It's interesting to watch what issues are getting emphasized so far. Today's big roundtable focused on telecommunications policy. Howard Dean is zeroing in on electoral reform. And somewhat more surprisingly, Iraq isn't the rippling subtext beneath everything that goes on. So far as I can tell, there's not even a panel specifically focused on Iraq (and what's up with the progressive foreign policy panel featuring Steve Clemons, Ken Baer, and Peter Beinart? I like those guys, but couldn't they find a well, progressive?). Now, that may be because there's such consensus on the issue at this convention that it hardly needs hashing out. But it's interesting to watch the netroots transition from a force focused on short-term goals (elect Democrats, end the war) to a more self-consciously "progressive" movement that's formulating a broad platform and speaking in a much longer time frame.
Meanwhile, good line from Dean: "Look who they have running for president. Doesn't this look like something out of the 1950s!? And look who we have running for president!"
