allows you to serve as a staff person. Remember, cats will purge you from serving as staff quickly & heartlessly if you can't serve them well. Get a dog if you want gratitude.
Thank you
~A Leo.
The Strangebedfellows site says that Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com and Jane Hamsher of firedoglak
I have read Glen Greenwald and pretty much like what he says, but he has been one of the major sources of disinformation of the FISA nonsense. In fairness to Glen there is little wrong with what he says he just does pay attention to the implication of its effects on the partially informed. Clearly a large group of his readers do not have a clue about how the three branches work. Jane Hamsher and Firedoglake is a prime example of what is wrong with the Elite Liberal Blogoshere.
I have a lot of confidence in Obama. I do not have the same confidence the people I would normally be lined up with on the political spectrum. Over the FISA vote they are like chickens running arround with their heads cut off. The end is near according to them. I fear in their fanaticism they will help McCain be President, and then they will have fulfilled their own prophesy.
It is dangerous to have throngs of people telling you how great you are without some balance, and that is what the blogosphere provides these exalted egos that have the major liberal blogs. There is no counter voice there. Speaking against the post of the day is like swimming in piranha infested waters.
I really enjoyed your post repearwo. I really did.
I know that I am what I would consider a progressive on the issues. I real all of the progressive blogs, and certainly know the issues as clearly as I can see the sky. But it seems that there was a great deal of misinformation on the FISA compromise. And there wasn't enough conversation on what the bill corrected or strengthened. It was incredibly distressing. Two weeks ago, on Dan Abrams show, Rep. Adam Smith, an Obama supporter who voted for the FISA compromise, actually out debated Huffpost's Roy Sekoff (who I really like) on the bill and what it provided. Smith came with facts about the bill; Sekoff came with talking points and was uncharacte
Like you, I trust Obama on FISA. And I like the fact that Obama could listen to dissenting voices in his own party, acknowledge their points, present his own points and justification for his impending FISA vote, and then follow through. I love it.
Lastly, I was very distressed when a well-known blogger urged people angry over Obama's FISA vote to give their "Obama money" to Sen. Feingold or progressive groups instead. Huh? Diverting much needed money from Obama to those who support "100% ideological purity." Its amazing. And its dangerous. Because Obama will need every penny, and those well-known voices in the blogosphere need to be carefull that they don't advocate a strategy that cost us the election.
I attended Netroots Nation for the first timd. It kind of reminded me of writing conferences I'd been to. I enjoyed it, but I'm not really sure what the objective was.
My brother came and he considers himself an Independent. He kept saying, "Oh, there they go, bashing Obama again." Obama is inspiring my brother to vote for the first time. I don't think the Netroots get that most Americans don't care too much about FISA. They can agree or disagree but it's not something that will decide most people's vote.
Very good observations.
It seems to me that Netroots must engage the physical world with greater intensity. In the FISA Coverup, the Dems rolled over the Netroots with considerable disdain. A reckoning is in order. I've pledged to the Strangebedfellows movement to effect that goal. It's a start but it is precisely the thing that needs to be done at this juncture. Somebody has to be held accountable.
Come Join the Fun!
Strangebedfellows : http://acc
"In the FISA Coverup, the Dems rolled over the Netroots with considerable disdain."
What cover up? Who exactly do you see the Netroots as being? How did the Dems roll over them.?
"Somebody has to be held accountable. "
Held accountable how, and for what?
Go back to sleep.
Thanks for the link milo. There are a few who understand that if the rule of law is not restored then partisan politics has no meaning. There are a few Americans who value liberty. They are not found in any particular party. Those of us who actually know the difference between a constitutional republic and a police state need to join forces away from the pettiness of the partisans.
Herding cats is hard.
Herding cats #101:
Feed them, and they will come.
The trick is figuring out how to get them back and focused on the food again without blocking the door to the garden.
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