Netroots Nation: A Fly on the Wall
Published July 18, 2008
Living just outside of the Peoples Republic of Austin I'm in a unique position to observe and study the world of the American left, while at enough of a distance to maintain some objectivity. That proximity sometimes brings with it unique opportunities. This week that means that I have a chance to attend Netroots Nation, the nationwide gathering of online and grassroots activists which grew out of the DailyKos and has expanded to embrace the whole 'progressive' movement within the Democratic Party.
Some of my right-leaning associates have tried to convince me to play the role of a mole in the camp of the enemy, including suggesting that I attend the conference wired for video and sound and send a constant live feed of nefarious leftist activities to the web for them to study and perhaps mock. They might well have found much to mock in some of the conversations I got into during my initial foray to Netroots Nation, but spying and lampooning aren't really my objectives. I'm much more interested in the political process and comparing what goes on here to what goes on at similar Republican events, which is going to be pretty easy to do since at the same time as I'm attending Netroots Nation, I'm also spending part of my weekend with the conservative grassroots at the Defending the American Dream Summit, which Americans for Prosperity is hosting in a hotel in northwest Austin. I'll be shuttling back and forth between the hotel and the convention center comparing how our two main political parties organize, motivate and train their bases.
This isn't strictly going to be liveblog coverage, but I'm going to file several reports over the course of the weekend, starting with my initial impression of Netroots Nation.
First Impressions
In my standard disguise as an average Austinite (probably an eco-conscious real estate developer) in shorts and Tommy Bahama shirt, I arrived at the convention center ready for action, pleasantly surprised to have found a metered parking spot on the street less than a block away. Not surprisingly for the Thursday start of a primarily weekend event, the crowd was sparse and it was a breeze to get my media pass and standard issue giant swag bag. If the crowd of attendees was small, the list of sponsors was long, including a lot of corporate groups I wouldn't have expected to see, and lots of political issue groups. The Austin convention center is expensive, and with an estimated attendance of about 2000 they certainly needed sponsorships to make ends meet.
I'm always fascinated with the business dynamics of conventions, having been a convention organizer. The situation at Netroots Nation immediately struck me as unusual. The attendance was clearly intended to be small, with the whole conference specifically designed not for the broad grassroots of the left, but for the most influential elites of the left and especially the progressive blogosphere. The idea was clearly to bring together the most influential bloggers and organizers with party leaders and trendsetters like Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, Harold Ford and Wesley Clark.
Dave Nalle has been a magazine editor, freelance writer, capitol hill staffer, game designer and taught college history for many years. He is Vice Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus, working to promote liberty in the GOP. He designs fonts for a living and lives with his family just outside Austin. You can find his writings on politics and culture at Republic of Dave, on conspiracy theories at IdiotWars and on design and fonts at The Scriptorium.
- Netroots Nation: A Fly on the Wall
- Published: July 18, 2008
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Politics
- Filed Under: Politics: Elections and Candidates, Politics: Government, Politics: Law and Rights, Politics: Local and Regional, Politics: Policy, Politics: U.S.
- Part of a feature: On The Road To 2008
- Writer: Dave Nalle
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Comments
I heard that they were issuing two different media badges at Netroots Nation, one for those who agreed with the organizers politically and a special one labelled "Opinion Media" for people who weren't left enough for them. Which one did you get?
"Blogcritic's Dave Nalle files his first spy report. As he acknowledges right off the bat, he is there undercover to see what the other side is doing. He demonstrates his complete ignorance of the left blogosphere in his description of the attendees and the dkos blogging community. Beware who you're talking to at the conference." Kos
Got your BC-issued cyanide pill, Dave?
They're on to you Dave...be careful out there...keep your head down!
maybe you need to commute between these events in something really green. You can borrow my e-bike, that might make them happy!
The Wobblies? The IWW? Didn't they officialy go extinct when U. Utah Phillips died a couple weeks ago? Oh well, no more of those great concerts. And exotic foods celebrated in song like "Moose Turd Pie". He was good, though.
I'm only surprised that you went to the convention dressed in shorts, thus risking derision for exposing your varicose veined lily-white gams to public view. Why, after witnessing that display some louts might conclude that your writing is equally shameless.
Bliff, I'm from Texas. I wear shorts 300 days a year, so my legs are nice and tanned. No need to fear.
Dave
...do you wear your chaps over the shorts cowboy - ?
Troll,
Cowboy chaps and shorts, while useful, do not protect the part of the anatomy which The Reverend Mr. Jackson graciously offered to remove from The Reverend Mr. Senator Obama.
Dan
'Blogcritic's Dave Nalle'...sounds pretty good -
those boys and girls over at the Kos take themselves awful serious-like don'cha know
"those boys and girls over at the Kos take themselves awful serious-like don'cha know"
And for no discernible reason...
Got your BC-issued cyanide pill, Dave?
Dang, Matt. Mine is past the expiration date. I hope I'm not in trouble.
maybe you need to commute between these events in something really green. You can borrow my e-bike, that might make them happy!
Sadly, my BigAss Ecotruck is in the shop.
The comment on my first report over at DailyKos would be a lot more useful if it actually explained HOW I had failed to understand the left bloggers. I suspect that my failure is that I haven't bought into the concept that they speak with the voice of god.
Dave
I didn't think a guy hunched over his computer 12 hours a day pounding out fonts and columns could get enough of the blue rays of his CRTs onto his legs to give them any color. And I can't imagine sun exposure.
Someone's wi-fi router doesn't reach their back patio.
My wifi reaches all the way to the pool, where I sometimes do my writing. Plus I've been known to frequent sidewalk cafes which have wifi when I get stuck in downtown Austin. I also type with amazing speed, leaving me time for some outdoor activities.
So, with my natural tanning ability, I'm remarkably dark.
Dave
Hi,
Can anyone confirm that postcards for my anti-war satire "Military Intelligence and You" were included in the registration bags? Thanks.
I have so much junk in my bag now that I'm not sure, but I'll check and get backl to you later, Dale.
dave
BTW, my second report, which gives some time to the other side's alternative to Netroots Nation is posted now. Look for A Tale of Two Netroots.
More later today.
Dave
Just hoping that my postcard is part of that junk...Thanks for checking.
Dale
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/79157)
oh, dave... i see you falling apart at some point. you? at a daily kos event?
i'm rubbing my crystal balls! there! i see something... coming out! there is something in the mist! oh, damn, man... i'm sorry. no, that's not mystical spit. not at all.