Virginia is home to some of the top state-level progressive bloggers in the entire country. So this weekend’s The Virginia Summit organized by the Democratic Party of Virginia will take advantage of their experience & expertise, right?
Nope. The only point of view on people-powered politics will be the official party perspective:
4:00-5:30 – Concurrent Sessions 7: Roadmap to Victory Part 2 – Putting your values into action through social media, blogs and effective community organizing:
Facilitators:
* Brian Coy, Communications Director, DPVA
* Marianne Von Nordeck, Press Secretary, Organizing for America – Virginia
Let me be clear that I’m not criticizing the panelists, but rather the decision to go with party insiders – the exact same ones from “Roadmap to Victory Part I: Messaging for 2011 & 2012.” At 10am, you may be getting party-line talking points. But at 4pm, those talking points will be your values!
Not Larry Sabato’s Ben Tribbett was named one of Virginia’s Top 10 Democratic Influencers (PDF). Blue Virginia’s Lowell Feld literally wrote the book on online progressive activism. And Waldo Jaquith was just recognized by the White House. Why not take advantage of these resources? I’ve contacted all three, and none were asked to participate.
To repeat: The White House recognizes the strength of Virginia’s online progressive community, but the Democratic Party of Virginia does not. Instead, The Virginia Summit will be just one more example of how DPVA takes them for granted – or worse, keeps their sometimes-dissenting voices at arm’s length.
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
