I hadn't planned to go to yearlyKos in Las Vegas last year for a variety of reasons. But I changed my mind at the very last minute due to a confluence of events. At that point I was a lurker and while I enjoyed reading the site I didn't consider myself a part of the community.
One of the panels w/ David Johnson, Markos, Jerome Armstrong and David Sirota.
Registering on Friday morning was a breeze; the volunteers at the desk were cheerful and efficient. It was a warm intro to YearlyKos. The LGBT caucus was full to overflowing, impressive for 8 am. It was a lively room with passionate and articulate debates. The Northeast caucus was also full with a dozen of us just from Massachusetts. I was excited to meet brillig who I'd read on C&J. She was energetic and friendly. It was interesting that only about half of us were there from dailyKos. The others were from Firedoglake and D4A.
I went to the Mother Talkers caucus at the last minute. I haven't been to the site more than twice but I wanted to be around other moms. It was great to meet Elisa, Markos's wife, who chaired the meeting. It was an odd meeting for me in that I shifted from feeling very in sync with the other moms, when we were discussing how much having children completely reoriented our lives, to feeling very different from them, when we were discussing children and political involvements. Elisa's mom and dad were there and it was heartwarming to see how proud they were of her. Elisa's mom was very moving as she spoke about her worry for the younger generation of moms who seem to have so much less support than she did when her kids were young. She told the story of dad printing one of Elisa's diaries and mom giving it to one of the young women with whom she worked. She was so full of pride when she reported that her coworker said the diary was exactly what she needed to have hope.
I spoke with the Batista's again later. They're thoughtful and friendly people. They seemed to be amazed by all of the people at the conference and by what Markos' friends had organized. It was exciting to be in the room for the kickoff keynote with all the great vibes. I ended up next to Cincinnati News, a young guy who awed me by his enthusiasm and dedication to the progressive cause.
...I began Friday with the 12 step meeting and it was just what I needed to get into the right frame of mind. I'd dressed in the dark that morning and raced to the cab stand so that I could make it in time. The cabbie and I discussed politics the whole way there. I gave him my booklet so he could check out the conference.
My feelings about Friday are myriad. I was moved to tears by Joe Wilson's grace and dignity. I was glad to meet pontificator and bonddad who were both warm, friendly, and very pumped to be at the conference. Now I'll read bonddad's diaries listening for that southern twang. Andy has that great southern hospitality thing going coupled with a wicked sense of humor, all dressed up in a kilt. Shermanesq is much like her writing, gentle and supportive of everyone. Doggie was proud to identify himself as "the perv."
I was surprised to find Jerome a Paris different from what I'd imagined. He is very soft-spoken and was the gentlest, kindest soul at the convention. I told him how moved I was by his writings on critically ill children, his own and others. One of the first diaries I responded to was one of Jerome's about the death of a 2 year old. My son has had chronic medical problems and I felt a connection to Jerome outside of his diaries on energy policy. I'll also say that Jerome was incredibly kind on Saturday to my son and he made it a point to say hello to my husband as we were trading off child care. Sean was so excited by Jerome that he announced to the hotel doorman, "I met a man from France today. That's not even in the United States! He flew here all the way from Europe!"
...Kos and Jerome were having fun at their book signing. They seemed annoyed that they didn't have more time to spend with people individually and each of them tried to get a sense of the person in front of them (What do you do for work? What brings you out here? etc).
By the end of Friday I felt like a part of something much larger than myself and no longer an outsider. I didn't go to the big swanky party at the Stratosphere--child care issues again, and it really isn't my kind of thing. Feeling a part of isn't about going to the cool parties. For me it's about being with people who share a similar vision--the big names and the lurkers. Every person I met was exuberant and friendly. Truly. Everyone, no matter their age or gender was warm and friendly and introduced themselves immediately.
...The panels were great. It was hard to choose which panel to attend; I often had 3 that I was really interested in taking place at the same time. One of the things many people don't realize is that the volunteers who have been working this for a year didn't have the opportunity to enjoy it. They were behind the registration desk while we were at panels. When we had breaks to grab a meal, they were grabbing Cheetos while setting up for the next event. I don't think I ever saw Shanna or Fabooj not in motion. They rarely slept. They truly gave us this event as a gift of their time and of themselves.
The convention fed me intellectually. The Net Neutrality panel was a wonky delight and far more detailed than I expected. The Science panel was very smart and passionate. The Meta Kos panel was great fun with all of the in jokes. The Privacy Rights panel and the Netroots Candidates panel were far better than I would have predicted. The attorney from the ACLU in the Privacy panel was a credit to all ACLU members; she really rocked. I was mesmerized by Eric Massa, Joe Sestak, and our own NYBri. I've written out donations to each of them--the first time I've ever contributed financially to candidates.
It was also interesting to get a different take on some of the big name bloggers. Jane Hamsher is stunning, absolutely gorgeous, but that pales in comparison to her energy and determination. I loved the comparisons Christy made about how come she can get her 3 yo to understand consequences and yet politicians don't comprehend accountability. Marcie is studious, incredibly detailed and laughs at her own eccentricities. Atrios passed up every opportunity to discuss ponies. John Aravosis is exactly like he writes: brash, outspoken and not about to take shit from anyone. Glenn Greenwald also comes across as he writes but he seemed shy at the book signing and uncomfortable with his popularity. It was interesting to see the contrasts between Matt Stoller and Chris Bowers. Chris described himself as "the gangly long hair," but he is careful and measured when he speaks. Matt looks like a preppie but is quicker to speak and less cautious about his tone. Maryscott O'Connor speaks (rants) exactly as she writes.
mcjoan can appear in different guises. One day she has her hair down and has the "hippy" look. The next night her hair is up and she's in a chic black dress looking like a society girl. Hunter manages to combine being soft spoken with being passionate and his words are as weighty aloud as they are on the monitor.
For me, one of the best things was the opportunity to thank people in person. I told Susan G how helpful the diary rescue is to me since I'm on the East Coast and would otherwise miss the late West Coast diaries. She was very gracious, thanked me and then asked me to be sure to comment both in her rescue diary and in the rescued diary. Her desire to know whether she's being helpful, and her wish to provide support for other writers will move me to do so. I was able to thank Matt for leading the charge on Net Neutrality and to celebrate getting my congressman to change his committee vote. I was able to tell bonddad and Jerome a Paris how much I've learned from them about fields in which I have no expertise. I took the opportunity to tell mcjoan how much I appreciate her role modeling how to deal with dissension in a comment thread. And I told her that even when we aren't writing about it we're still thinking about her sister and brother-in-law. I also got to tell wclathe that I've enjoyed his diaries and comments. His daughter is beautiful.
My son came with me for the interfaith service with PastorDan on Sunday morning. He told his grandparents, "we went to a different kind of church today. There was no kneeling and no communion but lots of hugging everyone." He had plenty of energy to burn so I ws grateful the volunteers allowed us to assist with setting up the brunch tables. We were working right alongside darksyde.
...In the end I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to attend. ...Every cabbie who drove me heard about the convention and the need for Democrats to be in power. I'm already the coordinator for the Kennedy campaign in my town. Thank you to all of the volunteers who made the weekend possible. I hope that we can reward you with many Democratic victories in November.