No more 'YearlyKos'

Mark Ambinder writes from the YearlyKos convention that this will be its final gathering... under that name.

This is the final year that the biggest yearly convention of netrooters will be named after Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, or Kos. Mr. Moulitsas enjoyed the attention and adulation befitting a political pioneer, but he now has many other projects to attend to, and he recognizes that the liberal/progressive blogosphere has outgrown any one personality. So next year, the conference will be called something different. Maybe -- StormCon -- for Storming The Gates. Or "Storming The Gates '08." Or something.*

YearlyKos has, in two years, outgrown its bonding session phase, it's "Let's Make Fun Of The Press Stage," and even its focus on national activism About a fifth of the conference will focus on the 2008 presidential race, and only half of it seems to be devoted to politics. At this point, no presidential candidate is planning to throw a gilded reception for the bloggers, a la Mark Warner in Vegas circa last year. Community organizing is a main theme this year. The convention tagline is "Building A Netroots Nation."

I doubt that this is what Bill O'Reilly had in mind when he initiated his jihad against the Kos blog and the convention... although I'm sure that won't stop him going on the air tonight to crow that he "destroyed Daily Kos" just as he promised his geriatric, mouth-breathing viewers he would.

And not that anybody asked me, but I truly hope that they don't go with "StormCon" as the new name of the convention. I mean... UGH! It makes me think of that white supremacist website "StormFront," and I don't think we need that.

For what it's worth, I think a great name for the convention going forward would be the tagline for this year's gathering: "Netroots Nation."

"Netroots Nation, '08" - that has a nice ring.