About six years ago, users of the popular liberal blog Daily Kos did an experiment. A few commenters and bloggers decided it would be fun to organize a conference for the progressive netroots, and the inaugural gathering of “YearlyKos” in Las Vegas turned out ot be a big success, drawing presidential candidates and many leading liberals. This week, activists are gathering in Providence for the sixth such conference, now renamed “Netroots Nation,” and a range of up and coming progressives are signed up for the ride.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is delivering the opening keynote on Thursday night (video below), illustrating the interest in state-level politics and the ongoing hangover from the mortgage crisis. Schneiderman has both battled and cooperated with the White House over mortgage reform.
Other keynotes that reflect this year’s politics, from a panel discussion of the policies for “an economy of the 99 percent” to a discussion of the “war” on women and an address on criminal justice and racial equality issues by Rashad Robinson, who heads up ColorOfChange, a group that mixes the politics of the NAACP with the tactics of MoveOn.org.
Live video feeds for the keynotes and several panels are posted below, and The Nation will feature coverage from the conference throughout the weekend.
Netroots Schedule here.
Keynote Footage:
Breakout panels:
