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Debating the netroots

Senator Schumer ran into a bit of trouble the other day when he posted a diary on Daily Kos; the subject of it was the need of the DSCC, that worthy organization, for funding and support in the 2008 election cycle. The trouble, in the comments section, was caused by the widespread disappointment among the fabled netroots with the lackluster performance of the Senate Democrats in the face of the republican consta-filibuster and the open contempt shown by the Bush administration for the other branches of government. So who are these netroots, or, as we like to call ourselves, dirty fucking hippies? The Nation is hosting a panel to discuss us, per an email from Ari Melber. LEFT OUT IN THE OPEN How the Netroots are Changing Progressive Politics Panel on Wednesday, March 5, 6:30-8:00pm CUNY Graduate Center, Proshansky Auditorium, 365 Fifth Avenue, NYC Sponsored by The Nation. Event link at TheNation.com Facebook link Internet activism has upended American politics by amplifying new voices, connecting disparate social networks, transforming campaign funding, enhancing public scrutiny and electing non-traditional candidates. The progressive netroots is building a participatory, egalitarian, aggressive movement with an agenda of progressive foreign policy, populist economics, Constitutional rights and open government. Are the Democrats listening? Can the netroots advance the Democratic Party and function as an independent progressive movement? This panel will convene progressive leaders and writers for a lively discussion of how the netroots are changing progressive politics. Participants include Katrina vanden Heuvel, Publisher and Editor of The Nation; Zephyr Teachout, Assistant Professor of Law, Duke University, and an architect of Howard Dean's Internet strategy; Matt Stoller, a founding blogger of OpenLeft and President of BlogPAC; Roberto Lovato, a writer at New America Media and blogger for Of AmÃ©rica; and Ari Melber, a correspondent for The Nation and a contributing editor at Personal Democracy Forum. The event is free of charge. Please arrive early.