Those of you who were unable to be here have been crying for photos, descriptions, liveblogging, video, and all sorts of other fun stuff. I aim to please. Make the jump and I'll share photos from the last couple days.

Without a doubt, one of the greatest achievements of the netroots has been the creation of new forums where citizens and elected leaders sit together and talk about the future of the country.  If Thomas Jefferson could have seen the Leadership Forum at last year's YK in Chicago, he would have nodded in approval and said, "That's exactly what I meant by 'We The People.'" 

Well, this year, the organizers at Netroots Nation have stepped up again, organizing another citizen-driven forum called: Ask The Speaker.   Last year, we spoke with the Democratic candidates for President.  This year, we will spend an entire keynote session in conversation with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  Sometimes I can hardly believe how far the netroots has come, and in such a short amount of time.  Amazing!

June is going to be a busy month for NYC Kossacks and our Living Liberally friends.

There are three exciting events being held at The Tank in lower  Manhattan.

DATES

Sunday, June 8
Netroots Nation (low-dollar) fundraiser and film screening

Wednesday, June 11
Reading Liberally features our own Jeffrey Feldman

Wednesday, June 18
Good old-fashioned meetup and potluck with Eating Liberally WITH SPECIAL GUEST !

See details on these events below the fold...

A jaded colleague once repeated an old adage to me as she stood up to get her umpteenth plaque for news reporting, "Awards are like hemorrhoids, every asshole eventually gets one." The heavily credentialed Liz Trotta has proved the truth of that saying with her rancid performance on Foxaganda.

As I watched the sickening video that Lauren S posted Sunday afternoon showing Trotta calling Senator Obama "Osama" and chortling about bumping both of them off, I was reminded that Roger Ailes himself once made the same equation of Obama with the bearded guy at the top of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. That was called a joke, too, by the way.

Trotta can't claim not to have known better. She graduated from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She's taught journalism. She's been in the business for decades. And she's gotten three hemorrhoids, er, Emmys for her coverage.  

She might have gotten away with labeling what she said a slip of the tongue. That, of course, could happen to anybody. But what followed was so despicable, so unprofessional, so utterly beyond any reasonable discourse that there is no question that this is how she really thinks. It's another outrageous example of why Jeffrey Feldman and others have felt the need to put together a group, Violent Rhetoric Watch. Feldman's disturbing book, Outright Barbarous: How the Violent Language of the Right Poisons American Democracy, provides the details of an ongoing phenomenon that can lead, and has led in the past, to real violence. (Feldman's Diary on Mitt Romney's Mike Huckabee's assassination joke on Obama is here.)

As Feldman wrote in the Huffington Post Sunday:

Perhaps I am overly optimistic, but I do not believe there are very many people in our country--or anywhere else for that matter--who laugh or find it remotely funny when broadcast pundits stoop to the level of making jokes about killing an elected leader. It does not feel funny. It feels like someone spitting in our faces. ...

When we hear such "jokes" about assassinating a member of the Senate--a member of our government--we do not laugh, but instead wonder. We wonder what has happened to broadcast media in our country. We wonder to ourselves, to our families, and to our friends: How have we arrived at this point? How has our broadcast media so utterly lost its moral compass?

That same optimism leads me to conclude that the vast, vast majority of Americans do not want this kind of vile, utterly disgusting, "assassination" humor to become a recurrent part of our national debate between now and the general election, nor at any other time. ...

The reason for a free press--for our free press--is not to degrade our political institutions, undermine our elections, and threaten our politicians, but to strengthen and sustain our deliberative democracy.

If FOX News or any other broadcast media outlet cannot live up to that standard, then they should shut off their lights, sell their equipment, and choose another line of work.

But neither Fox nor the other spouters of violent rhetoric, lies and propaganda will live up to that standard because their role is not to strengthen democracy, rather to serve as conduits for those who see democracy as an obstacle to their goals. Liz Trotta is just a paid asshole. Fox and the other merchants of violence and untruth are something a good deal worse.

I just came back from the Michigan Policy Summit, and boy am I excited! The summit included keynotes by Amy Goodman of Democracy NOW! and the legendary Jim Hightower.  Also, Jeffrey Feldman and Marcy Wheeler, who have Michigan ties, were also there (check out Feldman's liveblog).

In addition, breakout sessions were held dealing with issues surrounding the environment, healthcare, and education.

I had the privilege to participate in the book talk with John Dean on Firedoglake yesterday and he gave me an answer to my burning question that is giving me much food for thought.  I also read Mr Feldman's diary this morning and feel  he has some points about our need for finding ways to be passionate about our positions without creating enmity. I think John Dean had some very pertinent answers for Mr Feldman and all of us.

Read on below the fold ...

In this diary, Jeffrey Feldman makes a modest request:

Take a few minutes, tonight, and ask yourself what you can do to start focusing DailyKos and the Democratic Party's attention on the problems we face in the election.

Make some notes.  Create a file. Share your thoughts. Find some partners. Exchange emails. Post a diary. Plan a meeting.  Call some friends. Craft a strategy.  Get back on track.

A lot of people saw O'Reilly Defamed Me, about O'Reilly's misrepresentation of my own statements, and anti-Semitism, on Daily Kos.

Well, it earned Bill-O "Morer" on Olbermann's Worst Person in the World round-up last night.  Bill-O also, by the way, got Worstest, a two-fer.

Flip for more, and action to take.

This year's YK2007 was absolutely incredible.  For me there were many fantastic aspects to this trip--foremost among them meeting people and feeling the love and support for our campaign for Congress.  It was an event and a feeling I will never forget.

There were so many beautiful people who wanted to shake my hand and who offered me congratulations, words of encouragement and contributions. Teacherken was fabulously helpful; he dragged me to meet John Dean, George Lakoff and Jeffrey Feldman, Darcy Burner and others.

I know we as a community and our campaign for Congress have arrived for a lot of reasons. Not the least is that we have the support and offers of help from Ken, George and Jeffrey to go along with that of so many people who stopped me this weekend to offer congratulations and support and contributions.

Jeffrey Feldman of Frameshop asked us to send him questions for the Democratic presidential candidates participating in the YearlyKos panel in a few days.  Well, I have a question – and I think it’s a hard one.  Here it is:

What plans do you have to raise the level of discourse in the political community and in the national political conversation so that we can have a productive exchange of ideas and work together for the common good of our people and of the country?

In October 2004, a month before the presidential election, one of our Maryland state politicians put together a "Progressive Summit," billed as a way to "energize the base."  Held on a Saturday at a hotel in Columbia, Maryland, it was a gathering of Democrats and progressives to hear speeches and get some training about hot political issues and what we could do about them.  

When I first started blogging in late 2004, I never dreamed that I would someday write this sentence:  If you have a question you'd like me to consider asking the next President of the United States, submit it here.

Holy online democracy, Batman!  A little over two weeks from today, the second annual YearlyKos Convention in Chicago, IL will host a Democratic Presidential Candidate Forum August 4, 2007, led by top blogger mcjoan, New York Times journalist Matt Bai, and yours truly. 

We are ramping up for the big event in the virtual Windy City.

The stadium is built, although we have some fit and finish stuff to do there and at the rest of the site. There's room for 200 avatars gathered around the octagonal Jumbotron, where you can now see NYBri's YKSL 2006 video.  This is the venue for the keynotes and other events that will be available via live video during the convention.

1) Did any previous presidential pardon/commutation involve crimes that impacted NATIONAL SECURITY and resulted in the AVOIDABLE DEATH of THOUSANDS of GI's and HUNDREDS of BILLIONS $US in WAR PROFITEERING linked to the Whitehouse ( e.g.: Haliburton ) ? IT'S UNPRECEDENTED!!!

2) In this case the pardon/commutation itself is an act of OBSTRUCTION of justice, since the underlying crime being investigated was the deliberate disclosure of a covert agent identity that was initiated by conspirators within the executive branch.

• The FACTS revealed in the case indicated that both the VP and the POTUS were involved in the disclosure of the identity of a covert agent for the purpose of political retribution against a government official who blew the whistle on the DELIBERATE FABRICATION OF WMD INTELLIGENCE that was used to justify the INVASION OF IRAQ! Niger yellow-cake allegation was deemed BOGUS by 100% of the US INTEL community that notified the POTUS who disregarded the MEMO and included the 16 words in the SOTU address in 2003, months before INVADING IRAQ on the premise that Saddam was an IMMINENT THREAT with UAV's that could attack the US with ANTHRAX, etc.

...

On Thursday July 5, the Yearly Kos in Second Life organizing team is thrilled to announce that Jeffrey Feldman, author of Framing the Debate will be joining us for an interview, some Q&A and to mingle with the YKSL crowd.  Jeffrey will also talk about the YearlyKos presidential candidate roundtable, where he will be one of the moderators.

He'll be joining us at 6 pm PDT, and after the talk, the usual Thursday dance party will commence.

I just came back from the city. I went to the Edwards Small Change for Big Change at the Strata.

My version of events starts with me all the way down the block, then around the block at the end of a veeerry long line. Met a couple of nice people on line, not bloggers, like us, but politically aware nonetheless. This particular couple was supporting Edwards because they felt he had the best chance to win the general election. They liked Obama, but felt he wouldn't do all that well along the bible belt. They did not like Hillary and essentially felt that Hillary and Bill had their turn at the White House. The thing I've always found with Edwards supporters is a strong blend of idealism, practicality with a good dose of reality dashed in. This couple was no different. They were there to support Edwards, not to worship.

Anyway after a while, the line started moving up. Slowly. One step at a time. So up the block, then around the block, and then finally, I spotted someone with a list. Yay! A lovely young lady, found my name and marked my hand with an "X", which I'm still wearing proudly. Until I shower that is. Another gentleman cuffed my right wrist with a yellow poverty, hospital tag. Then I went in. Finally.

Flip with me...

A lot has been written today about Senator Carl Levin's announcement that he has ceded Congress' Constitutional power of the purse to George W. Bush.  

But I cannot vote to stop funding the troops while they are in harm's way, conducting dangerous missions such as those recently begun north of Baghdad...As long as our nation's policies put them there, our troops should hear an unequivocal message from Congress that we support them.

While Levin quotes Lincoln to justify his position, dov12348 reminds us of what the "father of the Constitution," James Madison had to say on the subject:

Those who are to conduct a war cannot in the nature of things, be proper or safe judges, whether a war ought to be commenced, continued, or concluded. They are barred from the latter functions by a great principle in free government, analogous to that which separates the sword from the purse, or the power of executing from the power of enacting laws....

...and Jeffrey Feldman points out that:

Senator Levin, the only way to send a wrong message to our soldiers is to tell them that Democrats will try anything short of everything to bring them home.  "We will try everything--without pause, without fear--to end the Bush Iraq policy that is destroying the lives of America's soldiers!" That is the only right message to send the troops.  Can you not see that, yet?

And with those responses to Levin's op-ed already written, I decided I'd take a different tack, and simply bring you the news out of Iraq from just the past two days:

...a roadside bomb that struck a convoy in northeastern Baghdad on Thursday, killing five U.S. soldiers, three Iraqi civilians and one Iraqi interpreter, the military said.

A rocket-propelled grenade struck a vehicle in northern Baghdad about 12:30 p.m. Thursday, killing one soldier...

Four other U.S. soldiers were killed and one was wounded Wednesday when their convoy was struck by a roadside bomb...

Southwest of Baghdad, two U.S. soldiers were killed and four were wounded Wednesday when explosions struck near their vehicle...

Two Marines also were killed Wednesday while conducting combat operations...

You want to support the troops, Senator?  Then bring them home.

Update:  Senator Feingold has responded to Senator Levin's op-ed:

In the opinion piece, Levin mischaracterized the effort led by Feingold and Majority Leader Harry Reid as somehow cutting off funding for U.S. troops. In fact, the Feingold-Reid bill would not end funding for the ongoing military mission in Iraq until U.S. troops had been safely redeployed out of harm’s way.

"I’m pleased that Senator Levin and Senator Jack Reed have finally come to the conclusion that a timetable for redeployment with a hard deadline is what we need to safely redeploy our troops from Iraq," Feingold said. "But I’m disappointed that Senator Levin chose to announce his shift by disingenuously suggesting that the Feingold-Reid plan would somehow cut funding for troops in harm’s way. Senator Levin knows full well that the plan I introduced with Majority Leader Harry Reid, and which was supported by a majority of Senate Democrats, would end funding for the war in Iraq only after our brave troops have been safely redeployed out of Iraq. It is time for Senator Levin and Senator Jack Reed to drop their opposition to the Feingold-Reid plan to safely redeploy our troops by March 31, 2008, and then end funding for the mistake in Iraq."

Senator Levin and Senator Jack Reed previously had been critical of timetables culminating in a firm end date as a way to bring our military involvement in Iraq to an end. Despite Levin's current criticism of efforts to use Congress's power of the purse to end the war, Levin voted for a similar effort with regard to Somalia in 1993. In October 1993, Levin joined 75 other Senators in voting for an amendment to require redeployment of U.S. troops from Somalia by setting a deadline after which funding for the military mission there was terminated. The amendment was passed into law and U.S. troops were redeployed from Somalia by the deadline.

Crossposted at MyDD

Thanks again to everyone who helped with and attended the YKos grassroots fundraiser at Local 16 in DC Sunday evening.  With online & the door it raised between $2,500 & 3,000.  A good time was had by all.  It was an ecclectic group with many, many very popular bloggers, local activists, TBA attendees from all over the country and a fine group of speakers.  I won't begin to list all of the great bloggers because I know I'll leave too many people out, suffice it to say that if an asteroid had hit the place the bloggosphere would have been about half wiped out.

DC Area Kossacks!!  Take Back America Attenders!

THIS IS IT!  Today’s the day to kick off a great progressive week!  Come to the YearlyKos fundraiser PARTY this afternoon.  

5-7:00 pm at Local 16, 1602 U St. NW, Washington DC 20009

$35 in advance (see www.yearlykosconvention.org);
$40 at the door

Details on guests and speakers below the fold......read on.....