The Ultimate Meet-Up

June 7, 2006 1:59 PM

Yearly Kos.Over a year and a half after PastorDan, a diarist at DailyKos, suggested a national convention, it's actually happening. Organized, at least at first, with very little encouragement or assistance from Kos himself, they've managed to pull together quite an impressive slate of speakers and panelists. Cspan will be covering it live all weekend. Is this a landmark for blogging?
posted by empath (37 comments total)

I feel like I may have, overused commas, a little bit, there.
posted by empath at 2:03 PM on June 7, 2006

OMG, bl066erZ!
posted by monju_bosatsu at 2:06 PM on June 7, 2006

I know nothing more about DailyKOS than its spelling, but the fact that the convention is at a fleabag has-been casino like the Riviera does not speak well.
posted by mischief at 2:07 PM on June 7, 2006

It's maybe a landmark for blogging in the sense that the first WorldCon scifi/fantasy writers convention was a landmark...for sicfi/fantasy writers. It's a great step in community building, and idea insemination, since communication over the internet has some very serious limitations. If you really want to create a culture, you still meet up in person at some point.
posted by slatternus at 2:08 PM on June 7, 2006

That's really interesting, I love anything that draws attention to the very fuzzy line between the on- and off-line.
posted by arcticwoman at 2:09 PM on June 7, 2006

I also, love, commas.
posted by arcticwoman at 2:09 PM on June 7, 2006

the fact that the convention is at a fleabag has-been casino like the Riviera does not speak well.

Well, considering how underfinanced it was and how little experience the organizers had, I'm amazed that it's happening at all.

I have a feeling that it'll just look like a freakshow to the mainstream media, though.
posted by empath at 2:14 PM on June 7, 2006

It can't possibly look any worse to the MSM than say, Siggraph, E3, or a comic convention.
posted by slatternus at 2:17 PM on June 7, 2006

Let's all try to remember: It's Kos®, if you please.
posted by pardonyou? at 2:18 PM on June 7, 2006

"considering how underfinanced it was and how little experience the organizers had, I'm amazed that it's happening at all."

I'll bet KOS is a liberal blog then.

] checking [

Yup.

BTW, Circus Circus is across the street from the Riviera, and the stage shows at the Stratosphere are to be avoided at all costs. The NASCAR Cafe at the Sahara is semi-interesting, and for a cheap souvenir, get a $1 chip from the Stardust, scheduled to be imploded this December. Anything else will require a long walk or a ride on the Deuce.
posted by mischief at 2:24 PM on June 7, 2006

The power of meatspace.

Of course, Republican activists have a 20 year head-start on these sorts of things, but it's still good to see.

FWIW, I don't read Kos any more, but it was a pretty good gateway blog to FDL, Gleen Greenwald, Atrios, and Aravosis.
posted by bardic at 2:31 PM on June 7, 2006

but the fact that the convention is at a fleabag has-been casino like the Riviera does not speak well.

yes, they should be meeting at one of those $500/night hotels. that would show the msm who's boss.
posted by 3.2.3 at 2:36 PM on June 7, 2006

OMG, if the rightwingnutosphere got wind of them staying in anything OTHER than a fleabag, they'd have a field day with it. "These are the people who want to end the culture of entitlement in Washington: but just LOOK at their extravagant junket!" Economy class is definitely the way to go for an event like this.
posted by slatternus at 2:40 PM on June 7, 2006

Already semi-famous for this line from a Time maagzine write-up:

The left lacks many telegenic spokespeople, [Moulistas] says. "It's the difference between the Fox News anchors — you know, blond, put-together — and our people. It's like, 'You know, lady, put on a bra. Would it kill you to put on a bra?'"
posted by Jos Bleau at 2:41 PM on June 7, 2006 [1 favorite]

"that would show the msm who's boss."

What is the relationship between KOS and the msm?
posted by mischief at 2:52 PM on June 7, 2006

"Is this a landmark for blogging?"

Nope. This isn't the first time that a con has sprung up from bloggers, and it won't be the last.

(And I can't even get yearlykos.org to load right now)
posted by drstein at 2:54 PM on June 7, 2006

but the fact that the convention is at a fleabag has-been casino like the Riviera does not speak well.

I'm sure visiting a has-been fleabag casino would be a draw for a lot of these "Kosacks".

{Uh, meaning not to denigrate the tastes of the 'sacks, but that would find it a coolly ironic/ironically cool type of venue}
posted by Flashman at 3:03 PM on June 7, 2006

posted by Gamblor at 3:11 PM on June 7, 2006

Jos Bleau : Already semi-famous for this line from a Time maagzine write-up:

that quote from Ana Marie Cox (formerly known as Wonkette) is unsourced.

it's become increasingly clear with each successive column she's written for TIME that she intends to try to [re]make a name for herself by attacking the left... now that she's utterly failed as an author and no longer has her soapbox from which to spout off about anal sex and the "Washingtonienne scandal".

frankly, I have a hard time believing Kos said that... sounds more like something Ana Marie wishes he'd said.
posted by pruner at 3:17 PM on June 7, 2006

"a coolly ironic/ironically cool type of venue"

An Evening at La Cage?
posted by mischief at 3:18 PM on June 7, 2006

Is this a landmark for blogging?

No. I'm pretty sure it's called a meet-up.
posted by cribcage at 3:19 PM on June 7, 2006

Yeah, Mischief, exactly
posted by Flashman at 3:59 PM on June 7, 2006

This is good.

We can only hope the Kos crowd and the left in general can focus on building an coherant opposing ideaology to fight off the Neocon/Dominionism hordes. Otherwise TEH JESUS might come back and kill everyone. After his followers loot the world of course.

This looks like a small step in the right direction. Maybe.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:03 PM on June 7, 2006

I'm not sticking up for Cox, but she sourced the quote - directly to Kos.

And for a guy who became semi-famous for not holding back his words it doesn't seem way out of line.

And the Time piece is favorable, I think.
posted by Jos Bleau at 4:07 PM on June 7, 2006

I'm not sticking up for Cox, but she sourced the quote - directly to Kos.

where's it sourced? she says he said it, but that doesn't necessarily make it so. there's no link or anything.
posted by pruner at 4:10 PM on June 7, 2006

Well, there was the "Pajamas Media" kickoff get-together last November in NYC, if you remember...

Not that that was anything to be proud of, either, since that's when they announced that they were going to use a trademark which actually belonged to someone else.

But at least it was classier (read "higher budget").
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 5:06 PM on June 7, 2006

where's it sourced? she says he said it, but that doesn't necessarily make it so. there's no link or anything.

Pruner, he said it to her with his voice. There's no link because she didn't get it from him online. (You know, it's actually possible for people to communicate without using the web, you know...)
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 5:07 PM on June 7, 2006

I am really starting to warm up to these Kos people.
posted by mischief at 5:08 PM on June 7, 2006

I used to read DKos a lot, especially around election time. But not so much anymore. Sadly, I feel like Dkos has turned more into an exercise in self-promotion than anything else.
posted by bim at 5:14 PM on June 7, 2006

Pruner, he said it to her with his voice.

I can't seem to find the place where she indicates that she spoke to him. Can you please tell me where to find it.

or are you just guessing that's the case, since there is no sourcing.
posted by pruner at 5:22 PM on June 7, 2006

It may be in a fleabag hotel, but the line up is pretty impressive for a movement started with a frickin' BLOG. Among those presenting/speaking/round-tabling: Howard Dean, Joe Wilson, Arianna Huffington, Bill Richardson, Tom Vilsack, George Lakoff, Wesley Clark, Harry Reid, Mark Warner, Murray Waas, Dan Froomkin, Robert Greenwald, etc.

I mean, make fun all you want, but these people have managed to put together a meeting including three sitting governors, at least one senator, several national media types....I think it's pretty impressive and know from experience that things (like movements) don't really gain focus and momentum until you meet in person. I'm not a Kos reader at all, but am very interested to see how this movement develops.
posted by LooseFilter at 5:25 PM on June 7, 2006

.
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 5:45 PM on June 7, 2006

I recognize the names Howard Dean and Wesley Clark anyway, but including Huffington certainly supports bim's self-promotion contention.
posted by mischief at 7:35 PM on June 7, 2006

I can't seem to find the place where she indicates that she spoke to him. Can you please tell me where to find it.

He and Armstrong stand on the sidewalk while admirers push copies of the book at him and ask him to pose for snapshots. Moulitsas has an open, young face, so it's hard to tell if he's kidding or not when he looks up from the book he's signing and asks, "Why would anyone want to write about me?"

Clearly it was her he looked up at and said that to; it's when she hit him for an interview.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 8:50 PM on June 7, 2006

thanks Steven... I guess I must've missed that when I first read the article.

in any case, I still stand by my comment about Ana Marie being a hack.
posted by pruner at 9:03 PM on June 7, 2006

Wow, they're meeting here in LV. I suppose I dont have to go down there since it is on CSPAN, but it is interesting to know that they decided to have it here.

And yea, regarding the Rivera, it might be a shithole, however it is cheap. Very cheap. I cant think of any on-strip or near-strip place that is cheaper, other than the aforementioned Circus Circus (which wouldnt have been a good place to meet because I can sure see the wingnuts lambasting them for having a convention at a circus themed casino - what a bunch of clowns indeed).
posted by SirOmega at 11:08 PM on June 7, 2006

"what a bunch of clowns" headline:

Liberal Think-Tank Discourses at Riviera

posted by mischief at 11:17 PM on June 7, 2006