Sunday, July 25, 2010

Netroots Nations 2010 (2)

Ironically, while I was at Netroots Nation I had to constantly wrestle with technical difficulties on my end, so I was able to post less than I intended.

Quick comment of Harry Reid's appearance: he made his points about the real accomplishments of this Congress, including the stimulus bill, health care reform and financial reform. He also heard some real impatience and sense of urgency from the crowd on defending Social Security against the Catfood Commission (aka, Fiscal Responsibility Commission and other variations), on filibuster reform and don't-ask-don't-tell (DADT). It was painful to hear how often he hid behind the "60 votes" mantra. The filibuster just has to go. Interestingly enough, responding to question posed by Joan McCarter of the Daily Kos, he actually made one of the best cases I've heard anyone make against the filibuster rule. And that's great, but it's time to deliver. The Senate can change that rule with 51 votes. As far as I'm concerned, the Democrats have no excuse for not doing so.

I was really impressed with the job Joan McCarter did posing questions to Reid. She asked challenging questions that represented priorities of the netroots and did it in a professional, respectful way. She did a great job. Next year, the organizers should make certain she gets to do the toughest interview.

Tags:

No comments: