Of course, there were some non-partisan groups there, and they offered some of the most interesting booths. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition had a large booth, staffed by people who I had a suspicion were not exactly as left-leaning as they pretended to be in order to fit in. I was surprised not to have seen them at Republican events where I think they would get an even better reception. One of their staffers commented on how surprisingly unsympathetic Democrats as a group seemed to be to their anti-drugwar message in comparison to Republicans. Also pretty interesting was a group I hadn't encountered before called the Sunlight Foundation a DC-based group, whose goal is to increase public access to legislation, public documents and funding records, which is a pretty laudable cause. They're the umbrella group under which sites like Open Secrets and Congresspedia operate. I particularly like their new project, MapLight, which uses a google-like map system to graphically provide access to donation records for political campaigns. You can type in any candidate and it brings up a map of who contributed to him and where they live, including breaking down donations so you can tell what groups and types of donors are supporting them. Very useful, and a clever implementation. Between these various sites they're developing a one-stop resource which is absolutely invaluable.
Getting Out While the Getting Was Good
The longer I was at Netroots Nation today and the more people I talked to, the harder I found it to maintain my pose as a fellow traveller. It was easy to talk to some people, because I do share common interests. Talking about drug legalization or immigration policy I felt confident and at home. But when it came to talking to the union stooges and some of the more extreme partisans I found my attempts at sincerity shading into sarcasm. I had a somewhat sharp exchange with the WalMart bashers, which I think I was able to pass off as an attempt at humor, followed by a conversation with a nice lady who was trying to reduce the role of lobbyists in government, where I think I almost convinced her that lobbyists provide more thorough and democratic representation for their paying constituencies than our elected representatives do. After that I could tell that my composure was starting to slip, so I headed for the exits.
Article comments
1 - zingzing
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.
2 - Gaheris
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?
3 - Matthew T. Sussman
"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?
4 - Andy Marsh
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!
5 - bliffle
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.
6 - Dave Nalle
Bliff, I'm from Texas. I wear shorts 300 days a year, so my legs are nice and tanned. No need to fear.
Dave
7 - troll
...do you wear your chaps over the shorts cowboy - ?
8 - Dan Miller
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
9 - troll
'Blogcritic's Dave Nalle'...sounds pretty good -
those boys and girls over at the Kos take themselves awful serious-like don'cha know
10 - Clavos
"those boys and girls over at the Kos take themselves awful serious-like don'cha know"
And for no discernible reason...
11 - Dave Nalle
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
12 - bliffle
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.
13 - Matthew T. Sussman
Someone's wi-fi router doesn't reach their back patio.
14 - Dave Nalle
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
15 - Dale
Hi,
Can anyone confirm that postcards for my anti-war satire "Military Intelligence and You" were included in the registration bags? Thanks.
16 - Dave Nalle
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
17 - Dave Nalle
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
18 - Dale
Just hoping that my postcard is part of that junk...Thanks for checking.
Dale