The Plumline: Pelosi to speak at Netroots Nation

[flpoljunkie]

Yes, the base matters: Pelosi to speak at Netroots Nation

Good news: I'm told that Nancy Pelosi will be heading out to Las Vegas to speak at Netroots Nation next week.

Here's why this is important: Now that Harry Reid has also agreed to attend, for the first time, the leaders of both the House and Senate Dems will be making the pilgrimage together to the netroots gathering in the same year.

There's been a ton of chatter, much of it justified, that the Dem establishment in D.C. and the White House has largely taken the Dem base for granted since 2008. But the fact that Pelosi and Reid are attending Netroots Nation at the same time signals a recognition that the online Dem base will play a critical role in Dem efforts to hold the House and Senate.

Also: In another sign the Dem establishment is taking steps to demonstrate seriousness about the base, the executive directors of the DNC (Jennifer O'Malley Dillon), the DCCC (Jon Vogel) and the DSCC (J.B. Poersch) will also attend a Netroots Nation panel discussion.

There have been some pretty severe tensions between the Beltway Dem establishment and the netroots of late, most visibily in the wake of the Pennsylvania and Arkansas Senate primaries. One can only hope that the trip of high profile establishment Dems to Netroots Nation is more than a mere gesture and signals a serious and sustained effort to patch things up and to speak to the base in advance of this fall's elections.

By Greg Sargent
July 14, 2010

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/yes_the_base_matters_pelosi_to.html