| This year marked my second appearance at Netroots Nation. The first one was special because so many of you helped me get there, whether it was by voting for me as one of the Democracy For America/Netroots Nation scholarship winners or by giving to my fund to help me financially.
The experience in Pittsburgh was great. I attended more panels than I did last year and I thought that this year's conference was better. I like to focus on policy more than electoral politics (electoral politics get redundant, especially when we have to talk about races for one or two years) and this year's convention was all about forging a progressive policy, whether it was getting health care reform done, investing in a clean, green economy or by taking progressive approaches to fixing our current economic crisis.
The first day, I attended the Online Congressional Engagement Beyond Twitter panel. This panel was interesting because it discussed how new mediums like Twitter enable representatives to reach more constituents. It also discussed the role of a new media director or a netroots outreach manager in the House and Senate. As discussed at the panel, more and more members are bringing such a staffer on board, but the overall number is not large. Ideally, every representative would have a new media/netroots outreach person on staff. But in the current makeup of Congress, that person tends to be a communications director or press secretary.
Next, I moved onto the Local Campaign, World Wide Web: Politics, the Internet, and the Future of Public Life panel. This was a very good panel, especially for local and state bloggers. It focused on how the Internet can impact local races and how the Internet is more than just a fundraising tool. Some candidates look at the Internet as an ATM where they can get loads of money, but it's actually more than that. The Internet enables candidates to reach constituents and provide more information than a palm card or small piece of campaign literature would. A website, while a great way to raise money, also provides you with a great informational tool.
My last panel of the opening day was Democracy Without Newspapers. This was one panel I had my eyes on since the agenda was released. The panel discussed the role of blogs and how they impact the newspaper industry. I felt that there was a point missed in the whole discussion that I will touch upon in a separate post. But the discussion was a good one to have. The fall of newspapers in our country doesn't mean the end of democracy. Newspapers made a business decision when blogs first entered the scene and they are paying for that decision now.
The first day concluded with the opening keynote given by former President Bill Clinton. I thought he gave an excellent speech discussing health care reform, the environment and the economy. It was a long wait for him, but he gave an excellent address. Judging by others, it got mixed reviews. But I think President Clinton has evolved from the days of the DLC and the moderate-to-conservative Democratic regime. He praised the netroots in his speech and the progressive movement. He realizes the importance of bloggers in our society and in our politics today. That was one thing I will remember about the speech. |
