I've been to many conferences, and this was definitely one of the best - great speakers, friendly participants, amazing surprise guests - and Austin, TX is definitely a cool city to visit. Since I was sent there on a DFA scholarship, thanks in no small part to the help of New Jersey voters - I tried to keep the New Jersey-bound in the loop as much as possible, with a series of Netroots Nation diaries during the conference.

Now, I took a bunch of pictures, but I'm certainly no photographer. Still, flip on over to the other side to see some of them. It will definitely help me fill in some of the blanks left out in the earlier diaries, and recap some of the highlights of the conference.

This long primary season has been the absolute best thing to happen to the democratic party in a generation. Howard Dean's 50-state strategy has come to life in the primary precisely because we're fighting it out amongst ourselves to choose a nominee, not just in Iowa and New Hampshire anymore, but in South Carolina and Oklahoma and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico, and California and Texas and New York, and South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and,... well, maybe not Michigan.

And it's because of this process of engaging our own voters - and the independents who are newly registering as democrats and participating in droves - that we're going to Washington, D.C. to take back the White House. Yearggghhh indeed.

But.

While I actually don't mind a bit that PA, NC, IN, and ETC. get a chance to be courted and to have their say, we are starting to see the continued primary having the potential to hurt the morale of both Obama and Clinton supporters. (Yes, this may seem obvious to some. But then again, it seemed obvious to some that we should have rallied around one or the other of the candidates a long time ago, and they were wrong.)

"Obama-Clinton 2008" - that's where I think this is headed. I would be happy with that, and so would an awful lot of people.

UPDATE: WINNER!! Moments after posting this, the Oscar went to Freeheld! Congratulations Cynthia, and all those fighting for equality and the freedom to marry!

Nominated for Best Documentary Short, Freeheld, for those who don't know, chronicles one of the most courageous struggles we have ever witnessed, one that galvanized the progressive GLBT and straight communities in New Jersey.

Alternating from packed public demonstrations at the county courthouse to quiet, tender moments of Laurel and Stacie at home, "Freeheld" combines tension-filled political drama with personal detail, creating a nuanced study of a grassroots fight for justice.

Yesterday, my co-host and I on Blue Jersey Radio had the chance to interview the film's director, Cynthia Wade. For an insider's peak at how politics and film can be intertwined, have a listen.

Every Saturday morning from 10:30am to 11:00am, Blue Jersey Radio streams live with the latest buzz in New Jersey politics, interviews with newsmakers, and live callers from around the state and the country. We've been fortunate enough to be joined by State Legislators, Congressmen, and a Presidential Candidate.

But, this week, co-hosts Yours Truly and Jay Lassiter celebrate Oscar Weekend with one of our most interesting guests: Cynthia Wade, Director of the Academy-Award Nominated Documentary Short, Freeheld, which tells the story of Police Lieutenant Laurel Hester's courageous battle for justice for herself and her domestic partner against the Ocean County, NJ Freeholder Board. Thanks to the good folks at blogtalkradio.com, you can listen live to the interview right here.

On his exit from the presidential race, Governor Bill Richardson graciously heaped worthy praise on all the democratic candidates for the race they have waged, their service to our country, and the attributes that they have demonstrated. Tea-leaf readers might want to decipher who Richardson wants to win based on his descriptions of each candidate. But, it would depend on what you think is the biggest compliment.

So, without listing the names, what are we really looking for in a President?

UPDATE: Under pressure from rank-and-file democrats and the presidential campaigns themselves, the State Committee reversed course and is now seeking an open primary in New Jersey. In other words - We won!

They say all politics is local, and that includes Presidential Politics. Despite the DNC's effort to level the playing field nationwide for all candidates, at least in New Jersey, the state party apparatus still wants to control who gets access to the ballot, and where they appear.

Following an unprecedented arm-twisting campaign, the party establishment here is nearly united in support of Hillary Clinton for President. That, no one denies. So, when the NJ Democratic State Committee sent a letter to the Division of Elections about ballot preferences, do you think it was designed to level the playing field?

The answer is no, and the full story, as I wrote on Blue Jersey earlier, is below.

Not content to sit back and let Iowa decide the presidency, a coalition of Democratic and Progressive Grassroots Organizations in New Jersey are conducting the New Jersey Presidential Caucus this Friday evening, December 7, where New Jersey Democrats will hear from representatives of all the major Democratic presidential candidates and then participate in an Iowa-style caucus debate to select their top 3 presidential candidate choices.

While not a binding vote, the caucus results will be an indication of how the state’s activist Democrats will be deploying their support in the months leading up to the state’s February 5, 2008 primary election.

You can find all the details of the event here.