The True Meaning of YearlyKos

[Bob Geiger]

"Bob Geiger!" yelled Christy Hardin Smith, of Firedoglake as she wrapped me in a warm hug in the hallway of the Riviera Conference Center at YearlyKos.

It was easy to spot Christy by the crowd of people gathered around her and I quickly lost hope of meeting her at the very start of the conference when I saw that Ambassador Joe Wilson was also part of that conversation group. Between Christy and Ambassador Wilson -- who exposed the White House lie about Saddam Hussein attempting to get uranium from Niger -- I was looking at two of the people most of the 1,000 attendees at this blogger/activist event would be itching to meet.

Despite being in a hurry to get to yet another speaking engagement or interview, Christy spent a few minutes with me and we went on to have quite a bit of time together over the course of the four-day conference.

And so it went for a wonderful long weekend. I got to hang out with many bloggers I've long admired such as Duncan Black (Atrios), John Aravosis (AmericaBlog), Mike Tronnes (Cursor.org), Jane Hamsher, Christy and Pachacutec (Firedoglake), Dave Johnson (Seeing the Forest), Matt Stoller and Chris Bowers (MyDD), Martin Longman (Booman Tribune), Mike Stark (Calling All Wingnuts), John Byrne (Raw Story), Evan Derkacz and Don Hazen (Alternet), Skippy (The Bush Kangaroo), TBogg and too many other wonderful, talented people to mention in one place.

In addition, there were a ton of nice, smart blog readers, commenters and activists who, along with my fellow writers, helped make the event everything I had hoped it would be: An interesting, stimulating and incredibly fun four days of meetings, discussions and not a little good old-fashioned partying.

While that was all incredible and would by itself make me vow to forego all other vacations to return again in 2007, the social aspect of this event isn’t what really speaks volumes about where the progressive movement and, specifically, the blog community has come in terms of impact and influence in a relatively short amount of time.

Think of it: This is an event that DailyKos had the nerve to try to put on and for which they received a fair amount of ridicule from the right-wing in early 2006 for what the wingnuts assumed would be an ill-attended disaster.

And what did we end up with for speakers? In addition to Ambassador Wilson, we had Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Mark Warner -- the former governor of Virginia and presumed 2008 presidential contender -- General Wesley Clark, Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Iowa's Governor Tom Vilsack and Senator Harry Reid (D-NV).

Yes, that Harry Reid. The freakin' Senate Minority Leader came to Las Vegas to speak to us -- and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was scheduled to appear, but had to cancel at the last minute due to Congressional imperatives.

It would have been reasonable for many to expect that the relatively-young progressive blog community would have been able to draw perhaps some Democratic mayors or local office holders, but never a veritable Who's Who of the Democratic party. These luminaries were joined by a number of people vying for Congressional seats --- including Nancy Skinner in Michigan -- who were also there to garner support from people whose relevance has now been officially confirmed by those whose opinions matter.

For some, the $75,000 party thrown for conference attendees by the Warner camp -- an extravagant fete at the Stratosphere Casino complete with open bar, sushi, lavish buffets, ice sculptures and live entertainment -- was too much and was an unseemly shot of excess. I even heard one attendee (who still happened to come to the party) grumble that this money would have been much better spent elsewhere, on a more serious cause.

I could not possibly disagree more.

Most of us make no money from the long hours we spend researching and writing for our web sites. We do it because we love it and because we want to make a positive difference in the direction of our country.

As a group, we have earned this treatment and the underlying respect it implies. It is a profound acknowledgement that our efforts have brought us right to where we wanted to be: At the grown-ups' table. Politicians like Warner have always thrown similar bashes for contributors and the press and it's not because they like hanging with them -- it's because they need them.

They now need us and their agenda needs us. We've proven it and they know it. Ain't nothing wrong with that.

I started blogging 15 months ago. First on my own site and now at Democrats.com, Democratic Underground and Alternet. A measly 15 months. And yet, there I sat -- me! -- discussing golf with Ambassador Joe Wilson in the YearlyKos media room. I sat in a very intimate press conference with Senator Barbara Boxer and got to ask her a question from three feet away. I got to meet Harry Reid and Howard Dean and shake their hands.

That's what YearlyKos means. It doesn’t mean at all that I have personally become that important and that relevant, it means we have -- and that includes bloggers, our readers and anyone else being active and making a difference. We're here, we're a force and we matter.

And that's something to celebrate.

You can reach Bob Geiger at [e-mail] and read more from him at Democrats.com.

[wyldwolf]

1. I agree 100% with the Warner passage

After all, he "KOSfest" cost about $360. a person. http://www.yearlykos.org/register - not even including transportation, hotel stay, and meals (unless you live off the one provided lunch per day.)

With an estimated 900 in attendance we get $324,000.

If Warner could have put his money elsewhere, then certainly these folks could have pooled their cash and made a hefty difference.

[Democrat 4 Ever]

2. Why do Dems always pick at the scab instead of admiring how

nicely the wound is healing? Warner is "allowed" to spend his money any dang way he pleases. And if he decided it would be money well spent to wine and dine a thousand progressive bloggers I say more power to him. (You think the repug 2008 candidates aren't out doing meet and greets?) So many of these people toil away long hours each day making sure the progressive word gets out to millions and millions of people - let them enjoy an evening with an up and coming star in the Democratic party.

Unlike the repugs, money isn't the almighty god of everything. Yes, we will need to raise money, yes, we have our work cut out for us - but one damn night, one damn party won't fix all problems. Yearly KOS is an excellent beginning for recognizing and developing a cohesive Dem unit and I say - FINALLY! Now let's get busy.

That said, thank you Gov. Warner, I wish I could have joined you at your celebration and thanking of the progressive blogger movement.

[wyldwolf]

3. I agree 100%.

[oxbow]

4. Sounds great Bob. I have fine memories of my last "Take Back America" conf

this sounds like it was even bigger, and I wish I could have made it.

[Voltaire99]

5. I prefer to see the "true meaning"...

...as being expressed by Michael J. Smith in his hilarious account of Yearly Kos at Counterpunch.com.

As Smith indelibly put it, " gathering of insurgents demanding re-admittance to the sheepfold."