LIVE from Spokane: Afternoon sessions on blogging, top two primary draw crowds

Following Darcy's luncheon at midday today, I headed back into the Spokane Convention Center to drop in on two of the afternoon sessions: a presentation on the "Top Two" primary by Dwight Pelz, Sam Hunt, and David McDonald, and a workshop on blogging hosted by John Wyble and David Goldstein.

Dwight's presentation (and the ensuing panel discussion) largely echoed the criticisms I've been making here for weeks.

Specifically, that "Top Two" is bad for grassroots politics, bad for voter choice, bad for independents, bad for minor parties, bad for major parties...bad for pretty much everyone. It undermines and undercuts grassroots democracy by taking nominations out of the hands of the voters.

Thanks to Sam Reed and the Grange, our primary has been turned into an elimination game where the people with the most clout and name recognition go on to the finals. There is nothing guaranteeing that a diversity of viewpoints will be represented on the general election ballot.

In some areas, only candidates of one political party will be on the ballot.

Several people asked about the party's legal strategy going forward. David McDonald reminded everyone that the case is still in court because the United States Supreme Court only ruled on the 9th Circuit's summary judgment.

Representative Sam Hunt suggested that the Legislature's next move will be determined by what happens this August, the first time the "top two" primary will be used. Voters are in for a surprise, because most people seem to be under the impression that the blanket primary is coming back. But it isn't.

"Top Two" is radically different - and not in a good way. It removes choices for voters in the general election, when most people participate.

I was pleased to see that people are catching on.

The audience was supportive and understanding. At least inside the Democratic Party, confusion over the primary is starting to dissipate, and that's a very positive development. We can't educate the public about the consequences of "Top Two" if we don't get the ramifications ourselves.

The blogging workshop covered everything from setting up a blog to how the netroots community influences the traditional media. Several people asked for advice about which technology (or platform) to use.

Some seem surprised to learn that there are plenty of choices when it comes to software, and the wide array may seem daunting, but ultimately blogging is about writing and not scripting or coding.

David and John did advise would-be bloggers in attendance who are ready to make a long term commitment to the medium to start building an identity from the very beginning - minimally buying a domain name so that readers don't get lost when and if a decision is made to upgrade to something with better features.

Near the end of the session, I spoke briefly about the Northwest Progressive Institute and our Pacific NW Portal project, explaining what our media gateway does and urging the audience to submit their blogs to its Regional Blogs Directory.

I should mention that Dan Kirkdorffer of On the Road to 2008 is also here and has been blogging the Convention. He's posted about his arrival in Spokane this morning as well as the sessions this afternoon.