Because Hendrik Hertzberg is blogging it. (Actually, the fact that Hertzberg, the primary political writer for the New Yorker, is blogging at all has to be some kind of zeitgeist-buckling omen.)
And for those of you who haven’t a clue what in heaven’s name I’m talking about:
The Yearly Kos is an annual convention that gets the so-called Netroots community together. The netroots, by the definition of the Yearly Kos organizers is “the US-based (but globally focused and inclusive) non-partisan grassroots political action community that uses the Internet and blogs as primary tools for: expressing viewpoints, building consensus, acting to change the status quo, mobilizing huge numbers of people and informing each other and the world about current events, grassroots actions, networks, meetings, policy and more.”
The inaugural Yearly Kos took place last year in Las Vegas. This year it’s in Chicago and it’s going on right now.
It’s a four day blogapalooza with decidedly progressive leanings—and a certain amount of actual power, at least in the eyes of the Democratic prez candidates who all turned out to participate, with the exception of Joe Biden.
But that isn’t the point. I just wanted to tell you about Hertzberg…..blogging!
What’s been almost as much fun, has been observing other bloggers going ga-ga over the fact that Hendrik’s blogging. Some of the chatter has been genuinely hilarious. He doesn’t appear to have a whole lot to say, however. I almost sent him an email telling him to git goin’ for heaven’s sake, but I’m guessin’ that you don’t write git goin’ to Hendrik Hertzberg.
Next year “Yearly KOS” will be retitled “Netroots Nation” to emphasize that it is more than a platform for Markos. It is now a player and the presense of so many Dem candidates showed its growing importance. So important that the right is kvetching its lack of a YK. Ypically, if Micah Sfry, they laim more people but less savvy. I think there’s a reason the left got there first. Participatory Democracy was always a big deal and, sorry Pokey and Woody, there is a strong authoritarian streak on the right waiting for the “Message” and that will always be a hinderence.
Still those “Dirty Hippies” (ATRIO’s term for the MSM’s feelings about the netroots) are growing up. So Hendrick Herzberg was there! Well isn’t that precious! Next year no political reporter worth his or her salt will miss it unless they want to prove that they are as clueless as Broder and Dowd.
Nah, Listener, I think you definitely should tell him to git goin’. Molly Ivins would want you to do it. (And he needs the advice.)
RLC, yeah, Dowd and the like have made themselves less and less relevant in the past few years with exactly the attitude you’re flagging.
Sooooo, Richard, since now that YOU’RE blogging and I’M blogging, I say we meet up for a drink the next year at the newly-renamed Netroots Nation. The pinot noir’s on me.
(Any other reader/commenters also welcome.)
Me come too! I was probably a Dirty Hippie before Duncan Black was born – Er, maybe I ought to check that out. The Right is going to have to catch up with YouTube, MySpace, and FaceBook before it gets to a “Kos” equivalent. I’d think Ann Coulter would have quite a little bit she could reveal in a FaceBook page, eh?
You only presume that conservatives want a Kos equivalent. We don’t identify with groups and we don’t get riled up into a frothing frenzy over issues like the Left, which has more time and less sense.
“We don’t identify with groups and we don’t get riled up into a frothing frenzy over issues like the Left”
Stating this after the whores-for-wars frenzy, after 9-11? You right-wingers were in such a irrational state of delusional war-mongering, you let your right-wing alpha-male go after the wrong folks!
Aside from the asininity of folk that quote Woody as an example of right wing hyperbole and then use phrases such as “whores-for-wars,” “right wingers,” “irrational state of delusional war-mongering,” and “right-wing alpha-male” I am tickled by the Kos-kids and their misdirection. For example we have the quote: “the US-based (but globally focused and inclusive) non-partisan grassroots political action community that uses the Internet and blogs as primary tools…” Non-partisan? Really? Hmm, not to long ago when Cindy Sheehan announced her retirement and then decided to run for Pelosi’s seat she was kiked off the Kos diary list because (and look up the exact quotes if you please, I find it hard to look at Kos more than once a week – reminds me too much of chemo-therapy) of something to the effect of “I can’t post here anymore because my potential run for Congress is not on the Democratic ticket.”
(from: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/7/12/91014/1295 )
and “a self absorbed independent candidate seems a tragic way to honor Casey and fight for others. Since the diary title starts with the Word “I” it obvious what Cindy is now all about.” (from: http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2007/7/12/91014/1295/772#c772 )
Amusing isnt it, one of the most famous anti-war “moms” kicked off because she may run as an independent, not as a Democrat. And these are the folk that say they are “non-partisan?” Oh, and be sure to check out their airbrushed (something even this evil knuckledragging, neandertholic, karlrovian conservative never did) story about the Soldier in uniform who showed up at the kos fest and was tossed out because his reality didn’t jive with their fantasy. Yep, non partisan is the term… It just isn’t THEIR term.
someotherdude, you read too many liberal publications to know what’s true and what’s not.