By now many of you have probably heard that DFA's Netroots Nation Scholarship Competition is underway. In fact there have been a number of applicants from California, but there are still 10 days left in the first round so if you haven't yet, now is the time to apply.
Because the netroots are such a crucial component of the progressive movement, Democracy for America is heavily invested in cultivating a strong online community - and since the first Yearly Kos, Netroots Nation has been a big part of that community. This year, Democracy for America has teamed up with America's Voice and Netroots Nation to continue our successful NN scholarship competition and make it possible for 40 deserving bloggers and activists to attend the conference in Minneapolis this June.
I usually don't get to spend much time watching the events I put together at Netroots Nation. With a 3 day event comprised of over 100 sessions, over 300 speakers, over 100 sponsors and 2000+ attendees most of my time is spent in our show office. Thankfully I had a little more time at Netroots California to just take the content in. I was tied to one room for the most part, so there's a lot of great stuff I missed. But for the sessions I did watch there are a few ideas that stuck with me.
Hi- my name is Spedwybabs. I'm a regular at Daily Kos and today I wanted to introduce myself and tout the Netroots Nation Auction and why I'm such a strong supporter of Netroots Nation.
Although Democrats enjoy strong majorities in both legislative houses and California's congressional delegation - and hold all but two statewide offices - the left wing of the party is quite displeased, especially about cuts in health, welfare and education services to close a state budget deficit.
So what does the left want? A more aggressive legislative leadership and big changes in the state constitution, eliminating two-thirds votes for taxes and the budget are big on the agenda. Those and other goals were spelled out during a California-oriented panel discussion at the Netroots Nation convention in Pittsburgh, which featured several bloggers and policy wonks from the state.
Dante Atkins posted a rough transcript of the discussion by Dave Daye [sic], Jean Ross, Robert Cruickshank and Kai Stinchcombe on the Calitics website, available here.
Yeah, I wonder why we're displeased! Maybe, just maybe, it's that despite our overwhelming majorities, we can't pass any sort of policy that reflects Democratic values?
Don't you just love how objective truth just flies out the window? Of course, the comments are even more hilarious.
First off, major kudos to Dave Dayen, who won a Credo Mobile Blackberry as the best state blogger! Thanks to everyone who voted, and it was an award well deserved.
Since I wasn't on any panels this year, I actually had the time and inclination to be a simple observer for the first time in three years. To me, the convention felt more subdued in the hallways than in previous years, but the parties were just as energetic. And as part of my observer duties, I took a rough transcript of the panel on California (how process creates crisis) moderated by Dave Dayen, and including Jean Ross, Robert Cruickshank, and Kai Stinchcombe.
See below, and apologies for any misspellings or inadvertent omissions. Live transcripts can be a tough business.
It's Wednesday morning, and I have packed my bags for a long flight to Pittsburgh to attend Netroots Nation. It will be my third year going as a blogger from Beyond Chron - but my first as a speaker. Evan Coren, who parlayed his blog activism to win a seat on the City Council in Columbia, Maryland has recruited me for a panel discussion on Friday afternoon called Local Blogs: Covering City and County Government and Empowering Activism. We will be joined by panelists from Philadelphia, Chicago and New Orleans - for a superb line-up of bloggers who play a key role in their local governments. The following is my story about covering San Francisco politics ...
Local government has a bigger impact on our lives than most of us realize. As one local candidate for public office once said, "local government can make the difference between an unmitigated disaster - and just a regular disaster." The big decisions are made at the federal and state level, but local government is where the rubber hits the road - where we make decisions like allocating stimulus money, or blunt the damage of draconian budget cuts that come from the top. It's where zoning laws can make a crucial difference in what gets built in your community. Local politicians are far more accessible - and a small but vocal group of citizens can show up at City Hall and have enormous power.
Bloggers play a crucial role - not only to mobilize community activists around a common issue, but to spread information about what goes on in local government. As newspapers cut back on their staff and cover local municipal meetings with less and less frequency, often the only way people can learn about a critical hearing in their neighborhood is through a blog. And it's the reason why we started Beyond Chron for San Francisco.
Beyond Chron is unusual for most liberal blogs, in that we are published by a local non-profit organization - the Tenderloin Housing Clinic - that has incorporated it into the type of work that we do. It allows me to get paid for what I write, which is a huge advantage relative to most blogs that are 100% volunteer operated.
The Tenderloin Housing Clinic - and its Executive Director, Randy Shaw - has played a key role in San Francisco for 29 years. Founded to give free legal advice to low-income tenants in the City's most impoverished Downtown neighborhood, we have expanded our mission to provide money management services for clients on government assistance, manage fifteen residential hotels that serve as the main housing referral for the City's homeless, and community organizing to improve the life of Tenderloin residents. Randy has written three books - The Activist's Handbook, Renewing America and the recent Beyond the Fields, which chronicles the legacy of Cesar Chavez.
The San Francisco Chronicle has long been the bane of progressive activists in the City - and we have often made fun of it. But because it's the Bay Area only "paper of record," whatever makes it in the Chronicle dominates news coverage for the next few days - to the detriment of tenant activists. It became most apparent in the 2003 Mayoral election, when the Chronicle's coverage of the Newsom-Gonzalez race was akin to how Fox News covered the Bush-Kerry race. We had to fight back, and in April 2004 started Beyond Chron. We are now one of the top local San Francisco blogs.
I was in law school when Randy started Beyond Chron, but had worked as a community organizer at the Tenderloin Housing Clinic from 2000 to 2003. When I graduated from law school in 2006, I joined Beyond Chron as the Managing Editor - where I have been working ever since (despite having passed the California Bar Exam on the first try!)
Most recently, I have done extensive work at Beyond Chron analyzing the San Francisco budget. In these tough times, every city government is going through painful budget cuts - but in San Francisco we have been hit by California's budget crisis (Netroots Nation will also have a panel discussion Saturday on the state budget.) Moreover, non-profits like the Tenderloin Housing Clinic are always a "political football" during budget season between the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors - so we fully expected to see drastic cuts from Gavin Newsom.
Add the fact that we have a dysfunctional city government culture - where the Mayor refuses to engage the Board of Supervisors, Gavin Newsom is running for Governor and is preparing every move with an eye on the statewide electorate - and we have a genuine recipe for disaster.
On June 1st, Newsom released his budget proposal for the 2009-2010 fiscal year - which the Supervisors then have a month to scrutinize and offer amendments. In typical Newsom fashion, he spent an hour going through details - in a wonkish sounding presentation that sounds very impressive for those unaware of the context. His budget would have no tax increases, no layoffs of police and firefighters and only $43 million in Health Department cuts (as opposed to the much higher numbers we were afraid of.) And besides, said Newsom, he cut 28% out of the Mayor's Office.
It sounded too good to be true, because it was. Not laying off police or firefighters sells well to Southern California voters - but meanwhile the City has a $500 million deficit. After his speech in front of a packed press conference, most reporters simply turned to members of the Board of Supervisors and got a quote or two reacting to the Mayor's speech. I didn't see the point, because the Supervisors didn't know anything more than we did. So I picked up the Mayor's budget, and tried something revolutionary - I read it.
Newsom wasn't cutting $43 million out of Public Health - it was over $100 million. And the Mayor's Office was actually getting a 60% increase in funding, although most of that was from federal grant money that the office would dole out. He was downsizing his staff - but only by 8%, and those positions were just being re-allocated to other City agencies. In other words, the Mayor lied - and had the nerve to think he could get away with it. And he almost did, since no one else in the media bothered to read the budget.
I like to tell this story, because it shows how easy it is for bloggers willing to put in the hard work to break a significant story at the local level - because the traditional media has abdicated its responsibility. Over the next several weeks, I attended numerous Budget Committee hearings at City Hall - and pored over the Budget Analyst's reports on City departments. Beyond Chron became one of the "go-to" websites for those wanting to follow the San Francisco budget, and I am proud of the work we put into that effort.
A month later, an unprecedented $43.7 million in crucial programs that serve the City's poor were saved by the Board of Supervisors - thanks to the hard work of community organizers to fight cuts in health & human services. But the process was deeply flawed; much of the Mayor's pet projects remain, and the Fire Department - despite getting a $6 million cut - is still bloated and top-heavy. And now that we got more bad news from the state budget, San Francisco has to make $18 million in mid-year cuts - with probably more down the line.
It's why we still need local political blogs ... and why the work you do to cover City Hall in your own community is crucial, and can have a decisive impact in peoples' lives.
Please join us on Friday at 1:30 p.m. in Room 315/316 at the Convention Center - soon after the Arlen Specter-Joe Sestak debate. If you want to send a question for the panel on Twitter before or during the panel, please use the hash-tags #nnlocal or #nn09. If you cannot attend, a video of our panel will be archived at http://www.netrootsnation.org/video.
Paul Hogarth is a lawyer and community organizer at the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, a non-profit in San Francisco that also publishes Beyond Chron - voted the Bay Area's "Best Local Website" in 2008. Paul is Beyond Chron's Managing Editor, where he covers City Hall, affordable housing, and marriage equality. He is a former elected member of the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board, and almost filed to run for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors this year. Paul has appeared on CNN's "Blogger Bunch" to discuss Prop 8, and is a frequent guest on Bay Area radio shows about local politics.
If you are going to NN09 in Pittsburgh next month but don't have a place to stay yet, I am considering looking for a roommate to save costs. I have a reservation at the Westin (the closest hotel to the convention center). The hotel room block is sold out now (as is the whole hotel, I believe).
Get in touch if you are interested. I have the room for four nights, arriving Wed. evening, departing Sun. Half the cost (incl. taxes) would be about $340.
Sorry if this is diary abuse ... I had good luck here last year for Austin, even if it look a while.
It has not been my practice to engage in a great deal of self-promotion in this space, but I'm going to make an exception today...which means you are hereby warned that a commercial lies ahead.
I promise I won't be asking for your money, only for a couple of minutes of your time.
What are we selling?
Your friendly fake consultant is competing for a scholarship to the Netroots Nation Convention this August in Pittsburgh...and I'm looking for your support.
At Netroots Nation's New Media Summit last night, my staff and I ran into a couple of folks who seemed to have formed impressions of my platform based on my discussion of the April 15 tea party events. These erroneous assumptions about my platform and my campaign highlight a problem in the modern progressive movement - especially online - that I believe has stopped us from succeeding on issues such as the Patriot Act, FISA and big bank bailouts. To succeed, the progressive movement must be willing to coalition build and to act magnanimously in power.
I am a well-known government reform advocate (under the auspices of Government 2.0 - a move to increase transparency and collaboration between officials and the governed) and a far-left progressive with a track record of advocating for neighborhood-focused politics and progressive candidates. My platform is public, my cell phone number is public, my home phone number is public, my blog is public, my radio show is public, my tax returns are public.
I know how to coalition build to make positive change in our communities and in the federal government. When people are angry about taxes, bailouts and a government disconnected with the lives of everyday folks, you don't mock them with sexual innuendo and other name-calling. You reach out to them and convince them that your ideas and policies are better. You work with them if your interests align, and you make clear just where you stand on issues you don't agree on. That's what I'm doing every day in my run for Congress, advocating progressive economic reform, equal rights for all citizens, an end to the drug war, and a responsive and responsible government.
If you'd like to help, or if you've got a question about something I'm doing or that's been written about me, just give me a call. The cell is 925-895-3744.
Thanks. To change.
(LA area Caliticians should come. - promoted by shayera)
I thought this upcoming event would be of interest to some of you here in the Los Angeles area so I thought I'd share the information. As part of the Salon Series, Netroots Nation is partnering with the California NAACP Youth & College Division and the LA Chapter of the New Leaders Council for a conversation and strategy session focused on the future of the civil rights movement in an Obama Administration. If we are going to undo the extensive damage done by the Bush Administration, we need to not only work together, but change the way we work to better reflect the attitudes and strengths of our ever-changing work force. On Wed., February 11 from 6:30-8pm, Cheryl Contee of Jack & Jill Politics will discuss the next stage of the movement with Stefanie Brown, National Director of the NAACP Youth & College Division and the President of the California NAACP Youth & College Division Sean Dugar. Registration is required and can be done on the Netroots Nation website http://www.netrootsnation.org/... Or, feel free to join the Facebook page, (I'll admit, I'm addicted to FB), http://www.facebook.com/event.... Netroots Nation, known for changing the path of political interaction, is proud to host this very important discussion and we look forward to seeing you there.
Netroots Nation Los Angeles: Civil Rights 2.0
Wed., February 11, 2009, 6:30-8pm
Beverly Hills Library Auditorium
444 N. Rexford Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
COST: $10.
(I'm under a mountain of work, so I have a lot on Netroots Nation stored up, but this from our pal Paul about the Pelosi/Gore session is good. And BTW, I asked the Iraq question. - promoted by David Dayen)
It's no surprise that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi got a tough reception at Netroots Nation - as bloggers asked about the Iraq War, impeachment and (of course) FISA. Pelosi passed the buck on all of these issues - saying that she's let House Judiciary Chair John Conyers handle executive contempt, blamed Senate Democrats for selling out on FISA and said that only electing Barack Obama will get us out of Iraq. When Al Gore popped in to make a surprise appearance, the crowd gave a hero's welcome to the ex-Vice President - posing a sharp contrast with Pelosi. Bloggers cheered Gore's ambitious environmental agenda to make the United States 100% free of fossil fuel energy by 2019. But nobody bothered to ask Gore why he didn't push for this 15 years ago when he could have done something about it. Meanwhile, Pelosi's excuses frustrated the audience - but they each have an element of truth to them. On the other hand, if Pelosi says she "doesn't have the votes" in Congress to get what we want, she should start being more supportive of primary challenges that bloggers wage against bad Democrats.
We have all come a long ways in the past three years since Calitics was founded and I moved out to California. Nowhere is that more evident than Netroots Nation, where we as a community, a movement and a power source get together to learn, inspire and build relationships.
I was just talking to Gina Cooper, who while exhausted was beaming, talking about being up on the stage with Speaker Pelosi and Vice President Gore. One of my brother's business partners and all around good guy Josh Koenig came up to say hi. He has a good friend looking to volunteer for the No on Prop. 8, Equality for All campaign and asked if I could help point him in the right direction. I'm my role as Online Director for the Courage Campaign I have been working with the campaign the past few months on their online outreach and know just who to tell him to talk to.
As soon as Josh, left Gina turned at me and simultaneously mocked and marveled that I said of course I knew just who Josh's friend should talk to. For when we first met a few years ago there was no way I would know the major players in a fight like that and was just another young politico looking for my opportunity to break. I was an aspiring online organizer in a field that just barely was starting to exist. And Gina, well, a few years ago she was a teacher in Tennesse and now was a leader up on the stage with Speaker Pelosi and VP Gore.
Years ago I would have been excited just to shake a politician's hand. This year Gavin Newsom is here trying to suck up to me. And Debra Bowen greets me with a hug. It is surreal, but wonderful. And it is indicative of how our movement has grown.
These conventions are never about what is said on a panel. It is all about the relationships we start and build with fellow bloggers, staffers and candidates in the halls, at the parties and in the lobby. After three years I have friends I only see once or twice a year, but work with on a regular basis. So that whenever some right-wingnut says something offensive on the radio, I know just who to talk to at Media Matters. Or when we have a hot juicy story I know which Daily Kos front pager to email. Or when I need to know when the Senate is in session I know which Hill staffer to call.
As strange as it is, Netroots Nation is one of the few times a year when the Calitics crew gets together in person, whether it is in Las Vegas, Chicago or Austin. We may talk on a daily basis, but is it is Netroots Nation where we get to be better friends and better colleagues. So to my boys (in no particular order): Dave, Brian, Todd, Robert, Bob and Lucas, not to mention Beth and Shayera, I am honored to be your friend and colleague. We have done so much together, but have so far to go.
See ya in my hometown Pittsburgh next year. But first we have to marry two of our own in September. Oh yeah and that little thing called the DNC in August.
To three years of Calitics and three years of Netroots Nation. May the next three find you more powerful, more employed and better friends. I couldn't ask for a better community.
A quick reminder about the Hightower Party tonight at 5pm-8pm. It's at Black & Tan (405 E. 7th St @ Trinity), just a few blocks from the Hilton here in Austin at Netroots Nation. If you're in town, come down to this party. Calitics is an official co-host.
We'll bringing a few special guests, including SF Mayor Gavin Newsom. Come by and say hi!
I'm gonna forget too many people so I'll start with apologies for that. Juls and Brian are moderating a great turnout and people continue to filter in even halfway through. We've had Charlie Brown, Debbie Cook, Steve Young and Russ Warner join us to talk about their campaigns. Calitics regular soyinkafan is opening a lot of ears and eyes about Manuel Perez's campaign in the 80th district (where he's up big). Not only is the room full of familiar names from DailyKos (thereisnospoon, malacandra, shayera, hekebolos, highacidity, msrpotus), but we've got representatives from a wide range of progressive allies: ACLU, SEIU-UHW West, ActBlue, Blue State Digital, United Farm Workers the list goes on. The infrastructure available and the interest focused on netroots action and activism.
Dave Johnson just reminded everyone about another friend of Calitics and California good governance Hannah-Beth Jackson, running in Senate district 19 against the no good Tony Strickland. Updates to come.
[Update] Suzanne Savage from SoCal ACLU raises upcoming proposition fights which brings up the responsibility that a lot of us who obsess about politics need to take more seriously. It's not always the sexiest stuff, but our friends, co-workers and relatives will be turning to us as the "political" ones for advice on this. This is one place where we can definitely have a huge impact because people are highly open to suggestion when the ballot gets crowded with dry and confusing propositions. Educate yourself so you can help educate others.
[Update] Reps from UHW just gave a great rundown of upcoming labor fights. I won't even try to do it justice in real time here, but their website is a great resource as will be diaries on Calitics that will be coming soon. Dave Dayen is on to the California brain drain, which I can attest to just today in my struggles to convince "national" Californians to attend this very caucus.
[Update] Representative from UFW gave a moving and troubling account of the impact of the heat on farmworkers who are dying and ending up in the hospital. They're campaigning and hoping for any attention and support. You can get involved at their website. A little (or a lot) of love for the amazing unstoppable force Martha Gamez.
[Update] Eden James, being the trouble maker that he is, threw open a discussion of the 2010 gubernatorial primary. Candidates reeled off include Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom, Bill Lockyer, Jack O'Connell, John Garamendi, Antonio Villaraigosa, Loretta Sanchez, Dave mentioned drafting Hilda Solis. Support for Newsom and Brown, though not necessarily enthusiastic support.
[Update] Talk about governor turns to working against Prop 13, the 2/3 rule and other process problems. And now on to assembly campaigns that can help us get to 2/3 and on to broader discussion of how to find candidates who understand netroots and grassroots power. Ways to insist on respect, build bridges between natural allies and change the quality of of campaigning. How to wield unifying and constructive rhetoric.
[Update] We're wrapping up now with some talk about voter registration and fostering activism, specifically in relation to the Obama movement. What strikes me most about this caucus is the wide range of great people all in a room who otherwise don't tend to communicate in this manner. Emails and the occasional conference call really can't replicate this sort of setting for fostering discussion and new ideas. And for me personally, it reminds me of at least a dozen people, orgs, and blogs that I need to be reconnecting with and/or paying more attention to. Seeing everybody together like this really reignites my passion for the possibilities in California. Hopefully I'm not the only one.
Now that we're done hopefully somebody'll log on and comment...
(I'm at the Obama/DNC registration event right now, this was a great event this afternoon with Dr. Dean. Get out the vote!!! - promoted by David Dayen)
The Barack Obama/DNC "Register for Change" bus just pulled up in front of the Netroots Nation convention in Austin, Texas, so that DNC Chairman Howard Dean could lead a rally and then register voters outside the Austin Convention Center. Dean's visit took place during a noon-time break in panel discussions being led by the Obama campaign and the DNC, laying out their plan for winning in 2008.
Those of you who have read emails and posts from the California Democratic Party have already heard many of the specifics for their plan. The primary tool that Democrats will be using to win this election in November is the Neighborhood Leader program.
The bulk of the Calitics crew has found its way to Austin now (just waiting on Robert still), and California is out in full force throughout the convention. Aside from the editors, Dante Atkins and Todd Beeton are running around as well as frequent guest of the front page Paul Hogarth. Just returned from Howard Dean's launch of the national Register For Change bus tour geared towards registering new voters. Californians were all over the place there.
Charlie Brown was specifically mentioned a few times in Gov. Dean's speech. Debbie Cook was in attendance. California blogosphere alums like Matt Lockshin and Matt Ortega were moving through the crowd. Big name Californians who sometimes forget about us like Markos, George Lakoff, and Gina Cooper were working around the edges. Earlier today I ran into Steve Young in the hall, hung out with orangeclouds115 last night, and sat next to kid oakland (and Matt Lockshin) on the flight to Austin yesterday. Most of the Courage Campaign folks are here (myself, Juls and Eden), Bob Brigham is on his way. I've met Calitics lurkers and occasional commenters like tilthouse and reconnected with cmanaster. There's more to come with (for example) Mike Lumpkin due to stop in for the California caucus this afternoon (among others) and hosting a breakfast tomorrow morning.
What's really striking about all this is to note how many strong voices, incredible minds and game-changing candidates we have in California. Last year at the California Caucus we discussed the role of California as a national leader and incubator for positive change. Looking around Netroots Nation already I'm reminded of just how true that is and how potent California's brain trust is. For those who are here and for those who are reading I'll ask- how do we do a better job of fostering and harnessing all this?
UPDATE: We're going to be caucusing from 3-4:15 in room 18B. It'll be free-form, so bring your own topics and get ready to connect! From the budget to CDP reform to our chances for a 2/3 majority in the legislature and pickups in the House, there's a lot to discuss. We're also in the Netroots Nation agenda now. Please come by.
[UPDATE by Lucas] - We've got a number of special guests lined up now, but if you're reading this (even though it's NN), it might be too late to do anything about it.
[UPDATE: by Dave] - Mad props to Tracy Russo, online diva, who has helped confirm us in this spot. So tomorrow at 3, be there for the California caucus. Place to be determined, but check the online agenda, as it will shortly register up there.
For all of you who will be in Austin tomorrow for Netroots Nation, we're going to attempt to pull together a California caucus for Thursday afternoon, probably in the 3-4:15pm slot. I'll be posting info on "The Wall" outside 17A&B first thing Thursday morning (which means 9am), so be sure to check in for the finalized details (3pm slot is not set in stone and we need to find a room). Also, there's a whole mess of Californians who aren't likely to be checking in on this post (especially this late), so spread the word as you filter in to Austin and help pull together a great turnout.
Last year's California caucus was a great opportunity to hear from Congressional candidates (We have Mike Lumpkin, Debbie Cook, Charlie Brown, Russ Warner, and Steve Young attending NN at various points this year [I might be forgetting some]) discuss California's role as an incubator of national ideas (marriage equality is a great example this year), and discuss ways to better tie state and local politics to national activism.
This one is coming together last minute, so spreading the word will really drive how effective this can be. Hope to see everyone there!
UPDATE: Just to remind everyone, on Saturday night Calitics is one of the many hosts of the Alternet Book Party. I've confirmed today that Mayor Gavin Newsom will be joining us at the event to hang out, so it should be fun. Visit this link for more information.
David Sirota, Andrea Batista Schlesinger, the Executive Director of the Drum Major Institute and David Goldstein, of Horse's Ass will also be on it. The panel will be moderated by Elana Levin, the Assistant Director of Communications for UNITE HERE.
Here is the description.
We know that populism wins elections, but once a politician wins how do we make sure that pro-middle class policies are actually implemented? Blue Dogs and the media conflate being pro-middle class with being "centrist".
The debt stricken, under-insured public's realization that their personal economic struggles are really political struggles presents an opportunity for lasting progressive change. Barack Obama's agenda includes healthcare and transportation among other investments in our country that the middle class needs-- but these aren't free. How can the netroots mobilize to make it politically possible to pass Obama's domestic agenda in a Grover Norquist-shaped world?
For my part, I plan on focusing on the California budget fight and using the Yacht Party campaign as an example of how we can attack the right to help advance progressive policies that help the middle class. California is very much a lab for progressive politics and we have a unique opportunity here to actually advocate for higher taxes to pay for programs. The public is amenable to increasing revenue and there is no better time to promote our agenda than now when we are at a crisis stage and the other side is advancing proposals that the public does not support. Flip it.
Happy to leave behind the concerns of party fundraising and a deadlocked budget, I will be heading to Austin, Texas next week along with much of the Calitics staff for Netroots Nation, the third annual gathering of bloggers and partners in the progressive movement for panel discussions, keynote speeches and much fun and merriment. If you're attending, I hope you'll join Calitics on Saturday night from 5-8pm for a Book Party sponsored by AlterNet Books and Living Liberally, featuring author, activist and former Texas Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower. Calitics is part of a great group of blogs hosting the event, including Atrios' Eschaton, Digby's Hullabaloo (where I've been known to moonlight), Pandagon, Jack and Jill Politics, SquareState, Blue Jersey, The Albany Project and more.
Here's the flyer, all the information can be found there:
If you're coming to Austin, we hope to see you there! More information, if needed can be found by clicking on the flyer, or, if that doesn't work, this link.
(Unfortunately, I do not believe there will be a California caucus this year as there was last year. The Netroots Nation agenda lists a state-level blogger caucus at 10:30am on Thursday, but that's not state-specific, and anyway I'll be in the air at the time. We could organize something at a "self-organizing session" that has been blocked out to allow for a small-group meeting. Let's gauge some interest for that in the comments.
I'm looking for a roommate for NN. You'd have your own bedroom in a 2BR situation, very, very close to the convention center, right on 6th St. It's about two block according to Google Maps.
If you want to be in the center of it all, get a cheaper room than the nearby hotels, all while maintaining some privacy, get in touch. Posting here at Calitics cause I'm from San Diego.
Your cost would be about $312, which covers a Wednesday check-in with Monday morning check-out (5 nights). The nightly cost for the whole thing is cheaper than a room at the Hilton et al. There is also a $200 refundable deposit that I will have to pay. I'd ask for a check for $100 that I'd mail back to you when I got mine back.
The only downsides I am aware of: you must pay cash upon arrival (or money order / cashiers check) and it's so close to the party district as to be noisy. The noise is not a problem for me -- I sleep fine with earplugs and recommend them if this is the only reason you'd pass this up.
There is, I understand, also a pullout sofa in a loft over the living area. A third roommate could take that and reduce costs further, but I don't really see the need.
More about your potential roommate after the flip...
