Here are my pictures and stories from Netroots Nation.
Thank you so much to Democracy for America for the scholarship and every single person who donated.  I hope we can take even more people next year.  I couldn't have attended without the support of people like you all.

Democracy For America is a great organization that really had a presence in Austin, Texas for Netroots Nation. They have supported some great candidates and people this year. DFA has endorsed many New Yorkers, including SD-51 Democratic candidate Don Barber, NY-25 Democratic candidate Dan Maffei and NY-29 Democratic candidate Eric Massa, just to name a few.

They also are, thanks to all of your votes and support, responsible for paying my way in Austin. Thanks to the DFA/Netroots Nation scholarship, I was able to attend Netroots Nation with my registration and hotel paid for. Next year, I hope to assist DFA in their efforts to get more scholarship winners to Pittsburgh.

So, I'm taking all these foot pix.  And out at the Howard Dean bus launch, Thursday, I see George Lakoff.  "Can I photograph your feet?"  Done, but he says "You better photograph her feet, too."  Pretty woman in a dress?  Sure, why not?  "What's your name?"  Debbie Cook!  OK.  I like candidates as subjects.  And whups!

Turning to move on, a voice behind me says, "Hey!  Aren't you gonna photograph my feet?"  If ya wanna know who it was, you're gonna hafta click again...

I arrived at Austin yesterday just in time to hear Howard Dean speak outside the convention center.

It was one of those moments in life where timing is perfect.

In many ways Howard Dean's work as a presidential candidate and then as DNC chairman got me there.

So I flew into Austin Wednesday night from Seattle. The air lifted me as I took off. And as I landed here, I found I haven't yet touched the ground. You think I’m describing that seriously fine feeling of power, force, and speed on takeoff? Or that thud, squeal, brake, screech, ping, you can unfasten your seatbelts, we have arrived adrenaline rush on landing, MD-80 style, Texas-style? Nah. I’m talking about the rarified atmosphere surrounding the person who can afford to fly. One who flies. I’m not referring to the departure from the airport, or the release of the plane from earth as it catapults into the sky. I’m remarking on buoyance of spirit. I just realized I have set anchor too long.

Meet the Press, August 12, 2007:

MR. MOULITSAS:  ... I do agree with Harold the, that we, we do need to work together, and I hope you’ll be at next year’s YearlyKos conference...

REP. FORD:  I hope you’ll come to ours, too.

MR. MOULITSAS:  ...nicknamed -- it’s going to be called Netroots Nation, but, but what we need...

MR. GREGORY:  Would either of you go...

MR. MOULITSAS:  Yeah.

REP. FORD:  I would go.

MR. GREGORY:  ...to each other’s conventions?

MR. MOULITSAS:  I would, I would go.

REP. FORD:  I—I’d—I’ll make clear that I will be there next year.

Now:

Whose Movement?

Since its inception, one of the primary goals of the Netroots has been to examine the future of our movement.

Who are our leaders? Where should we build infrastructure?

And after last year's YearlyKos Convention, Markos went on Meet The Press to debate that very topic with Rep. Harold Ford Jr. Now, the two are meeting again at Netroots Nation for a lunchtime keynote discussion about party infrastructure.

This won't just be any keynote. This will be a chance for you to hear a casual discussion between the current chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council and a Netroots favorite. Then, you'll have a chance to ask questions of your own.

The noon session will be moderated by Arshad Hasan, Executive Director of Democracy for America.

The session's scheduled for lunch on Friday, July 18.  Will you be there?

Russ Feingold and DFA have a petition we should all sign.  DFA will deliver the petitions to every Senator on Tuesday morning, right before the expected vote.

I stand united with Senator Feingold and opposed to the so-called FISA compromise bill.  Any bill that untimately grants retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that helped President Bush spy on Americans must not pass.  Vote No.  Support a filibuster.  I am depending on you to stop this bill.  

Senate Petition to Stop Telecon Immunity

More, after the fold.

I’m very proud to announce that I have been given a scholarship by Democracy for America to Netroots Nation in Austin, TX, July 17-20th.  One of the reasons I applied for the scholarship is that I’m excited to bring more online grassroots efforts back to Idaho. But to do so, I need a little help from bloggers.  Would you think about buying me a beer?

Yeah, I know it's called a scholarship program, but "Scholarship Recipients" didn't look good for the title.  And scholar isn't a name that applies to all all of these wonderful activists, writers and researchers.

We made it to 30 scholarships!  I can't imagine 21 of these good people having to stay home.  Thanks so much to DFA and all the many generous donors who made this happen.  It takes 30 seconds to get to the happy dance in this YouTube - Picked because I couldn't resist the costumes.

Here's the link to the DFA announcement of the awards.  And my own listing and comments below the fold.  And, isn't it grand that we weren't limited to just nine of them!  Looking forward to seeing you all in Austin a month from now.

Today, Democracy for America will be making decisions on awardees for their Netroots Nation Scholarship program.  In the end, 121 applications submitted, not 128.  (There were a few duplicates.)  I don't know how many scholarships will be awarded yet, for two reasons.

1. DFA hasn't told me what the totals from over the weekend donations is yet.

2. There's still time to donate this morning.  This is the last call for that.  (Donate here.)

To that end, OPOL says he's throwing a last $100 in the pot, and challenges others to do the same.  And John Cusack?  If you are reading this?  Send me an email that you are sorry you can't attend, but would love to sponsor someone else.  (Just like other Kossacks with a lot less discretionary income than you have already done.)

By any means possible, I'd like to still add one more to the total scholarships to be awarded.  And right now is the absolute last chance

Tomorrow, DFA will be making decisions about the applicants for the Netroots Nation Scholarships.  Friday, it was confirmed that we had raised enough money to cover 25.  With what's come in since then, I think 30 scholarships might be within reach.  That's a great improvement over the initial nine offered.

I've been looking at the applications, and one of the many things I've discovered is that the President of the College Democrats at Idaho State University is a Kossack.  You ever wondered what's up in Pocatello?  Check out dianamarie13's diaries.  One is a report on making the arguments to her Republican father against voting for McCain.

You can still vote on the applications, but it probably won't change anything.  The best way to effect the outcome it to toss in a few more bucks.  And I'm offering match this evening, up to $100, towards that end.

Years ago, way back in 2003 and 2004, lots of us were frustrated and angry. We didn't have a clue as to how to change the direction this nation was going. We thought we were alone. Along the way we found blogs...for me it was via Billmon's Whiskey Bar, then TPM (before the cafe), then Eschaton, then DailyKos. There were so few of us then...and yet...they were like minded people and we weren't alone!

What has happened between 2004 and now is beyond unbelievable. A lot of us in the blogosphere were active locally. That was great, but it didn't address the issues in Washington D.C. We found our voice, we made a difference, and we can still make a difference.

If someone had said a bunch of bloggers would have had the Democratic Presidential candidates answering questions, and letting us cheer and boo, I would have done a roflmao! Yet it happened!

If someone had told me that I would meet General Clark in a small break-out session, I would have snorted in disbelief. Yet I did, and he was amazing!

Can we reach out and help others have these amazing experiences...Yes we can!
Yes we can make a difference today: Vote and Donate here!

Now that Barack Obama all but officially has the Democratic nomination, it's time to focus on our convention this summer.

And no, I'm not talking about the DNC convention in Denver, I'm talking about Netroots Nation in Austin!

A lot of us will be in Austin in mid-July for the convention, but for many people, paying the convention registration, lodging and travel makes attending the convention financially impossible.

Last year, kid oakland, a brilliant ideator and organizer, came up with a grassroots solution: scholarships for those who couldn't afford to make it.  This effort sent many enthusiastic netroots activists from underserved geographic areas who otherwise couldn't afford the convention costs to Chicago to participate.

This year, DFA has stepped in to fill k/o's shoes with an official Netroots Nation Scholarship program--and you're invited to apply!

More below.

Jim Dean is the current Chair of Democracy for America (DFA). As DFA's key spokesperson and fundraiser, Jim keeps DFA in the national spotlight. Jim brings DFA's mission across the country to all 50 states. He meets with candidates, organizers, party leaders and activists, inspiring everyone to get involved and take back our country. Jim has been involved with DFA since our founding in 2004. He has a long history of political involvement and was a key fundraiser for his brother, Howard's campaigns for President, Governor and Lt. Governor.

For many people, including myself, the decision to attend the two previous Yearly Kos conventions was easy.  We decided to go, we pulled out a handy-dandy credit card, registered, made our hotel and flight reservations and except for the packing, we were ready to roll.  But last year, kid oakland recognized that that wasn’t the case for many people.  

Last summer, Kid Oakland did what many of us kinda, sorta, in our mental wanderings had pondered but utterly failed to put into action. He began raising money to help people who wanted to attend the Yearlykos Chicago gathering but couldn’t afford it.

...What he raised would provide a few "scholarships" to Yearlykos. When he was done asking, 19 people, 17 of whom you can read about here, people who otherwise could not have attended, were in Chicago, enriching themselves and everyone else in attendance with their presence.

This year, with Yearly Kos morphing into Netroots Nation, Democracy for America joined in the effort to make the convention more diverse and inclusive, contributing scholarships to cover the cost of registration and hotel for 9 deserving candidates.   It gets better.  There has now been enough money has been raised to give out 16 scholarships, and this is where you come in.  

If you would like to attend Netroots Nation but just can’t swing it financially, you can apply for a scholarship here.  You can apply under your real name or your screen name, telling why you deserve a scholarship (along with some other, not too personal information).  But don’t delay because the deadline to apply is June 9.

And if you just want to help, at the same site, you can vote for the nominees that you think are the most deserving.  The scholarships will be awarded based on votes received, ethnicity, gender, and so on.  And after you vote, you can contribute money to help provide even more scholarships, and with over 80 applicants (so far), it would be great to get as many of them to Austin as possible.  

And there are other ways to contribute:  If you have frequent-flyer miles sitting around collecting dust, Land of Enchantment is coordinating a program to donate them to help off-set travel costs for deserving candidates.  Contact her here.

Or, if you’ve already registered for the convention and have since learned that you can’t attend, or you’re on a panel and won’t need it, please contact Land of Enchantment to arrange to donate it.  

So get busy...apply, contribute, donate and vote.  Help make Netroots Nations as inclusive as possible. But before you do all that, please give this a rec so as many people as possible see this.  

Last year, Kid Oakland organized a scholarship program for YearlyKos and I benefited from it greatly. No, I didn't get a scholarship myself. I didn't even apply.

A few weeks before the convention, one of my favorite bloggers emailed me. She couldn't afford the convention on her own, so she hadn't planned on going. It would have been a loss to our entire community, if we hadn't had the opportunity to meet her.  I remember her comments in my diaries and I know she's been around a while. She's very skilled at doing detailed research, and as a result, she's written many wonderful diaries.

When I received her email, it said: "I just found out I got a scholarship so I'll be there! Here's my cell so we can meet up!" In my opinion, our whole community benefited because she (and other scholarship recipients) were able to join us in Chicago.

More on the flip... (Hint: You can still help even if you can't afford to give money)

Wednesday, I wrote about the launch of CondiMustGo.com, the new campaign from TrueMajority.org, Democracy for America, and Brave New Films. My hope was to create a blogswarm to get ABC to pay attention and ask about torture at the debate. Of course, we all know what happened next.

ABC had a chance to ask the Presidential candidates if they thought torture was acceptable in America. In case they didn't think of this idea themselves, we even ran an ad on the local ABC affiliate right after the debate in Philadelphia with quotes from their own story.

Here's part of what John Nichols at The Nation had to say about Clinton, Obama and our campaign:

It would be more than refreshing if they both said, "Yes!" and promised to sign the "Condi Must Go" petition.

But ABC didn't get the hint.

So, its up to us again: to push this story out and make it big enough that the media has to cover it.

Last week, ABC news broke the torture story wide open Since then, the story has picked up steam online, but besides the Daily Show, the Nation, and Keith Olbermann, there has been a virtual media blackout on this issue since the story broke. Torture approved at the highest levels of government. The Secretary of State chairing meetings deciding how many times to punch, slap, or waterboard people in American custody.

Today, TrueMajority.org, Brave New Films, and Democracy for America came together to launch CondiMustGo.com.

Our message is very simple:

America will not stand for a Secretary of State who approved torture and then misled Congress. We call on the Presidential candidates to ask Secretary of State Rice to resign

1. ABC Broke the Story on Torture

2. We're running a 30 second version of the torture video on ABC right after the debate in Philly

3. ABC is hosting the debate tonight.

Please REC this diary so we can create a blog swarm and get ABC to ask this question at tonight's debate.