Thank you for your support with DFA Netroots Nation
June 21st, 2008 . by Ed RicciottiI like to thank those supporters who nominated me for a Netroots scholarship in Austin this year. Not only did I get support from friends, but people who liked what I had to say and wished me luck and support. However DFA apparently felt that either my Technorati rating wasn’t high enough or not enough grassroots support. Unfortunately I really don;t have had the time to blog events as they have happened. I usually was part of those events. I had canvassed, phone banked, and supported candidates from city council to Congress. This is what I thought DFA was all about, getting progressive candidates elected to further those values. However DFA thought that instead of choosing bloggers that though DIRECT action furthered this mission, DFA rewarded the most vocal bloggers, the preachers to the choir, some of these scholarships. This is a shame and makes me feel that Vermont might not know what’s going on here in the midwest. Here in DFA Columbia, we have elected members to county central committees, sent a member to the National Convention as an Obama Delegate, and we even had one of our steering committee members go to Iran as a citizen delegate. In addition, we held 2 primary debates for the 23rd and 25th state legislative districts and held endorsement votes. DFA Columbia is not a social club. We know that changing America will not be accomplished by having weenie roasts and walking around with our Buck Fush shirts on.
However DFA, with all its flaws is the leading progressive organization in this country. My post here is a friendly reminder to DFA is not to discount Missouri and really make an effort to see what’s really going on in the grassroots that DFA holds dear.
June 21st, 2008 at 10:39 pm
I’m sorry they didn’t see fit to give both of us a scholarship. You have a different focus than I do and would have been a valuable addition.
June 22nd, 2008 at 5:43 am
I don’t know what the criterion was for selection. A few of us here in Columbia saw this as a puzzling lack of recognition of a very very active DFA group. Being in Vermont tends to skew one’s view of anything west of the Appalachians. I hope someday that DFA will HQ somewhere more central and maybe hire someone over the age of 35 to run the thing :p
June 22nd, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Ed, sorry about not getting the scholarship. I can understand your frustration (we at Show Me Progress were passed over for credentials to the DNCC) but almost all of those chosen for the DFA scholarship are very prolific bloggers. For the few who are not, you can make a pretty good case - like the ex-marine Iraq War vet, the grandmother from Hawai’i, the African American woman who does web video and wants to network at NN08 to get more interest from mainstream blogs in African American issues.
With such stiff competition, I wouldn’t take this as a slight for you or your DFA chapter; you both have a very good reputation and I’m sure will continue to do a great job.
June 22nd, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Yea, I never understood why show-me progress was passed up for blog credentials. Though I like Fired-up, it doesn’t have the depth of progressive and Democratic issues. DNCC choose instead to give voice….to essentially the already voiced.
At least with have BlueGirl representing Missouri at NN08
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I’ll be in Austin representing the Big MO, too, but I didn’t get a scholarship. I have family there, so I’ll combine a family visit with conventioneering for a week of fun.