On the first day of Netroots Nation, the fourth annual conference of progressive/liberal bloggers, health care and those politically charged town hall meetings dominated much of the buzz this evening in the run-up to a talk by former President Bill Clinton, the opening keynote speaker.
Perhaps fitting for a town like this, major unions like AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) and SEIU (Service Employees International Union) as well as others, are major sponsors. In a video address, Gerald McEntee, head of AFSCME, recalled the multimillion-dollar campaign effort that went into electing Democrats in 2008 and outlined the millions of dollars now being spent by unions to push for overhauling health care. Part of being here does entail taking hits about the mainsteam media or the traditional media. Last year, the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and former Vice President Al Gore were the top speakers among elected officials at the conference.
As for the Clintons, bloggers reacted coolly to Hillary Rodham Clinton as she campaigned for the Democratic nomination, in part because of her vote on the Iraq war resolution. For his part, Mr. Clinton has been meeting with liberal bloggers periodically, talking about a host of issues.
