10K by 10pm!

The Yearly Kos fundraising drive seems to have slowed down and I want to see that change! So I am randomly, arbitrarily and without any authority to do so, setting a goal:

$10,000 by 10pm PST tonight! Donate Here!

This is an easy one ya'll! All we need is $910.00. We've done that in an hour before!

Why Donate?

Because face time matters and Yearly Kos is getting ordinary progressive folks face time with our leaders! This isn't a meeting where others control the agenda or where only moderate, concilatory Republican-Lite voices will be heard!This is where you can be heard by leaders, movers and shakers!

To amplify the voice of the blogosphere during an election year!

Start building face to face networks with other progressive organizations. Yearly Kos creates another part of our own Left Wing Noise Machine to counter the Wurlitzer of the Right.

Learn from other bloggers about subjects as diverse as campaign finance reform to progressives and faith.

Get to know your fellow Kossacks and have fun!

Why You Should Donate Even If You Are Not Going:

Because you will be helping contribute to live webcasting that you can be a part of. Even from your home you can attend Yearly Kos!

Your money will go towards legitimizing the Left Wing Blogosphere!

You are supporting the efforts of your fellow Kossacks to Make a Positive Difference in the World!

This convention is going to have the Right Wing Blogosphere whining for weeks. Especially when it is a huge success and we announce that next year's will be bigger and better with more raw, untamed liberalism!!!

Every dollar you donate makes another Little Green Football vomit. So it is money well spent!

For the Children! Don't you want more children to enter the world like my daughter did - already a Democrat and only 12 hours old?

So what are you waiting for? Go Donate! 10K by 10pm!

•  We can do this!

  But only with your help!

  by AndyT on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 10:46:55 AM PDT

•  Congratulations Andy!!!

  She's a darling, and clearly her heart's in the right place.

  by Karen Wehrstein on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 10:56:04 AM PDT

  •  That gets you a 4

    A 5 if I could... she's nine months old now and shows no signs of becoming more conservative. As a matter of fact she managed to pee on the last letter I got from my Republican Senator, John Cornyn. I'm so proud of her!

    by AndyT on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 11:00:05 AM PDT

    •  Wish I could teach my puppy to do that

      to letters from Voinovich!

      I just donated to the YearlyKos effort-- felt great to do it!

      Thanks!

      by concernedamerican on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 11:57:56 AM PDT

•  THAT is a cute picture

  She's going to be raising hell with the best of em soon!

  by gina on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 10:59:04 AM PDT

•  That does it. I kicked in today.

  Maybe I'm just deadline-oriented, but this spin works for me. And the baby pic alone is worthy of a donation. Due to his illness, my husband and I cannot travel and will not be able to attend the party. But, for all the Kossacks have given to us that enriches our lives, makes us smile (and sometimes cry) and definitely breaks the isolation we sometimes feel, we hope you all have a great time! We'll be with you in spirit. And for all who have not yet donated, it was a snap. Do it today.

  by highfive on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 11:17:39 AM PDT

  •  You Rock!

    Thank you!

    by AndyT on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 11:29:17 AM PDT

•  She's soooo adorable!

  And lots of 'tude already. Bless her, her mom and you.
   

  by Little Red Hen on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 11:32:30 AM PDT

•  This

  is really all I had to hear:

  This convention is going to have the Right Wing Blogosphere whining for weeks.

  by DarkSyde on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 12:18:03 PM PDT

•  I already donated

  And now I live in fear of LGF vomit flying through the air. Thanks for the imagery!

  by decembersue on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 12:37:19 PM PDT

•  Precious,precious baby!

  by mem on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 01:42:45 PM PDT

•  okay, okay

  The baby thing got me too.

  by hairspray on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 03:02:49 PM PDT

•  YOW, LGF!

  I don't get out much into the wider blogosphere, so thanks AndyT for turning me on to LGF. My oh my, someone certainly is not taking their meds, are they? And from there I thumbed a link to Transterrestrial. Oy vey, these kids haven't even made it to junior high school yet from the sounds of it. I just couldn't resist tormenting them, so I noted what a sad bunch of meat-beating was going on. Goddess will probably punish me for picking on them and enjoying it so much. (Or maybe she'll punish me for going so easy on them.) Now I have to remember to go back and see what sort of troll-rating I get from them, if my post is allowed to persist.

  Your little girl is a dollbaby, AndyT.

  And if your LGF algorithm is correct, I've added quite a bit more technicolor to their playpen, which makes my little cockroach soul very, very happy smiley.

  by raincrow on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 06:08:51 PM PDT

•  Andy

  I was going to post a comment on this earlier but got called away from the computer.

  I've been thinking about our community and how to help people feel that they, as an individual, are invited to attend ykos. I've been reading a lot of the diaries posted to solicit donations and calling out to people to attend. A few people made comments that really resonated with me, to the effect that they thought ykos was only for the inner circle, the people that diary and post a lot who are treated with a certain approbation.

  One strategy that might make people feel that ykos is for them would be for the ykos insiders to comment to individuals, usually after a good comment or diary, something to the effect of "you seem to have a lot to say about this or you always seem to make insightful comments [or something similar], it would be really great if you could attend ykos to contribute to the discussion there." I hope this doesn't sound too naff but it is easy here to feel like no one hears whatever you have to say or to feel insignificant compared with so many experts.

  Another suggestion is to start talking now about the activities that are planned for us to put faces and real names to blog names. And I don't mean a cocktail party or something. That is the biggest turn-off: to stand in a room filled with people you don't know and try to make conversation and hook up with someone whose blogname you recognise. Maybe there could be small group activities, even something as simple as assigning groups to have breakfast together or something, so that you can meet and talk in a relaxed way and then head over to the convention together. Maybe follow Kurt Vonnegut's idea (I can't remember which book) and assign people to families (I think he used Chipmunk, Daffodil and others) ahead of time. Maybe have a family rep post a diary ahead of the convention and talk to family members. And then at least at the ice-breaker, people could go and hook up with their family so they'd have someone to talk to and sit with, at least until they met other people. A few singles have expressed reservations about attending ykos alone and this might help convince them to come.

  Just some thoughts.

  Hope you meet your target. (I've already contributed.)

  by Thursday Next on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 06:29:17 PM PDT

  •  You have

    expressed my reservations, almost exactly.

    I'll probably be going anyways (if finances allow), just for a reason to go to Vegas.

    But, I may have to go alone and I've had reservations about the "inner circle" issue you mentioned.  I'm keeping my hopes up to see some more "flesh" put on this convention to sell me on it.

    by midvalley on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 07:25:22 PM PDT

    •  Please do come if you can!

      I think many of us, myself included, are a little nervous about going. I am going anyway, if, like you, finances allow. Although I am shy, I want to meet other progressives. It gets lonely here in Texas.

      by AndyT on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 08:48:44 PM PDT

  •  Don't know if this helps any

    but I don't think I am a part of any "inner circle." I got involved via volunteering for a project. I do understand your concerns though because in person I am terribly shy and if I can go (yes, I am a volunteer even though I might not be going) I am afraid of spending four days standing in a corner feeling awkward.

    I like your idea a lot about how to break the ice... don't suppose you would care to get involved, would you? Maybe you could help arrange some of the "break the ice stuff." Email me at fishmac at gmail.com if you want to help.

    One of the reasons you are not hearing a lot about the individual panels is because they are still somewhat in flux... getting politicians to commit to anything is hard. Getting Harry Reid to agree to be our keynote speaker was esssentially a full time job for one person. Nonetheless, I think we will have some really detailed and kickass announcements soon!

    by AndyT on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 08:42:50 PM PDT

    •  I thought about attending

      but I'm Canadian so I don't see that my contribution is really relevant to producing political change. I'm not an expert in anything useful politically, only medicine.

      by Thursday Next on Wed Mar 01, 2006 at 08:16:16 AM PDT

•  Made it !!

  8:50 PM. Donation done.

  by CalvinV on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 08:51:18 PM PDT

•  Can... not... resist... the... cute...

  Okay, okay! uncle! Just goes to show the power of baby snaps.  I just gave $10 of my precious stipend.
  

  by pedant on Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 09:13:14 PM PDT