Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Off to Netroots Nation

I’m going to use this diary as a running travelogue – will post pics here and other observations of the trip.

Am sitting in Albany Airport- where as usual I was pulled out of line, went through two types of additional security, had to take my head scarf off.

It was weird watching them “test” my comfy plastic garden shoes.

They ran my pocketbook through the machines twice – then preceded to unpack it – twice.

I’m  used to this.  I never wear anything that will set the alarms off, I’m prepared to be yanked out of line (I am usually the only person of color in line) and I am polite to my inquisitors.

It’s just tedious when you know ahead of time that you are gonna be a target – that there is nothing random about your selection.

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45 minutes till my flight boards.

Am going to wander off to find something to munch on.


Categories: General.

/ 77 Comments

77 comments

  1. DeniseVelez

    in 15 minutes going to Chicago – hasn’t even left Chicago to get here.  Consequently I am stuck in the airport for at least 2 more hours till I can leave, and will have missed my connecting flight in Chi-town to MN as well.

    This is not an auspicious start.

     

  3. spacemanspiff

    … shut down all traffic close to the place where Obama is right now.

    I’ve always wanted to write that.  

  4. DeniseVelez

    after uneventful flight from Albany.  Had a nice conversation with the young male flight attendant – who was Spanish speaking.  

    Am sitting here with a beautiful young African American woman who doesn’t look a day over 15 – she’s got a one year old baby in a carry basket and is headed back to Norfolk VA – where she is in the Navy.

    I thanked her for her service and she smiled.  

    I am getting really old – hard to fathom these babies who are sent out to fight and die for us.

  5. DeniseVelez

    is having a party somewhere cause there is booming and lightning that is terrible.

    Headed off in the morning to speak at a local community youth organization, and will go register at NN in the late afternoon.

    nite all.  

  7. DTOzone

    From TalkingPointsMemo’s Netroots Nation Twitter feed

    Popped my head into a #NN11 panel about the role of netroots in the WI union fight. Sparsely attendance vs Dan Choi’s Obama attack-fest RT

    yeah.  

  8. DTOzone

    I once had a needy girlfriend who kept asking me if I loved her, and whenever I’d reassure her I did, she’d say “why don’t you show it?” or “you don’t love me, you’d be happier without me.” At some point, I just gave up and broke it off with her because it wasn’t worth it anymore. I did love her, but I couldn’t take it the neediness.

    This reminds me of that.

    White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer served as Obama’s surrogate Friday, fielding tough questions about the administration’s agenda and deflecting accusations that the president doesn’t care about liberals.

    But Pfeiffer’s talk with Kaili Joy Gray, who blogs at DailyKos as “Angry Mouse,” did not go over well. Activists said they left more irritated than they’d been to begin with, and several said they felt as if he wasn’t listening to their concerns.

    “Washington is a hard and frustrating place,” Pfeiffer said. “He’s as frustrated as you are. … The pace of change exceeded everyone’s patience, including our own.”

    …

    “Without a lot of people in this room, Barack Obama would not be president of the United States,” he said.

    Gray, reading questions from the audience and from Twitter, said the warm feelings weren’t enough when Obama promised big change.

    “A lot of people feel really disappointed,” she said. “We’re all Democrats. … I’m not going to knock on doors, I’m not going to donate money. Do you need us?”

    Pfeiffer nodded: “Absolutely.”

    …

    Pfeiffer defended Obama’s accomplishments, citing health care reform, a fair pay act and the repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy banning openly gay service members.

    “If someone else is president, all the other things I talked about are all going to go away,” he said. “There is much that has been accomplished in the first two and a half years. There is more to be done.”

    But Gray kept at it, asking a question that earned cheers: “What difference does it make if we re-elect him?”

    These Alex Forrest progressives are maddening.  

  9. DeniseVelez

    http://www.rollcall.com/news/N…

    A straw poll conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research showed that 80 percent either approve or strongly approve of the president more than a year before voters head to the polls to decide whether he deserves a second term. The results broke down to 27 percent strongly approving of Obama and 53 percent approving “somewhat.” Thirteen percent said they “somewhat disapprove,” and 7 percent strongly disapprove of the president.

    The poll of 519 people was conducted via iPad in the Minneapolis Convention Center on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

    I realize this is only a straw poll – but I think it more accurately reflects the attendees than the loud naysay voices focused on by the media.

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