Ok I admit it: I am a serial lurker. In my many years reading DK and making the occasional comment, I never felt compelled to actually post my random thoughts. But after just returning home from NN11, I absolutely cannot help myself.
Sandy and I have attended all of the YK/NN events, except, as in my case, Austin. We found these events to be inspiring, informative and a real respite from the Red State crap that we endure everyday in Tennessee. NN is the one time every year that we can enjoy the company of a horde of fellow progressives, recharge our batteries and better arm ourselves for the fight ahead.
Now to NN 11: The program was great, the company as always was refreshing, and the conference venue in Minneapolis-and the weather- was fantastic. Everything was superb except, that is, for our hotel-mates from RightOnline. I confess to not knowing that, except for the Minneapolis Convention Center, we would be sharing the same venue. And when Sandy and I discovered that these folks would be our neighbors, we were more than a little concerned. But what the heck, we’re going anyway.
Ok, we thought, this might be a good opportunity to share some conversation with the folks from across the aisle, exchange ideas, see how the other half lives, learn more about their points of view and discuss ways to make this a better place, etc, etc. And I can even admit to having one decent, mutually inclusive, conversation with a fellow from Oklahoma. Only one, out of the hundreds of folks-not thousands as reported-from RightOnline. The rest absolutely sucked.
The remainder of our time in Minneapolis was spent with a bunch of abrasive, discourteous, shameless , arrogant, self-serving teabaggers, who intend to send our country back to the dark ages. Not kidding, I couldn’t possibly make this stuff up. The reality is much worse than I ever dreamed. Are we from another planet or maybe a parallel universe from these folks?
I was excited to hear the rumor about next year’s event in Providence, RI, and then learning that the rumor was true. What a great town, in a great region, with a long and important history in the labor movement. Only to be totally screwed up by even the remote possibility that we might enjoy the same crappy bunch of freepers that we endured this year. WTF? Do I want to see-pass them in the hall- Michelle Malkin, Andrew Breitbart, Michelle Bachman, Marsha Blackburn, United Healthcare ever again in my life? Uh uh. No way, no how, no can do. Even with some cautious optimism about having some meaningful dialogue with the other side I will not do it. Forget it.
With NN’s critical mass, we can ensure that we never have to share a hotel with the RightOnline folks again. We can stipulate that our host hotel not book a RightOnline event during our stay at their property. And we should do just that.
If NN does chose to make the above-referenced stipulations, please let us know now. We sign up for NN within hours or days of the last event and make our hotel reservations accordingly.
7:11 PM PT: Update: Netroots confirmed there is a non-compete clause. From Adam B., our NN attorney: We've got non-competes at our hotels and at the convention center -- no other political, activist or online conferences while we're there.
We'll see everyone in Providence June 7-10, 2012.