Live From Netroots Nation – Day 2
No CSPAN cameras right now, so I don’t have to worry whether my make-up looks good.
On today’s agenda:
Howard Dean discusses health care reform. The single payer advocates (HR 676) are out in force. I haven’t seen any Obama = Hitler signs yet.
Dean’s thoughts:
Dean was great! I hope he goes on TV more to talk about health care. His talking points:
Dr. Dean’s website (DFA): standwithdrdean.com
Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak in a forum. Unfortunately it’s not a debate, each one is speaking separately. I think we’ll get a chance to ask questions. Anyone have any suggestions if I get so lucky as to get to ask a question.
Various sessions: one on local blogging, one on science denial, another on communication that I plan to attend.
I’m sitting at a table with former Alabama governor Don Siegelman. We asked him what he thought the delay in getting justice is – he thinks it’s because Obama has made the unusual move of keeping the Bush prosecutors in place while he replaces them. Why is Obama doing this?
Here’s some info about who interrupted Bill Clinton’s speech last night – Lane Hudson.
Tags: Howard Dean, Netroots Nation
I wish I could be there this year. Next year, we all go, no matter where.
Dr. Dean’s Townhall is being streamed live over Facebook tho!
Edit: this Faceboook app is really clever. Last night they had almost 8K people watching Bill Clinton and there are more than 3K watching Dr. Dean now. I wonder how much it costs to do this? It strikes me that those of us who want the legislature and county councils to live stream their meetings have found our holy grail.
Where is Free Radical?
Right beside me, Joanne.
Interesting thing I learned about Dr. Dean: When he was Governor, the Vermonters thought he was too conservative. When they heard him speak on the campaign trail for President they said to themselves, “Who is this guy and why couldn’t he have been our Governor?”
Mostly listened to Dr. Dean’s Townhall and he was as impressive as ever. He is quite optimistic about getting a good bill out of this process and notes that the repubs going for the Summer of Spittle is evidence of how close we are. If they had real and principled concerns they would have done that instead of jumping to the fearmongering. Someone asked about Obama persuing bipartisanhip — Dean thought that Obama was doing just fine on this. Staying open to bipartisanship lets the repubs speak for themselves and the Party of No is coming through loud and clear. And while he thinks that single payer should have been on the table, he quite likes this effort since it reorients the country towards some change in this arena and does not force one big system change.
If this Townhall gets posted up someplace I’ll provide a link to it. It is worth seeing and I am really hoping that Howard is speaking everywhere this summer.
Belatedly: Dean rocked. Interesting contrast to half-a-loaf legacy advocate Clinton.
Specter just got done but I think UI will have a big post on Specter/Sestak…she’s taking copious notes.
Sestak has a debate advantage because he can get more words in per second.
You…could…drive…semis…through…Specter’s….
…
…
pauses.
Sestak was committing to outreach to bloggers but was stopped in his tracks when asked who in the blogosphere he’d actually contact. But he’s being honest about his naivete and is trying to be earnest about the prospect.
Sestak strong on gay rights, says he served in military with gays and that you can’t tell them they can’t have = rights
Crowd was warmer to Sestak than Specter but not dramatically so. Questioners were good at skepticism against both.
If you’re a candidate for office, make sure that you have a concise “elevator speech” down pat. Better yet, have several (consistent) versions tailored to different constituents.
Forgot to mention: when Specter started responding to first question on why he was here, he started by saying he had a great job, and he wanted to keep it. Either refreshingly honest or completely tone-deaf.
I’m at KagroX’s “Making Change Happen” panel and UI is at the Local Blogging panel.
Keep the updates coming! I missed the Sestak/Specter show when it was live streamed…
I plan on writing up something about the Specter/Sestak panel when I have time. Short story: I liked Specter more than I thought I would. Then I remember the video where he says McCain/Palin was a better choice than Obama/Biden and I get mad at him all over again.
Running out of juice, have to recharge. KagroX panel sort of a casual conversation about sausagemaking and pressing flesh.
Most interesting thing from Specter: he says there are 61 votes for cloture (including Snowe). He says Snowe will support the bill. It’s bipartisan!
That is assuming we can drag Kennedy down from Cape Cod, and it assumes we get Conservadems like Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln, and Evan Bayh.
As to Kennedy and Byrd, both need to retire. In Kennedy’s case, those words are heartless, as he is suffering from brain cancer and he just lost his sister, but still.
But if this is true, that we have 61 votes right now, then I want it passed the second the Senate reconvenes. The Republicans have lost all rights to negotiation and compromise. They are to be ignored.
@Free Radical re Specter. I applaud his honesty but I detest what he is being honest about. Sure, you want to keep your job. But you suck at it.
@Free Radical re Sestak and Bloggers: I have a really good friend named Chris Bowers, who runs OpenLeft and was formerly of MyDD, who is a consultant for his campaign. So that answer is really insulting to him. LOL.
Local blogging:
One panelist thinks local blogging may die because it relies much more on first person reporting than national politics.
Criticism is much more difficult in local blogging because you’re much more likely to know the principals. Hurt feelings are more common.
Need for collaboration with local groups and perhaps single issue people. Local blogging relies much more on volunteers.
In local blogs, it’s much more likely that the readers aren’t as familiar with the “tone” of the blogosphere.
The measure of success of local blogging is not necessarily how many readers but who reads. Readers are much more likely to be local opinion leaders and their staff. One measure of success is when local media covers an issue after you do it. It helps to be first because you are shaping the narrative.
The first observations made me think of Celia. As for readers being more likely to be local opinion leaders and their staff – that is so true.
Sestak did mention Bowers, but there was sort of a long awkward pause before he did.
At science panel. I think rather than just obsess on the amount of money that Wall Street cost taxpayers, there should be more discussion of what that money could have gone to, and what opportunities may have been lost (alternative energy, health care, education etc.) Imagine if Obama had been elected without the economic crisis.