NDN's Schedule of Events at Netroots Nation This Week
NDN is a proud co-sponsor of Netroots Nation '09 in Pittsburgh, PA from August 13-15th.
If you're heading to Pittsburgh, we hope you'll join us for one (or all!) of NDN's events:
The Root Of the Right Wing Media's Hatred Of President Obama
Thursday, August 13th, 4:30 - 5:45 PM: Room 303
NDN President Simon Rosenberg will join Ari Rabin-Havt of Media Matters Action Network, Paco Fabian of America’s Voice, and James Rucker from Color Of Change for a panel discussion about the Right Wing Media's slander of President Obama. The recent spat of right wing spurred political events displaying unhinged anger over issues such as Obama’s birth certificate, coupled with the ongoing and coordinated disruption of town halls around the country, is part of a concerted effort to derail the presidency of Obama in its first year – the same exact tactic that was used by conservatives to undermine the Clinton Presidency starting in 1993. The media must expose the true motivations, origins, and coordination of the birther movement, teabaggers and similar extreme right-wing political activism, relentlessly promoted and spurred on by the conservative echo chamber.
Progressives need to act now. Progressives need to push back immediately against figures such as Lou Dobbs, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity mainstreaming their message on national networks to send a message to the entire media that providing legitimacy to the racist conspiracy theories of the right isn't news. If we don't act now, news outlets will get the opposite message: that any the right-wing screams about Obama should be covered and taken seriously. And that will be progressives, already at a media disadvantage, won't get a fair hearing in the nation's media.
Luncheon and special sneak preview of the documentary 9500 Liberty
Friday, August 14 12:15 - 1:30: Room 406
Join NDN President Simon Rosenberg and film makers Annabel Park and Eric Byler for a special screening of 9500 Liberty, a new film that examines the political intrigue and socio-economic impacts of one of the most infamous immigration battles ever conducted at the local level, which led to a virtual grassroots network of activists on both sides of the issue.
In July 2007, Prince William County, VA became ground zero in America's explosive battle over immigration policy when elected officials adopted a local ordinance requiring police officers to question individuals that they considered to be "probably" undocumented. In the battleground county of a key battleground state, the "Immigration Resolution" became the central issue in a local election held one year before the 2008 Presidential Election.
Because it is likely that immigration legislation will be introduced this fall, this film –scheduled to premiere on October 1st - will provide an invaluable tool for moderates and progressives on this issue through unprecedented access to the inner workings of the anti-immigrant lobby and its strategic approach to electoral politics. The film also reveals the social and economic fallout when local governments resort to harsh immigration enforcement measures.
"9500 Liberty makes it clear that when we, as a nation of immigrants, debate the immigration issue, we are defining our very identity as Americans." - John Grisham
America's Millennial Makeover
Friday, August 14th, 4:30 - 5:45: Room 301/302
Every four decades, America’s demand for change puts in motion a political realignment or makeover. Like all others before it, this realignment results from the coming of age of a new generation of young Americans and the emergence of new online organizing tools. Almost everything about American politics and government—voting patterns, the fortunes of the two political parties, the issues that engage the nation, and our government and its public policy—will change because of these two forces.
This panel will feature presentations by Simon Rosenberg, president of NDN, and Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais, co-authors of “Millennial Makeover: MySpace, You Tube, and the Future of American Politics.” Rosenberg will discuss the parameters and implications of this “Dawn of a New Politics” in America, and Winograd and Hais will detail the contours and causes of the country’s five previous political realignments.
It is going to be an exciting few days, and we look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones at this wonderful annual event. To view the full 2009 Netroots Nation agenda, please click here. To learn more about Netroots Nation, please click here.
