Despite the "Republican war on science," scientific research and education continue to advance. In the last year, the Large Hadron Collider began operation as the most powerful particle accelerator on Earth, the Hubble Space Telescope was given new life, pandemic flu was averted thanks to public health campaigns and in spite of anti-vaccine denialists, climate change legislation made unprecedented advances even as emails stolen from a climate researcher gave the public a confusing view of science’s inner workings, and statewide science standards were found to require more and better evolution lessons than ever before. Scientific and technological advances require not just scientific experts, but an engaged public that appreciates the value of science and policies that encourage and support cutting-edge science education and research. A panel of scientists will discuss steps concerned citizens can and have taken to ensure scientific advances continue for the betterment of society.

Grassroots activists worked to elect Democratic majorities in 2006 and 2008 by supporting Democrats across the political spectrum—from conservatives to progressive and everything in between. Now that Democrats have majorities in both Houses of Congress and the White House, the grassroots that brought the Democratic Party back to power are working to elect not just more Democrats, but better Democrats. This is a panel discussion from the progressive leaders supporting better Democrats across the country and in Congress.

Did you know that the Harvard Center for Public Leadership’s annual survey on public trust regularly finds the military to be, by far, the most trusted sector in the country, well ahead of teachers, doctors and non-profits? Our young troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are far more progressive than those from the Vietnam era, and we have a major opportunity to engage them and expand our big tent even further. But do you know the difference between an officer, an NCO and enlisted? Do you know why you shouldn’t call a Marine a soldier? We’ll fill you in on how the military works, how you can connect with veterans and military families based on shared values, pitfalls to avoid and how progressives can reclaim patriotism.

Can a major policy shift be driven by insiders or must real change emerge as a result of a mass-based movement of outsiders willing to challenge the status quo? Nowhere are the stakes of this discussion higher than in the environmental movement. Forty years ago an oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara helped launch the modern environmental movement which organized the first Earth Day and changed the course of history by passing the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act and helping found the EPA. Today, as we face another crisis and an organizing moment of epic proportions--a front page stunning oil spill and an imminent climate crisis—many of the legacy organizations of the environmental movement have a very different strategy for creating change. Multi-million dollar budgets, career lobbyists and ties to Democratic politicians heavily influence their agenda. Despite money and connections, Big Green is struggling to wrest even modest concessions from their allies in Congress as the biggest polluters exercise veto power over any significant piece of legislation. What can the netroots do to have a bigger impact on the environmental movement? And what theory of change will move the U.S. toward policies that begin to address what scientists say is necessary to fight climate change?

This session will explore the various manner in which hip hop generation journalists, writers, poets, performing artists, community organizers, filmmakers and television personalities have utilized Twitter's 140 characters and educated, informed, infuriated and organized thousands of persons in an online medium, with real-world application, thereby bringing 360 degrees of knowledge full circle, son!

Earlier this year, healthcare reform was signed into law, and now we will discuss what's next. Panelists will consider the possibilities for state-based single-payer reforms and the role that the netroots and labor can contribute in making them a reality. We'll also discuss overlooked healthcare reform priorities such as patient safety reforms and protection of the public health system. Panelists will discuss how to fill the many holes in the recent law and keep the pressure on our legislators for reform. (NOTE: This title and description are tentative and will change.)

This session will focus on how to effectively cold call or cold knock a voter in a way that mobilizes them for your campaign or organization. The training will cover essential parts of successful communication; demonstrate how to write scripts that your volunteers will understand and feature a live phonebank for a progressive candidate as an activity.

Your Tweets can echo beyond the Twittersphere. Join us for a discussion of tools and techniques to make messages on Twitter influence the offline world. We'll cover petitions, fundraising and how to become part of a larger network of progressives on Twitter to increase your reach.

Have you noticed how few progressive voices appear on the opinion pages of the newspapers, including on the websites connected to those papers? This is something we have to change because the people we want to persuade read the op eds, both in print and online. This session will sharpen your skills as a writer and advocate by examining the principles of effective op ed writing. Topics include writing compelling leads, anticipating the news cycle, marshalling evidence in support of your position, rebutting your opponent’s main arguments and honing a call to action and conclusion. Participants will write a sample lead and provide feedback on each other’s drafts. You will leave with ideas to make your writing more persuasive, whether you want to break into the op ed pages of the mainstream media or improve your blog posts or diary entries.

State and local blogging is critical for building a community of progressives and working together on critical issues and elections on a smaller scale. State and local blogging is especially important in red states, where the media and the culture may not be reflecting progressive voices at all. How do you do meaningful blogging in a place where the deck is stacked against you? Can bloggers make a difference in a red state?

The rising tide of populist anger in the face of Wall Street bailouts and continued high unemployment threatens to take an ugly reactionary turn unless it is channeled to more progressive policies of job growth. This panel will address current public attitudes and ideas for steering opinion and action more progressively.

Whether it's attacking immigrant rights, attempting to nullify health care reform, banning gay marriage or promoting anti-abortion policy, for decades the right wing has systematically used state legislation, resolutions and ballot initiatives to move their broader national political message. Meanwhile, the filibuster and compromises at the federal level have made national policy an increasingly inefficient vehicle for clear ideological messaging—especially for progressives. This panel will explore how progressive state legislators, issue advocates and the netroots can use state campaigns not only to frame policy and political battles in individual states, but also to drive a national progressive message by increasing coordination across state lines. It will highlight recent high-profile fights in the states around immigration and health care as well as progressive messaging successes on issues like tax and budget policy and unemployment insurance reform. State lawmakers will join advocates, activists and state bloggers to talk about how best to work together in 2010, 2011 and beyond to build the progressive movement and drive a national message through action in the states.

Marriage equality took a hit in 2009 with defeats in Maine, New York State and New Jersey. However, popular consensus has been that the shining light of the Maine campaign was its online team, which included a coalition of bloggers across both the LGBT and non-LGBT blogosphere. Conversely, the lack of online to offline integration in New York and New Jersey created a significant "rootsgap" that contributed to each measure's failure. The panelists will talk about successes and failures in online organizing for marriage equality, best practices and how to build stronger ties between traditional LGBT organizations and online activists.

A soldier, a minister and a businessman walk into a bar. Seems like the start of a bad joke, but in this case they’re about to advocate for clean energy. In fact, a broad national coalition of unusual suspects has shifted the climate change and clean energy debate in recent months. They've helped protect cap-and-trade proponents from the kind of attacks brought on by the health care debate. But why and how? Major efforts to recruit, train and position clean energy spokespersons from the military, religious and business communities have allowed the national clean energy campaign to greatly expand its reach. Now, if conservatives want to call clean energy “anti-American,” they risk saying it to the face of an Iraq vet, a priest or their local small businessman. We’ll shine the light on how to build widespread coalitions of community leaders to support progressive organizing efforts.

Freedom must be protected everywhere it is threatened. The FCC has an opportunity to protect Internet users from telecom interests seeking to exploit them. This session will dissect the fight for an open Internet to this point and share strategies for building grassroots support to achieve real Internet Freedom.

Connect with like-minded folks and talk with others from your community in our identity, issue and regional caucuses.

A strong Theory of Change, presented transparently to your supporters, is the heart of all organizing. We'll be focusing in on how to create a solid Theory of Change expressed in your campaigns, actions and writing - both in blog posts and email messages. With a clear Theory ofChange, you will not only run more effective campaigns, but you will engage and retain more committed supporters.

Progressive groups are often led by individuals who are unfamiliar with the online world, yet aren't willing to take direction from interns, new hires or younger employees. The fact is online tools and online power are destabilizing factors for many organizations – especially long-standing institutions or under-resourced nonprofits. This workshop will help you break through by identifying the root problems preventing groups from engaging in online organizing. We will explore strategies that empower netroots people working at nonprofits to “manage up” and help their organization succeed.

We all know about the infamous “Beltway Bubble” and the information divide between political professionals and the rest of us. That divide is not, however, an immutable rule of nature – a relatively modest number of independent citizen journalists can have a huge impact in neutralizing the insiders’ advantage in knowledge of both congressional process and policy details. In this training, a few of the intrepid folks engaged in just that mission, operating from both inside and outside Washington, will share their experiences. The panelists will also offer concrete tips to help those interested in entering the field find their niche.

The Netroots Nation Screening Series presents a wide array of video projects...but we can't find and showcase them all. Here's your chance to present work that we've missed. Come sign up right before the session for 7 minutes on the screen and stage. Bring your video on DVD or have it readily accessible online, and you get 7 minutes to screen clips, ask for feedback, field questions, promote collaborations. First 10 projects get slots in this first Video Open Mic.

Despite early expectations or fears, one of the two Republicans in President Obama's cabinet and head of an often-obscure agency has become one of the administration's rock stars. Ray LaHood has elevated public transportation, biking and walking to prominence in American transportation policy just as the Recovery Act of 2009 pumped billions into new projects. How has a former Republican Congressman pushed some of Obama's most progressive policy successes, and what's needed to cement a new direction in federal policy that deeply affects where we live and how we get around?

Connect with like-minded folks and talk with others from your community in our identity, issue and regional caucuses.

Connect with like-minded folks and talk with others from your community in our identity, issue and regional caucuses.

Connect with like-minded folks and talk with others from your community in our identity, issue and regional caucuses.

Connect with like-minded folks and talk with others from your community in our identity, issue and regional caucuses.