let our congress tweet

So... finally I have video uploaded to YouTube from Netroots Nation.

My post for Rock the Vote is here and includes this video. But below I want to share interviews in their entirety that include everything they have to say. To see all the videos I'm uploading here's the YouTube channel.

There were a lot of things to talk about. Notably the myth that bloggers are young. I knew that, but had never quite seen that in action. There were many of us that were certainly under 30 and more under 40, but such a huge number of them that were older, x-hippies maybe... I think there is an assumption that we are all young and the reality was odd.

The next thing I found moving and a huge compliment was the overwhelming number of candidates that were there to court bloggers. In Kansas, most people (except the Slattery's) haven't discovered technology, and communicating with bloggers is something only few do because some see it as a loss of message control. To have so many candidates, BIG candidates asking for our help with covering their campaign or their issues was a huge compliment. Al Gore telling us that our ability to get a message out and drive traffic to an issue was the ultimate pick-me-up.

Another major plus was that the candidates there seem to all be on board with young voters and recognizing the importance of the youth vote this election. In fact both Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Gov. Howard Dean seemed to have received the same talking points and crafted the same message. Their hope is pined on young people. Pelosi goes so far to say that the impatience of youth is something she values and appreciates. Its an interesting spin from the Thomas Friedman et al's of the world who want to talk about how we want it now... Turns out, sometimes its good to demand things. They also both agree that this is a generational election - and the old vs. new dichotomy is being emphasized.

The best conversation I had with Rep. Pelosi was about technology. (video should be totally uploaded soon, it was still processing) I love young voters, but given my outspoken activism on Let Our Congress Tweet and my obsession with looking at how we can incorporate technology to connect constituents to their members better and more effectively... hearing her perspective on her outreach, how she encourages other members to do it, and her ideas about the Franking Rules were all things I wanted to understand more.

I understand where she's coming from, I really do. The last thing we want is to allow members to campaign on the taxpayers dime... I mean what's next!? Public Financing?!! Steps from anarchy... And I should have been ballsy enough to follow up, but this was the first time I'd met her before... so I was seriously nervous. Looking at how we can connect people with their Representatives isn't about campaigns... I can be used that way, but I think the more important thing is to connect people to their member from an issue and policy stand point and for services. If there are previsions in place to protect against the "campaign" stuff... then why would the rest be bad? Next time I won't be as much of a candy ass... I promise. Lets also note that I didn't get a Let My Congress Tweet Button, which makes me deeply saddened.

Libertarian Presidential candidate Rep. Bob Barr crashed NN and attended a few panels. Most notably he said two things: First, young people, he said, are pulling away from the two party system. Secondly, he said that young people were courted in the 80's but that they were allowed to fall away because no one let them be part of the policy agenda.

First comment he's right, young people do like to be decline to state or independent voters... but unfortunately for Bob it doesn't mean Libertarianism is suddenly a sexy thing that can get enough young voters to win Bob's election. The second comment is key and its something Pelosi alludes to. Creating a partnership with young voters and funneling that into how we can impact policy once the election is over will be the key to the future if a President and a party can give them a seat at the table.

We've talked about this before, and I'm really beginning to see it more and hear that policy makers are hearing it. The question remains, however, if there will be any kind of plan in place for a post-election strategy for young voters to impact the policies and candidates' legislative agendas January moving forward. Bob claims a major reason we lost young voters was because this wasn't done. I think he has something there.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome had some caused as much a stir in the halls as Bob Barr did. His comments were more focused on the authenticity of candidates and incorporating heart and soul with brains. That makes sense, I think one thing Tony Cani brought up at the Online/Offline Panel on Saturday was about the extent to which we've been marketed to to death. Could that be a reason that we crave authenticity? Or that we weigh the recommendations and endorsements from friends higher than tv commercials?

There were many other great interviews I did with bloggers, individuals, and politicians from Robin Carnahan, Secretary of State from Missouri who fought the ID law there like you wouldn't believe, Charlie Brown in the CA-4th one of my favorite candidates, Jon Powers New York Congressional Candidate, young candidate, and former soldier who we're hoping to have here doing a liveblog in the next few weeks, and Joe Garcia running for Congress in FL-25... Who tells us all below that if we come out to help on his campaign they have a beach house waiting for us... I'm kinda thinking about that actually.

Robin Carnahan I want to post when I do a larger piece about voting rights, and Jon Powers I want to post when we're about to do his live blog. Also.. I just haven't had enough time to upload them all after cutting everything. As I mentioned there will be much more and I'll post them as the become available. I sadly did NOT get to talk to Vice President Al Gore. And of all people who would be great to talk to about young people and their role in combating climate change, you'd think he'd want to talk about that that... but it didn't happen. Here's to hoping sometime this season I can talk to him about his WE campaign and what he thinks about young voters.