Much Accomplished at Yearly Kos

I have to admit I wish I had been there. From what I'm reading a number of things have been accomplished at Yearly Kos but that's for the participants to talk about in coming days. Here's a few posts that have caught my eye. First up, Mary from the Left Coaster:

• What we are doing is very important to change the climate in Washington. Barbara Boxer, Howard Dean and Harry Reid expressed thanks for what we've been doing to help them stand against the right wing machine. Boxer thanked the blogosphere for the roses and the welcome whenever she posts on dKos.

(snip)

It is clear that we've started to make a difference, and we need to do more because we have a daunting task: after all we still have to take back our country.

Swopa of Needlenose wrote some real-time comments on the Valerie Plame Panel; here's one passage I liked:

10:33 am: Larry Johnson says that if you're not outraged at how Dubya and Dick Cheney ignored official intelligence and lied to the American people to start a war, "you have lost your heart and soul." Sitting a table behind me, Byron York of the National Review absent-mindedly checks his cell phone for messages.

The Washington Post reports that Senator Reid used Yearly Kos to talk about the need for an intelligence estimate on Iran (meaning, I'm sure, one that is based on the facts this time):

Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said here Saturday that he will seek greater transparency from the Bush administration about possible threats posed by Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons. He said he wants to prevent possible misuse of intelligence as the administration deals with the crisis.

Speaking before a partisan audience of Internet bloggers and Democratic activists, Reid said he plans to introduce legislation next week that would require a new national intelligence estimate for Iran, along with an unclassified summary that could form the basis for a public debate about possible action if Tehran continues to seek nuclear weapons.

He also said he will require Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte to demonstrate that he has in place a process to review public statements by President Bush, Vice President Cheney and other officials with regard to Iran. Many Democrats allege that Bush and Cheney manipulated intelligence in making the public case for war with Iraq.

PZ Meyers has an excellent wrap-up with suggestions on The American Street but let me focus on one paragraph:

...people were enthusiastic questioners, but terrible at asking questions. Even the most lightly attended session would trigger lines of people at the microphones, waiting their turn to ask a question…and often, when people got up there, it was like they were writing a blog entry rather than asking something. They’d ramble on with their opinions before saying something anyone on the panel could address. It drove me nuts. People, good questions go right to the point; they are not exercises in showing off.

Yes, I too prefer people who ask good questions and get to the point quickly but the point of Yearly Kos to a large extent was community building and that somehow has to include letting people have their say. I have to admit I'm not sure what the compromise would be but PZ Meyers recognizes the other problem with conferences like these:

Superstar panels are boring and do not promote the netroots. Duncan + Jane + John + Markos = celebrity wanking. Duncan plus, for instance, a lesser known set of economics bloggers would have helped introduce new (to me) blogs and would grow the field. If Yearly Kos wants to use these high-profile bloggers well, give them a panel and tell them to recruit three other bloggers they think are up-and-coming and interesting, and put them into a themed discussion of their choice.

From what I'm reading, Yearly Kos has succeeded in puncturing myths about bloggers while building the community of people concerned about the serious problems facing our country. Improvements no doubt can be made but the only small mistake that was made was the name: Yearly Kos. Just the knowledge that the Daily Kos crowd was sponsoring and organizing the event would have given them the publicity and recognition that they deserve (even if I'm not always aboard with what they do). These kind of conventions need to avoid being personality-driven even though political candidates and star bloggers are going to be the attraction for most convention goers. That means the name should be changed to something more inclusive, perhaps simply Yearly Progressive Bloggers Convention. But I tip my hat. The organizers did a good thing.