Netroots Nation #4: "Wrap It Up and Put a Bow on It!"

Now that it's over, some reflections on Netroots Nation....

1. Good Times! I had a great time. I am probably not as far to the left as many of the attendees, but all in all these are good people. In my informal survey (I enlisted others to help me with this) at least 35-40% of attendees were women. At least 30% were over 35 (with a significant number age 50 and above.) So, contrary to my thoughts going in to this...I fit in!! (of course, I seem to fit in wherever I go :) The one area that was lacking was the number of African-American and Latino bloggers at the convention. A shamefully low number! I remember a conference I went to a couple of years ago for conservative evangelical Christians.....about the same number of African-Americans in attendance as Netroots Nation. Both conferences have blacks on their boards, and blacks in prominent placement in programs...and of-course the mandatory session 'especially for African-American issues.' however....where the rubber meets the road...attendance...the numbers were low. Still....I had fun at Netroots, learned much, and met GOOD people.
2. Paper, paper, everywhere! After 25+ years of conventions and conferences, and with the new focus on living 'green,' these events still generate tons of paper. It starts with the conference bag, it continues with all the handouts, and then there are the cards. Even with the leap in technology the past few years...we are still passing out business cards just as we've done for decades! Perhaps one day we will be able to do some kind of 'terrorist bump' with our electronic device (pda, cell phone, whatever), and capture all needed info and a PICTURE of the person....and it would be automatically loaded into our database of choice! (NO MORE BUSINESS CARDS!) The technology exists, we're just not there yet.
3. The silent voice. It's the economy...it's the economy....it's the economy!!!! I made the same point at several of the sessions I attended and I feel there is a disconnect between many in the Netroots world and everyday America...so ONE MORE TIME.....when you are deciding how much meat you'll cook for the week, or how much milk you can buy for your family, you don't give a damn about the voting on the FISA bill! When you lose the equity in your home....or the house altogether...you aren't losing sleep over Karl Rove's arrest! When you can't afford to drive 80 miles to see your parents.....you're not concerned with impeachment! Yes...these may be valid issues, however they became 90% of the discussion--at the Ask the Speaker session with Pelosi, THERE WAS NOT ONE QUESTION ON THE ECONOMY!! Many of us are pissed off that no one is offering real solutions and getting out 'in front' of the problems the country is facing, (instead of holding hearings after the fact). There is fear and anxiety in mainstream America and I didn't see it discussed at this conference. Maybe it's time for us suburban moms to take to the streets?

In conclusion....a good (however, slightly self-serving) conference...and I am especially grateful to DFA for giving me a scholarship to attend! (It meant my family didn't have to eat cereal for a week :)

So, time to pull out all those business cards and start emailing....good meeting you!!!!!

God Bless,

Linnie