Posts with the tag yearly kos

WAR ON TERRORISTS

Ben Adler — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 12:26:01 EDT

I'm probably going to take some serious flack from commenters for saying this, but I think the most important idea to come out of Saturday's candidate forum at Kos was Hillary Clinton's suggestion that the War on Terrorism be re-labeled the War on Terrorists. Like so many liberals I've been frustrated by what Clinton correctly identifies as the peculiarity of fighting a war on tactic. And the shorthand "War on Terror," which technically means war on an emotion is so illogical as to be completely meaningless. I've never had quite the right alternative though. Some have suggested that after September 11th, President Bush should have simply declared war on Al-Qaeda. I think a restrained approach like that would have been acceptable, but in recent years so many Islamic jihadists groups have sprung up in the Middle East, Asia and Europe that are not explicitly part of Al-Qaeda but share its goals and methods. So I think Clinton's suggestion that we re-conceive the war as focused on them collectively is the correct response for liberals both as a matter of politics (it's tough but sensible) and policy.

Live from YearlyKos: Saturday

John O-R — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 14:22:51 EDT

Well the big event is here... the Presidential Dispatch.

I'm going to live blog it... and after that I'll give some more great swag & trend updates, like I did in yesterday's blog (you can find it here).

Follow me after the flip... and if you're live blogging it too & on your laptop, or watching from home, just drop a note in the commentz.

Making Politics Cool

Ben Adler — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:11:09 EDT

Campus Progress contributor Matt Singer had some interesting thoughts on youth voter mobilization at the youth progressive organizing panel at Yearly Kos just now. "We gotta be cool again," said Matt. Although I doubt politics was ever very cool, I agree that it is important to try as best you can. Matt pointed to things like one-pagers that look like concert fliers as ways of appealing to young people.
Matt also noted the importance of breaking out of issue silos and of recognizing that traditional four-year college students actually constitute a minority of college-age youth. "We have to pay attention to non-college students and non-traditional students," Matt said.

Who Comes to Kos?

Ben Adler — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:41:58 EDT

In a phrase: white people. Yes there are more than last year, yes they are of all ages and regions. But they are overwhelmingly white. Not exclusively. There are bloggers who focus on identity politics here, in the audience as well as on panels. But if the netroots are going to be a major power base in the progressive movement, they will need to work on diversifying.

Dean to Kossacks: focus on the kids

Ben Adler — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 21:53:02 EDT

DNC Chair Howard Dean just gave a rousing address here at Yearly Kos to the 1400 minions and hundreds of members of the media. He focused in large part on the importance of progressives appealing to young people. He noted the 20% increase in youth turnout between the last two midterms and noted that voting patterns get locked in for life at a young age. He admonished activists to always focus on the young as an investment in the future. He also rather comically pointed out that "there are white kids running around malls with pants around their ankles" as evidence that the hopes of the civil rights movement have been achieved. And Dean pointed to the long enduracne of civil rights leaders as a reminder that activism is a lifelong commitment.