Common Blog-Sense

The top writers in the blogosphere sat centerstage for lunch at YearlyKos this Saturday to talk about current events and what it all means in the grand scheme of things.

Daily Show Covers YearlyKos Forum And Republican Mistakes

Jon uncovers a little of Hillary's lobbying shenanigans and Sunday's Republican debate that was just, well, pitiful.

YearlyKos Is No More!

Yes, sadly there will not be a third YearlyKos next year. But the good news is that there will be the first Netroots Nation at an undisclosed (or undetermined) location in 2008. Here's Gina Cooper telling us all about it this past weekend:

YearlyKos 07': The Day After

So YearlyKos 2007 in Chicago is now over. Everyone has gone home, the lights at McCormick Place are turned down and the place is being cleaned up. I am sitting here back in Manhattan after dealing with flying into Newark this afternoon (we circled the airport for half an hour due to air traffic and waited for the bags for forty-five minutes), enjoying the somewhat cool and muggy air.

The four days went by so quickly, in part because there was so much going on.

Thursday was a day of panels and workshops. I made some amazing contacts and great friends that I had mostly only known by their orange names on DailyKos (mine is proudprogressiveca btw, the ca is because I was living in CA when I signed up). I learned so much and heard many great things, but before I knew it, the time had come to sit down to an appetizer-style dinner and listen to Sam Seder, comic relief, a taped message from Senator Durbin and then finally an incredible speech from Howard Dean. By the end I heard myself chanting "Howard, Howard, Howard" like I had started doing four years ago. In a way it saddened me to think about those good ole' Deaniac days, but also grateful to see how far we have come since his campaign ended.

Friday was another great day that was full of running around from room to room, seemingly miles apart (probably only a quarter to a half mile, but who's counting). Hearing Wesley Clark deliver a powerful message to the ballroom audience was inspiring. Having the honor to see Eric Massa, Cenk Uyugr and John Dean in one room was fantastic. Then it was off to hear George Lakoff and Jeffrey Feldman talk about how to frame the issues. Later on I got to talk to Bob Geiger on how I can get more than five hits a day on this little blog. He gave us the message that if he can do it, so can all of us.

I missed the netroots candidate party that night due to a meeting and by the time I could head up there, I would have missed it due to the very long walk. So Friday night gave me a chance to relax with my non-DailyKos friend and get away from the McCormick behemoth.

Saturday turned out to be the longest day for me. I got there at seven in the morning and left at eleven at night. There was only one panel I attended, the second one I was going to was Tim Tagaris' campaign blogger thing but it was mysteriously canceled. No big deal though, because the best was yet to come.

This was when I got my macbook photo with Governor Richardson, followed by the Presidential forum with everyone attending minus Joe Biden. I was sitting four tables back dead center, so the view was great. But the fireworks on stage were fantastic to see. The breakout session with Edwards was also incredible. I ran up there as fast as I could and snagged a front row seat. Unfortunately he didn't call on me for the Q & A session, but there were plenty of good questions thrown out there.

Then things cooled down a bit, with the Teamsters BBQ by the lake. It really does amaze me that the body of water that looks like a sea is actually a lake. I'm used to the ocean and it looks quite similar minus the big waves. Then the night wrapped up with the keynote. Markos did his thing up there following a couple of comics and then it was over for the night. Sunday's brunch was a great wrap-up to the convention and we all said our goodbyes...but it sold me on coming back next year, even with the new "Netroots Nation" name.

John Edwards At YearlyKos

Out of the seven candidates that made it to the event, none was more impressive to me than John Edwards. Sure he went into his stump speech a couple of times, but he spoke from the heart. In this race and all that it means for our country, this is the most important attribute to me because it gives insight into how he approaches all the essential issues that we face.

Cenk Uyugr Here At YearlyKos

Big thanks to Cenk Uyugr of The Young Turks on Air America Radio for coming out to Chicago for these last few days. He is a great progressive voice on the radio and a wonderful site to see here in Chicago.

Clinton Loves Her Some Lobbyists

The Presidential forum here is was a few hours ago, but there are still some reverberations coming out of it. Gravel, Richardson, Dodd, Edwards, Clinton, Obama and Kucinich were there, so it had plenty of sparks. Though Clinton shocked us more than even Gravel could imagine doing.

From The Huffington Post:

Senator Clinton silenced a room of approximately one thousand progressive bloggers and activists Friday (actually it was today, Saturday) at the YearlyKos convention when she said, "Yes I will" continue to accept money from lobbyists because, lobbyists "represent real Americans."

Senator Clinton's admission came during a raucous debate over lobbyist donations that started with Senator John Edwards' challenge to Democrats and Republicans to stop accepting money from lobbyists. Senator Edwards had shouted earlier amid loud applause, "Your money is no good here, and we're not going to take it anymore." The Edwards campaign issued a press release right after the challenge, emphasizing that the Senator is the only presidential candidate who has not taken money from federal lobbyists or political action committees.

Senator Clinton's rivals were quick to jump on her admission. Senator Obama, whose campaign has returned lobbyists' money and committed to not accepting additional donations, said, "I disagree that lobbyists don't have disproportionate influence." They are spending money because "they have an agenda."

Senator Edwards asked the audience members to raise their hands if they have a Washington lobbyist working for them. Only three hands were seen.

Hillary tried to backpedal after Edwards and Obama lambasted her, but the damage was done. She said that people should look at her history and see that lobbyists do not influence her. I call bullshit. After championing health care reform in 1993 and 1994, she has been eerily silent on the issue. I wonder if that has anything to do with her being the second highest recipient of health care industry money in Washington?

I'm going to believe the all mighty dollar over her word on this one.

Thermal Camera Proves Gov. Richardson Is Blue

He didn't go thermal in any political sense, just posing for a picture with me with my trusty MacBook here in Chicago.

Sam Seder Takes His VideoCam To YearlyKos

My little digital camera takes videos, but not as good as an actual video camera, so I'll let Air America Radio's Sam Seder take you on a little tour here at YearlyKos.

YearlyKos Goes Virtual

Can't make it to Chicago for YearlyKos? Gina Cooper has a way for you to come, no matter where you are physically. Check out the convention Second Life-style and Gina Cooper's introduction to the virtual world: