Daily Kos Will Boycott Next Year's "Netroots Nation" Conference in Arizona

[Simeon Salus]

From Slate's Dave Weigel (attending Netroots Nation):

DETROIT -- After last night's annual Netroots Nation pub quiz -- a raucous party with in-jokes that go back years, probably exemplified by the team that brought a giant Burmese flag to protest a 2011 decision in favor use of the name "Myanmar" -- I remarked to a friend from Daily Kos that it would be fun to team up next year. Breaking news: That wouldn't happen. "It's in Phoenix, and Markos is boycotting Arizona." Meaning that Markos Moulitsas, whose Daily Kos blog spun off this annual event in 2006, would neither show up nor bring his team to the next host city.

Before I could ask Moulitsas about the decision, he went and explained himself on the blog. He vehemently disagreed with the "inherently divisive" decision of a board he did not belong to. (The conference was called Yearly Kos in 2006 and 2007, before Moulitsas recommended a broadening re-brand.)...

...In the short history of blogging and online activism, this is a BFD. Moulitsas's blog was the petri dish for countless writers and campaigners; Moulitsas himself was an accidental icon of the 2004-2008 period when the press woke up to the "netroots." In 2007, Bill O'Reilly successfully pressured JetBlue to drop its sponsorship of the conference because of a 2004 blog post in which Moulitsas (an Army veteran) wrote that he "felt nothing" about the murder of mercenaries in Fallujah. Just this year, full-time troll/part-time congressman Steve Stockman issued a largely ignored plea for Joe Biden to skip the conference: "Honoring extremists who cheered an al Qaeda attack is not the message Obama should send to Iraq right now."

By focusing on one blog post, the blogfather's critics have ignored his actual influence. You know Vox, the much-discussed explanatory news site? That's part of Vox Media, which grew out of SportsBlogs (now SBNation), co-founded by... Markos Moulitsas. This is a major figure in the online left, and he's boycotting Arizona (with the hope of reunion for 2016's anniversary conference). Immigration wasn't a front-burner issue at this year's conference, but at a Saturday panel I sat in on, it proved to be the issue that truly pitted the activist base against an incumbent Democratic president...

More...

[blkmusclmachine]

1. Markos Moulitsas is gonna be busy in Paraguay

?

[jillan]

2. Why? Because he doesn't think Immigration is a great topic for the Dems to rally around?

Um okay.

[dsc]

6. no because of the anti immigrant law which is still on the books

[jillan]

7. Which is even more reason to rally around the huge Latino population in Az that is trying

to bring positive change while constantly getting kicked in the behind by Sheriff Joe and his posse of racists.

Did you know that in 2012 the majority of Hispanic districts ran out of ballots?

[Simeon Salus]

3. The NN board of directors is almost entirely composed of professional political operatives

I know Raven has been with the convention since the first year, but only the Adams and Joan are best known as bloggers. The rest are professionals, fundraisers and executives of non-profits.

Very different from Yearly Kos.

Not so much netroots this year. Dilution of the brand kills volunteer interest.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

4. Thanks for the heads up.

I hadn't been back to post on DK in the last 4 months, but logged in specifically to add my support for Markos' choice.

Netroots Nation has always been very sensitive to labour issues, even switching venues one year when a labour dispute opened up before the conference (although I think it was resolved, and they ended up moving back to the original site.) I'm glad to hear that even if Netroots Nation hasn't decided to show the same respect to Latinos yet, Markos is taking a stand to start pushing them to be.

[Piedras]

5. Arizona Kossaks Phoenix meet up

This seems to me to be a little over the top. Several inner circle people from Daily Kos will soon travel to Phoenix, AZ to attend a Kos meet up. It doesn't seem like there is a total boycott of Arizona by Daily Kos.

[Simeon Salus]

8. Do you have a link for that?

I'd be interested in reading more.

Markos seems to make himself pretty clear. He doesn't want to be associated with organizations supporting tourism in a state which made SB 1070 law.

I think the crux of the issue is in this post:

"I had one person tell me, "There are two sides to the issue!" And yes, there are! But that, right there, should've been a hint that perhaps Netroots Nation should've tread more carefully. If they want a united netroots, they shouldn't make decisions that are inherently divisive."

He says he isn't abandoning the convention, intending to attend in 2016, but disagrees with the board's decision and rationale for the Phoenix choice.

[Piedras]

9. Phoenix Kossacks meetup 7/27/14

Navajo will be in Phoenix next week for a Kos meet up. Meteor Blades is coming too. Navajo will most likely post more information at Daily Kos on Sunday (7/20/14). Sorry no direct link...my internet service is very slow today. It was mentioned in a Daily Kos comment I read.

Found a link: Connect-Unite-Act-Phoenix-L-A-Meet-up-Info-Does-Empty-Nesting-Always-Feel-Like-This

Sunday, July 27th

Phoenix Kossacks Roll Out the Red Carpet for navajo

Event will be potluck, so please sign up here with food, beverages or booze
TIME: 4:00 PM
LOCATION: Mother Mag's Rooftop Terrace
(address given privately to RSVPs) • Downtown Phoenix

Arizona-meet-up-Summer-potluck-with-Navajo

[freshwest]

10. Meteor Blades is one of my faves over there. Don't get the politics of DK on this.