The first time I hosted a MoveOn event, everything went wrong. So this time, hosting a Potluck For The Planet/cum Live Earth talkfest last weekend, a very organised and capable friend of mine from the El Cerrito Democratic Club co-hosted and we tried to give everybody a chance to speak publicly for 4 minutes each, but just couldn't be heard above the din!
...from people I've never met before
but yet feel like I've always known
like here found seriously noshing: Richard and Elizabeth
and also old buddies like Doug and Nancy who I've known since our kids were in kindergarden
and kossacks like party photographer ormondotvos.
So lacking this structure, some of us got to say more at this event than others, like my new friend Susan who walked down the hill from Kensington!
and Ben, who hates all the candidates, with my co-host Yvonne from theECDC
and Joe From The Rockridge Institute! (appropriately dressed in green!)
and sadly, yours truly, we all just had so damn much more to say that the rest of us didn't get a word in!
In truth, it was kossacks, me and Joe and Ormond among the worst offenders, keeping a standing room only crowd going long past our bedtimes
Of course everyone was able to chat one on one (even with us talkhogs) like Sarah, who I found has a beautiful website of her art.
Kossack ormondotvos took these great pictures when he could tear himself away from what is clearly his specialty, food photography...
thanks to whoever told me about biodegradable plastic cornstarch forks and spoons and these cups and plates made of sugar cane waste that are also compostable.
We had an overflow crowd and so we took turns vetting the candidates video on climate change
graciously hosted in the living room by my sons dog visiting for the weekend.
But although we didn't get all get a chance to present our thoughts to everyone on each of the candidates, all voted later online and I was pleased that my pick - Edwards (if The Goracle doesn't step in) won by a landslide, though I thought both Dodd and Richardson put up cogent arguments and convinvcing details that suggest to me that they also would do as well in the presidency as where they are now. But a better idea: Richardson: please run for the Senate! We need more climate voters in the senate.
I had a thoroughly enjoyable time meeting everyone in my neighbourhood who is at least as outraged as me at the horrific fix we are in and ready to get to work to solve it. It was interesting how many furious activists are out there who did not know about dailykos. (I think we may have about thirty new signups from this group alone!)
So to everyone who came, thanks! It was terrific to meet you all. And to those who have never been to a MoveOn potluck, or held one: go for it! This is a great way to connect with other people who live near you who want change and who can help make it happen! Some of us here had worked with MoveOn to help swing the turning point election in 2006
and we have so much more to do!
The way this event worked was MoveOn asked all of us MoveOn members to send our climate legislation questions in via video for each candidate. The questions were much more pertinent and detailed than the easy ones that they are used to from the press, and so it really helped separate the wheat from the chaff, although obviously any of these is better than any of the Republican candidates. I think these very meaty videos should be kept for when we are in the nasty evil throes of October 2008, and we should throw more neighbourhood parties to show them again to counteract the effect of the attack ads that will surely be swamping people then.
To my fellow kossacks, please welcome over 30 activist neighbours of mine who never heard of dailykos, and to my unknown neighbours, thanks for coming by my house for a great potluck! It was great to get together with you all, and I hope that you join the other half a million a day of us activist readers and writers here at dailykos where everyone does get time to be heard! ...to start reading here on environmental matters head on over to dailykos environmentalists for a heads-up on the days hot environmental discussions...