I'm in Austin this week soaking up the ethos of the Great Orange Satan and the progressive blogosphere at large. Thursday was a kind of slow day, with mostly informal sessions of certain constituencies. I attended one morning group discussion of state-level bloggers and that was quite fascinating. The most poignant moment from my perspective was the discussion about the importance of local bloggers to move the national debate and expand the blogging universe in ways that the large national groups cannot. I also made a work-related connection that will help us better advocate for sensible revenue increases as a partial fix to California's budget crisis.
Aside from that, there wasn't too much of personal interest yesterday, so my friend Chris Colaninno and I saw the sights of summertime in Austin. After enjoying some yummy chicken-fried steak at a local restaurant, we took a tour of the state capitol. It's a very majestic building, with a dome similar to the national Capitol building, and the main atrium is adorned with pictures of each past governor going back to the days of the Republic of Texas. My favorite part: it is powered almost entirely by a beautiful array of solar panels.
The meat of the conference is over the next two days, and I'll be checking in periodically with updates on the various sessions I attend. So far today I have been to Energize America (which I'll report on shortly) and am currently sitting in a panel on a meaningful Middle Class policy.
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