I’m back at my hotel, cashed from walking who knows how many miles today. My first impression of Yearly Kos this year is that it is much different from last year. Very few people are walking around with their user names on their nametags, but almost everyone has an organization or blog that they are affiliated with on their name tags. Last year people were overjoyed to meet other users that they knew from comments and diaries. There’s much less of that now. Most conversations now revolve around activism. The downside is that this year’s conference is less social and joyous. The upside is that people are here to get something done.
In many ways, I think this reflects the transformation that has overtaken the blogosphere after the midterm elections. We used to need each other just to help us realize that we were not crazy…they were others that knew the emperor had no clothes and that the mainstream media were more concerned with wanking than reporting. But, now that we actually have some power, we have to think about what to do with it. And that’s a more serious endeavor.
On a lighter side, I ate dinner tonight at the same table as Roger Simon and Mike Allen of Politico. Simon has to be one the single most socially inept assholes I’ve ever encountered. He did nothing but frown and grimace…and he refused to make eye contact with anyone. Mike Allen was friendly when he introduced himself. When I told him who I was he recoiled and left the table. I guess he does read the Frog Pond. Meanwhile, their awful publication is doling out articles like this. And they wonder why we hate them.
In any case, the venue kind of sucks. There are no craps tables, they’ve got the air conditioning set to 55 degrees, and it’s a mile to the nearest Metro station. Not only that, but one part of the conference is separated from another part by four floors of stairs and escalators. My feet are frigging killing me. Yet, it looks like this conference is going to be a big success. It’s good to see so many good people working so hard to make this a better country and a better world.
