Just wanted to finish up some YearlyKos loose ends as I get ready to jet out of Chicago.
One thing you might want to check out, especially if you're a New Yorker, is a veteran now running for Congress. His name is Jon Powers. I met him and finally spoke with him, as well as heard him speak several times at YearlyKos. This guy is the real deal. He needs some help and deserves it. We could sure use him in Congress.
As for the presidential forum yesterday I've got analysis, plus the full forum debate via audio on my blog. It's worth a listen. Lots of video available too.
It's tough, but he just can't get no respect. Mike Gravel evidently got his car towed. At the end of the day, during the closing evening festivities, Sam Seder said two or three times that a Cadillac was going to get towed. From what I've heard it was Gravel's.
Needless to say, it was an eventful day filled with extreme highs, including the Hot Topics panel I was on with Christy Hardin Smith, who narrated, Digby, James Rucker and Jonathan Singer. I had a blast and it was a terrific lead into the presidential forum. I got to talk about many things, including what I said in my most recent post on Iraq. It got applause, but also some hisses. Tough. It's the truth. As Joe Sestak said on "Hardball," it might take 15-18 months to shrink down our military and get us out, maybe even longer. Democrats need to start redeployment, but also give our candidates room to address that fact. Eric Massa took the time to come up to me and personally thank me for my statements on Iraq after the Hot Topics panel, as did many, many others. After listening to a lot of military, foreign policy and diplomacy types, not just Washington insiders, I'm sure my analysis is correct. Again, redeployment is going to take months, even a few years to complete. The point is to begin as soon as possible. It's not about what Petraeus will say in September, because we already know what he's going to report. Democrats must begin to talk openly, as Sestak and others have started to do, including Wesley Clark, about the logistics and difficulty in redeploying, which won't be easy, then start the process because it's clear Republicans have no intention of joining us unless we push them.
After the Hot Topics panel, I got to speak with Markos briefly, which is when I learned that "YearlyKos" will be retired, with a new title for next year, with the name "Kos," daily or otherwise, nowhere in sight. I'll tell you all about the Hot Topics panel on my show on Monday, which will be a lot of fun. The foreign policy questions were good, including one on China, which I'd brought up on one of the calls we had. Very happy it was included, because dealing with China will be a big hurdle in the future. Another question that I wanted addressed, which I brought up during the Hot Topics panel, was media consolidation. It came up at the forum. It's a problem that's going to hamstring our message if Democrats don't fix it.
Chicago treated me well. Mayor Daley has done so much with the city. But the one thing I will never forget, besides the hand-rolled ricotta cavatelli at Osteria Via Stato (not to mention the great service there), is that Chicago was turned into a floral show piece. Flowers were everywhere. I'd forgotten what a magical city Chicago is, including Wrigley field. I experienced that first hand this week. It was a great trip. The politics was pretty good too.
- Taylor Marsh LIVE! can be heard from 3-4 pm eastern - 12-1 p.m pacific, Mon.-Thurs, with podcasts available. TM served as a volunteer on the advisory committee to the convention's leadership forum.