Location

I'm here at the Desmond Hotel -- looks like I beat Liza and Bouldin -- to help cover the state Democratic Committee's Spring Meeting. New York's Democrats, along with state parties in places like Michigan and North Carolina, have been leaders in reaching out to the state-level netroots. The Craig Johnson campaign gave us an idea of what we can accomplish when bloggers and the state party work together in harmony, and the party's leaders -- co-chairs Dave Pollak and June O'Neill and Executive Director Edna Ishayik -- have demonstrated a genuine interest in building on that success. This event is part of that process.

At the same time, of course, we in the netroots will have to be careful to maintain our independence. One of the things we've been fighting for is a more responsive Democratic party; we're starting to get that, but that victory comes with its own set of fresh challenges. More about that later -- at any rate, it's a good problem to have. Dave, June, and Edna have done a great job building trust; we only have to build on that. Meanwhile, we'll keep you updated on the goings-on here at the Desmond throughout the day.

UPDATE: I'll get things started here by sitting in on the Reform Caucus meeting.

UPDATE #2: As we arrived, the labor meeting was just finishing up. Just as the state party is working to build ties with the netroots, it seems to be making an effort to maintain a dialogue with labor outside of election season. An official from the NYSUT called the meeting a "good first step" in that dialogue.