YearlyKOS 2007 - Chicago August 2-5

By: sndeak
Published On: 10/3/2006 8:38:25 PM

2nd Annual YearlyKos Convention will take place August 2 - 5, 2007 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois. More info HERE


I attended the 2006 YearlyKOS convention representing Draft Mark Warner for President 2008. We had an exhibitors booth for the entire event.

I have to admit, I was skeptical going into the event. While I visit DailyKOS daily and occasionaly post, I am not as forceful in my opinions as some. I didn't know what to expect when meeting some of these folks. Especially since I was there promoting a Moderate/Centrist Democrat in Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner for President in 2008.

The people who attended were very receptive. There were a few bumps but everyone was very civil. My biggest eye-opener was that these were NOT a bunch of 24 yr old hemp wearing radicals as I expected. They were grandparents, baby-boomers, professionals, students, you name it, they were there.
What I saw was a BIG TENT. A fairly decent representation of America and the Democratic Party. The one thing I did notice was the lack of a large Latino or African-American presence. Hopefully, more minorities will be able to attend in Chicago.

I didn't get to attend many forums as I worked the booth just about every hour. I did get to the Southern Caucus. It seemed there were more non-southerners in the room than southerners. Like being in a fishbowl. Everyone wanted to get a feel for what was going on with southern politics.

The last night I sat at the table with Markos and his family. He is a very down to earth family guy who does not seek the spotlight. I was very impressed by the way he handled himself thoughout the event. It could have easily gone to his head but I don't think it did. He has a lot to be proud of.

So there you have it, I went into the event worried that I would be the only moderate, 40something in the whole place, boy was I wrong.

I plan on attending next year. I would like to get involved in a forum on helping local party committees get truly organized.

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