Greetings from TBA conf in DC.

[TayTay]

We have connectivity, the be all and end all of live-blogging. As I learned in Boston at the Faneuil Hall event, if you don't have connectivity, you're kind of dead in the water. So, this is way, way better.

So far we have KarenDC here, GV, Vek, MH and 3 new friends who we have just met today. (Oh, and me.)So far, so good. (Hey, we made it.)

Vek and MH are up with Dick, Karens Husband, at a bloggers 'getting to know you' with Robert Redford. That's a hell of a way to start a conference. (They went cuz they know environmental issues. It was a logical use of resources.)

Anyway, we are off to a good start. And it's raining again. I blame myself for that. Everywhere I got rain follows. (Sigh!)

More to come as more happens. (And Hi! And sorry I haven't been online much lately. Mea culpa! Sometimes you get your act together and do stuff and sometimes you lounge around talking and stuff. Ahm, I did the later. But it was in a good cause, I got to visit with family I rarely see.)

[ProSense]

1. How exciting!

Look forward to more!

[blm]

2. Remember EVERYTHING. We want it all.

We're greedy that way. ;)

[nolies32fouettes]

3. Keep the word coming, ok?

[TayTay]

4. So far we are 'meeting and greeting' a ton of people

Taylor Marsh is blogging at the table in front of us, about 4 seats down. Wicked nice woman, btw. (A red head! So are two of my brothers. LOL!)

So far it has been just trying to get acclimated to this conference and find coffee and bottled water. (Okay, well, I needed it.) We met David Swanson from AfterDowningStreet. Another WNG (wicked nice guy. It's Washington, acronyms are mandatory.)

More when something else happens. Catch GV's photos. Two thumbs up!

[fedupinBushcountry]

5. Is there a schedule

for what is happening today? Any chance a few of you might get a chance to see Kerry in Arlington? Just asking because I have no idear how far it is from where you guys are at.

[beachmom]

7. Here's the schedule, Fedup, from their website

http://home.ourfuture.org/tba06/agenda.html

[TayTay]

8. It's possible.

Not me. (Him I can see on the news at home. I just saw Robert Redford in the hallway. Him, I can't see at home. LOl!)

Seriously, I am not going today, some other folks may go. I will see the Senator address the TBA conf tomorrow morning. See her for the schedule: http://home.ourfuture.org/tba06/agenda.html

[fedupinBushcountry]

10. LOL

Thanks for the info.

[beachmom]

6. It all sounds so exciting. Wow.

Yeah, I'm definitely with BLM -- tell us EVERYTHING, well unless it's off the record.

From what you're telling me, there are bigger names at this conference than . . . um, the other one this past weekend.

[rox63]

9. And if it's off the record

There's always PM... :D

[ProSense]

11. LOL! n/t

[TayTay]

12. Lunch was great!

We now know what liberals eat when they are in their native environments. (Lots of greens, egg and gorgonzola stuff and some of that stuff on little toasts and turkey (or tofu stuff.)) And croissants, cuz, ahm, hello! croissants go with everything.



Liberal food. Hmmm, yum.

We heard Sen. Reid give a speech at lunch time. Ahm, he is an okay speaker and he hit all the Democratic notes, but he is ot a great speaker. (He keeps his head down when he speaks and I could barely hear him. He sort of has a tenor voice.) I think what he said was pretty good, but I could be wrong. I can't give you any snippets cuz I don't read that good off of giant screens. (Sigh!)

The other speakers at the lunch were good. (One retold my rat joke from the St. Pat's Day breakfast about the rats. he he he!) Robert Redford was pretty good. GV has excellent pics that will go up. We are now at the series of speeches on core preogressive issues of economic fairness, health care issues, National security (Iraq) and on putting the Gulf States back together. This is all good core democratic stuff. It's very sad on the one hand, when you hear that pay for CEO's and top exec has gone up over 750% in 25 years. The Stock market has gone up over 750%. Pay for the average working stiff is stagnant. That is terrible for the future of America.

[TayTay]

13. Ahm, I undreestimated the appeal of Tofu Stuff

MH informs me that it was really yummy. I have a picture of it, but I decided not to put it up yet, as so many of you will be hitting the afternoon doldrums and I didn't want to make you hungry.

Again, liberal food, yum.

[ProSense]

17. Tay, what would we do with you?

Winner: Best detailed live blogging. Real turkey? Proof liberals don't do props!

[jillan]

20. Tay Tay - lunch looked great but what I would really rather have you post

Is a pic of Robert Redford. Or of john Kerry -
both are yummier (is that a word?) than tofu :)

[Island Blue]

14. Keep the reports flowing our way.

I'm jealous of all'a'y'all. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. That's becoming a reoccurring theme. IB jealous of all the folks in the "in crowd".

Seriously though, you guys have a great time. We want to hear ALL the details!

[TayTay]

15. Right now we are suffering through poor internet connectivity

So the reports are few and far between. I am hopeful that later on tonight we will have better connections and this will happen.

One of the great things about being here is just meeting all the people and finding time to have a chat. I just had a few minute off-the-cuff chat with Taylor Marsh and Melanie Mattson (From the blog Just a Bump in the Beltway, http://www.node707.com ) about women and the lib-web. It's so nice to just talk to people and have these discussion about the odd this and that of the poli-web. That's hard to put into a post, but it's one of the things I am really enjoying here.

BTW, KarenDC just participated in a cool event. They had 4 people dressed as *, Cheney, Condi and Rummy in prison pin strips with these huge paper-mache heads of the respective characters. Karen had Condi, down. That was great. (Pics to follow soon. Connectivity problems.)

Thinking of all of you. Ahm, we wouldn't be here without the connections made in this group. That never leaves my mind. Ever.

[blm]

16. Get this to karen, please.....

Kerry needs to contact this election official in Iowa before anyone else does... Jon Winer would understand exactly what this means....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1409060

[JI7]

18. this is really interesting

i love hearing about these things since it gives us first hand accounts of what happens even though we can't be there. can't wait to hear more.

[demdiva]

19. AHHH ... I wish I could be there

Senator Kerry sent out an invite to all DCers this weekeng offering a free ticket to his speech tomorrow morning. As luck would have it, I'm speaking at another conference at precisely the same time! I'm so bummed.

[kerrygoddess]

21. Sounds like

everyone is having a good time! Sorry I had to miss it - nothing worse than being almost packed and ready to go and having to cancel plans - but business is more important than pleasure and politics when you're a single mom.

I hope everyone has fun and I'm looking forward to reading more from you about the conference, Tay Tay!

[Island Blue]

22. Oh wow KG,

I was wondering why we hadn't heard your reports too. Sorry you had to miss the conference - I hope everything is okay at home.

[kerrygoddess]

23. Everything's okay

Last minute orders for my biz and my teenage daughter starting a new job got in the way. Stuff happens!