Netroots Nation Day 2

O.k. so this is coming from the morning of day 3, but honestly I was too tired last night to type. Yesterday started out bright and early, meeting friends for breakfast at eight and (gasp) actually working out beforehand. The first event I attended was the much talked about "Law and the Next President" with John Dean, Cass Sunstein, Michael Waldman and Adam B. The topic went smoothly until it went to Q & A and all hell broke loose. People were attacking the panelists for not wanting to go after Bush et al for their crimes and it got quite personal (from the commenters). So once the dialogue broke down, I was off to the next event.

"Middle class isn't middle of the road" featured David Sirota among others from across the country to discuss populism and the uprising throughout the country. The people discussing the issue knew their stuff, but as for spreading the message to the audience and coming up with a plan.....eh, not so much. Sirota was twenty minutes late on top of everything, claiming traffic problems coming down from Dallas.

Then the big event of the day was Harold Ford and our very own Markos going head to head. It wasn't so much a rumble, but a discussion between two leaders under the Democratic tent that come from two very different places. At first it went well, but when the debate headed into the realm of FISA, Ford went off into his own delusional world where committing crimes is ok if the President told you to. Obviously he forgot that the rule of law covers everyone, including George Bush.

Quickly after it was over, I was off to the volunteer's table to do my part here at Netroots Nation. For an hour and half, I helped sell t-shirts for the convention in the exhibit hall and at the end, got one myself. It has the flag of Texas with an orange tinge, its simple, but cool and I highly suggest everyone here get one before they're all gone.

I skipped the blog money panel since I was late and one attendee who was walking out told me it didn't teach him anything and if you know the basics, then it isn't worth your time. So I relaxed for a bit and ended the day by watching the screening of "Trouble the Water," concerning the terrible tragedy that befell New Orleans during and after Katrina. There is nothing else like it out there, so this is another thing I highly recommend.

Then it was party time. The candidate's mixer was fantastic. Seeing netroots and grassroots people stepping up to run for office was spectacular. I knew most of the candidates from New York, but getting to meet those from other states was a true honor. Before I knew it, the time was 8:30 and several hundred of us paraded through the streets of Austin to Maggie Mae's. Free drinks, free food, a chocolate fountain (so glad I did that workout in the morning) and great music had the crowd going strong late into the night. I though, was getting tired around 10:30, so it was time to chill back in the hotel. Now it is a little after 9am and time for Nancy Pelosi to grace us with our presence.