My weekend

I spent the weekend in Chicago at YearlyKos. It was not the nirvana I had hoped. It was still fabulous. I love Chicago. It is beautiful and walkable. I went to the break out session with Hillary Clinton and was far more impressed than I expected to be. She is infinitely more dynamic, compelling and human in person than she seems on TV. I also went to a panel on foreign policy that was brilliant and fascinating. It gave me hope that there are people in the smoky insider rooms who think critically and accurately about the world we live in. I'm not saying get optimistic, I'm just saying there is room for optimism amongst the depressing realism.


Democrats court liberal bloggers - Yahoo! News: "The Kos convention is a sign of the times.

Gone are the days when candidates and political parties could talk to passive voters through mass media, largely controlling what messages were distributed, how the messages went out and who heard them. The Internet has helped create millions of media outlets and given anyone the power to express an opinion or disseminate information in a global forum, and connect with others who have similar interests.

Clinton is viewed skeptically by the the blogging community, mainly for her history of hawkish views on Iraq. Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, founder of Daily Kos and spiritual leader of the convention, said Clinton still might be able to mitigate her problems.

'We may decide she's not our first choice, but she's not a bad choice,' he said.

Appearing solo at a session of bloggers before the debate, Clinton was warmly received, especially when she jokingly blamed a microphone malfunction on the 'vast right-wing conspiracy.'

One thing most bloggers have in common — regardless of their political leanings — is an intense frustration with the political establishment. And so it was a convention dripping in irony when liberal bloggers welcomed the living symbols of the Democratic status quo — seven presidential candidates."