It's high time for the third edition of what I felt were the top moments at Netroots Nation.
This is not a diary about the serious, activist things going on last weekend at the LEED-certified David L. Lawrence Convention Center in the great city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I'm pretty much going to avoid the whole panel thing, as other people will have diaried those.
This is about the behind-the-scenes goings-on that were really worth seeing. In other words, a "chocolate fountain" of a diary.
This is the first convention I attended where I had a camera, and boy, did I make good use of it. Of course (and this is far more important), it was also the first convention at which I could drink legally.
Ironically, this may have resulted in MORE footage I'm going to have to pass on letting people view. I'm speaking in particular of the beer I spilled over my head while trying to go back to filming the hilarious Katie Halper (I'd turned the camera to cville townie to get him to admit, on camera, to swiping OPOL's hat)
But enough about what I can't show you. Here's what I can.
1. Karaoke Night
Possibly the best idea (I believe cooked up by Adam Conner of Facebook in conjunction with "There's Only One Tim Lim") ever, this involved Netroots Nation attendees packing Mark's Grille to what was probably twice what the fire code allowed to see people perform some pretty awesome karaoke.
I myself did perform. You can probably guess which song I chose. Sadly (very, very, very sadly), the footage of this song did not find itself on my camera when I got home. I believe somebody else may have filmed it, and if so, I would be most grateful if they were to post it on Youtube.
However, although I didn't get myself, I did get a LOT of other fine people, which I put together into the below video. Specifically, I've got hekebolos, fbihop, Adam Green of the PCCC and whatever else he's doing these days, dday, vicki and clammyc, Mary Rickles, ct and BruinKid.
In addition, there are about 7 seconds of D Wreck waving a "lighter" on his iPhone back and forth during hekebolos' performance (there really IS an app for everything)
2. The Pub Quiz
This was, as always, a lot of fun-we did it in conjunction with the Candidate's Forum, sponsored by progressive Representative Jerry Nadler of Manhattan.
Here he is with Adam B, who I believe is wearing his newly purchased Michael Vick Eagles jersey :)
My team this year was "E.F. Lavender's," named after the great man who signed the President's real birth certificate. Other people on the team were occams hatchet, GoldnI, Tex Mex, citizenx, BruinKid, sardonyx and Jyrinx. For the first time, my team managed to place well enough to get prizes. The prizes ended up being DVD's of old Russ Feingold commercials and Creigh Deeds bumper stickers, but hey, we still finished, as Joe Lieberman would say, in a three way tie for second place.
We really cleaned up on the Intermezzo and Better Know a District rounds.
To refresh your memory, here's a link to Adam B's own diary on the Pub Quiz
The Intermezzo round was this question: "There are eleven* US states that have only been represented by Senators from one political party for the past twenty-five years -- 5 R, 6 D. Name 'em, one point each.
* May be ten, after checking. "
I'm just going to note that Adam B is WRONG here, by exhaustively listing how long all 50 states have been represented by Senators from one political party, who the last Senator of the opposing party was and when he/she left office (as well as the last Senator elected from an opposing party and when he/she was elected)
Feel free to skip down to here if you're not a hard-core enough of a political nerd (i.e. you're LAME).
Okay, here goes:
15 states are currently represented by Senators from differing political parties: Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont
For the other 35-
Alabama: Last Democrat to represent was Howell Heflin, who left office January 1997; however, Richard Shelby was the last Democrat elected to the Senate from Alabama, having won re-election as a Democrat in November 1992 before leaving the Democratic party after we lost control of the Senate in 1994.
Arizona: Last Democrat to represent and be elected was Dennis DeConcini, who left office January 1995 and was last elected in November of 1988
Arkansas: Last Republican to represent and be elected was Tim Hutchinson, who left office January 2003 and was last elected in November of 1996
California: Last Republican to represent was John Seymour, who left office November 1992; the last to be elected was Pete Wilson in November of 1988 (he appointed Seymour upon leaving the Senate to become Governor of California)
Colorado: Last Republican to represent and be elected was Wayne Allard, who left office January 2009 and was last elected in November of 2002.
Delaware: Last Republican to represent and be elected was Bill Roth, who left office January 2001 and was last elected in November of 1994, having served 28 years alongside our current Vice President
Georgia: Last Democrat to represent and be elected was technically Zell Miller, who won a special election in fall of 2000 and left office January 2005, but in reality was Max Cleland, who left office January 2003 and was elected in November of 1996
Hawaii: Last (and only) Republican to represent and be elected was Hiram Fong, who left office January 1977 and was last elected November 1970-thus, Hawaii qualifies under both 25 years standards.
Idaho: Last Democrat to represent and be elected was Frank Church, who left office January 1981 and was last elected November 1974-thus Idaho qualifies under both 25 years standards.
Illinois: Last Republican to represent and be elected was Peter Fitzgerald, who left office January 2005 and was last elected November 1998.
Kansas: The state with the longest one-party Senate streak, the last Democrat to represent and be elected was George McGill, who won in the Roosevelt landslide in November 1932 and left office January 1939
Kentucky: The last Democrat to represent and be elected was Wendell Ford, who left office January 1999 and was last elected November 1992
Maine: The last Democrat to represent and be elected was George Mitchell, who left office January 1995 and was last elected November 1988
Maryland: The last Republican to represent and be elected was Charles Mathias, who left office January 1987 and was last elected November 1980-thus Maryland qualifies only under the "elected" standard
Massachusetts: The last Republican to represent and be elected was Edward Brooke, who left office January 1979 and was last elected November 1972-thus Massachusetts qualifies under both standards
Michigan: The last Republican to represent and be elected was Spencer Abraham, who left office January 2001 and was last elected November 1994
Minnesota: The last Republican to represent and be elected was Norm Coleman, who left office January 2009 and was last elected November 2002
Mississippi: The last Democrat to represent and be elected was John Stennis, who left office January 1989 and was last elected November 1982-thus Mississippi qualifies only under the "elected" standard
Montana: The last Republican to represent and be elected was Conrad Burns, who left office January 2007 and was last elected November 2000
New Jersey: The last Republican to represent was Nicholas Brady, who served in the Senate for 6 months in 1982, having been appointed after Democratic Senator Harrison Williams got indicted and convicted in ABSCAM and resigned pending an expulsion vote; he didn't run in November and Frank Lautenberg was able to save our party's ass (as he would do again 20 years later when Torricelli got into big trouble). The last Republican to be elected was Clifford Case, who was last elected in November 1972-so New Jersey qualifies under both standards
New Mexico: The last Republican to represent and be elected was Pete Domenici, who left office in January 2009 and was last elected in November 2002
New York: The last Republican to represent and be elected was Al D'Amato, who left office in January 1999 and was last elected in November 1992
North Dakota: The last Republican to represent and be elected was Mark Andrews, who was last elected in November 1980 and left office in January 1987-thus, North Dakota qualifies only under the "represented" standard
Oklahoma: The last Democrat to represent and be elected was David Boren, who left office in November of 1994 and was last elected in November 1990
Oregon: The last Republican to represent and be elected was Gordon Smith, who left office in January 2009 and was last elected in November 2002
Pennsylvania: The last Republican to represent and be elected was Arlen Specter, who left the Republican party in April 2009 and was last elected in November 2004
Rhode Island: The last Republican to represent and be elected was Lincoln Chafee, who left office in January 2007 and was last elected in November 2000
South Carolina: The last Democrat to represent and be elected was Fritz Hollings, who left office in January 2005 and was last elected in November 1998
Tennessee: The last Democrat to represent was Jim Sasser, who left office in January 1995, and the last Democrat to be elected was Al Gore in November of 1990
Texas: The last Democrat to represent was Robert Krueger, who lost a rare Senate special election to Kay Hutchison in June 1993, and the last Democrat to be elected was Lloyd Bentsen in November 1988, continuing the Democratic party's long tradition of picking a vice presidential candidate whose Senate seat was up for re-election that year (we've done it in each of the last 3 presidential elections-John Edwards just didn't run)
Utah: The last Democrat to represent and be elected was Frank Moss, who left office in January 1977 and was last elected in November 1970-Utah thus qualifies under both standards
Virginia: The last Republican to represent and be elected was John Warner, who left office in January 2009 and was last elected in November 2002
Washington: The last Republican to represent and be elected was Slade Gorton, who left office in January 2001 and was last elected in November 1994
West Virginia: The last Republican to represent and be elected was W. Chapman Revercomb, who won a special election in 1956 and left office in January 1959, replaced by Robert Byrd-West Virginia thus qualified under both standards
Wisconsin: The last Republican to represent and be elected was Robert Kasten, who left office in January 1993 and was last elected in November 1986
Wyoming: The last Democrat to represent and be elected was Gale McGee, who left office in January 1977 and was last elected in November 1970-thus Wyoming qualifies under both standards
Thus, under the "represented" standard, there were actually only 8 states-4 Democratic (HI, MA, NJ, WV) and 4 Republican (ID, KS, UT, WY)
End political nerd stuff
3. Candid Contributing Editors
I've always enjoyed spending time with the Contributing Editors, and this year was no exception.
A candid video of a "dirty deal" going on between Susan G and Scout Finch, with Steve Singiser looking on
ct and anonymous contributing editor overlord
I'm not going into that much detail as to what was discussed, but here's a vague sense of what I remember talking about:
- A wet t-shirt contest with Scout Finch
- How to be a good troll with Page
- Strong-arming someone into a Congressional race with Arjun and Dana
- Burning fires of Centralia, PA with Laura, ct and Steve
- My having unwittingly inserted myself into the highly contentious flamewar between UNITE HERE and Workers United with Jake
I can't remember what was being discussed with Bill, Meteor Blades and mcjoan, but it may have involved the GOPosaur shirt being the only thing holding up the entire Daily Kos booth in the exhibit hall.
Dana and David Waldman (Kagro X, for those who haven't yet made the transfer); David's eyes are closed, but I figured it was a good look for him-feel free to disagree
4. Fun in the Main Hall
Unfortunately, nothing will ever beat the outstanding awesomeness of the messages texted to the Big Board by clonecone and taylormattd in Chicago in 2007. However, there was one point after Sestak spoke which I felt was worth photographing.
Of course, that didn't compare to what was going on in the bathroom in the convention hall. Of course, again, nothing can ever compare to the Larry Craig Caucus that was held in the men's room in Austin. However, I think this came close.
Here's what was waiting for myself and others in the toilet stalls.
5. The Real Truth about Markos Moulitsas
Markos, seen here tweeting/texting during the Specter-Sestak forum, has had a lot of people purport to know the truth about him, most notably francislholland.
But only at Netroots Nation was the real truth revealed. Not his birth certificate, of course; everyone knows Markos was hatched, not born.
But the next best thing-pictures of him from his college newspaper column, courtesy of Steve Kapitan of the City of Dekalb.
6. Progressives Find Jesus
No fooling. The Daily Kos party was held in the Altar Bar, a converted church.
Outside, it still looked pretty church-like.
But inside, it had been converted into a den of iniquity.
Here's navajo and some other progressives dancing like there's no tomorrow (which, in terms of the convention, there wasn't)
I actually was a little late to the party. I know you're wondering "What could possibly have made DemocraticLuntz late to the open bar Daily Kos party."
Well, I'll tell you. See, I met a nice Jewish girl at the convention who works for the AFL-CIO in DC and blogs here some. Sure, she's (as far as I could tell) three years older, but I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to have dinner with her, her friend (a GW alum), and two of his friends/acquaintances (one of whom is a sophomore at GW; I guess it's a small world).
Frankly, this was probably a good decision, even though it took forever for our food to come. After all, without any food in my stomach, I might've, uh, spilled beer on myself-no, did that. Gotten slapped by GoldnI, no wait, that also happened. Though I don't precisely recall what precipitated it, I'm sure it was richly deserved. Lost my phone, no, I managed that for about 4 hours also-thankfully someone there had found it and given it to the owner.
Overheard at Netroots Nation
"One person's crazy is another person's sane"-Valerie Jarrett (huh?)
"Then we can totally crush his soul from the inside"-Adam Conner on Van Jones
"[Senator Specter] was like, No, I don't know Nate. See, he didn't realize Nate's kind of a big deal, and he thought [Ari Melber] was playing the Jewish name game. 'Do you know Nate Silver? From temple?" -the always hilarious Katie Halper
"I'm not a hip urbanite. I had to Google teabagging to find out what that was all about" Representative Brad Miller on his "San Francisco soulmate Markos Moulitsas"
"Nixon was Communist compared to those who came after ..." -Bill Clinton
"We're kinda like the girl you had under the bleachers but didn't take to the prom" -Susie Madrak to Joe Sestak at the Pennsylvania Leadership Forum
(In an elevator in the hotel)
Markos: I'm the worst leader in the history of the world
David Goldstein (of horseass.org): You know Markos, that's what makes you the best.
Epilogue from Sunday morning
This isn't technically a "Top Moment" but I want to make sure everyone knows that there's someone (much) younger than me here, Populista.
Here he is with fellow panelists femlaw, casperr and kath25
And here are my roommates (Jyrinx, BruinKid and ben masel) as well as dwcal and Lefty Coaster at breakfast at DeLuca's
Last, but not least, One Pissed Off Liberal after having dropped a coffee cup on me