Honesty, courage and American politics
When I heard John Edwards was going to be speaking at Gnomedex - I immediately started to think of something about his shiney teeth that I could ask him. But like every good meme, I didn’t have to worry about coming up with something coolio - as it all just kind of flowed.
So there he is, standing up on stage and he asks “OK - so who wants to talk about what?”
I stand up and ask him “dude - when are the Democrats gonna get some balls and take the Republicans to the matt?” I used the example of the ‘net neutrality’ issue - which was voted on along party lines as a great opportunity of making the Republicans look like the ‘bought off puppets who only care about money’ - that they are.
The Senator kind of liked the question and ran with it, calling his own party members ‘mealy mouthed’ and lamenting on the state of the Demcratic party. It was kind of fun to use ‘cuss words’ with a U.S. Senator - but I also got to eductae the man a bit - on my family background, using a term often used to refer to my genetic upbringing.
“Wait a minute” - he asked “what’s that - a ‘red diaper baby’ - I never heard of that term?”
Little did I realize how insular and ‘East Coast intelligensia’ based the term was. “My grandfather was a commie, my father was a commie and I’m a commie.” (I thought I spare him the actual details of who I REALLY am, and how I see technology as my weapon to tear down the battlements of oppression, race hatred and ignorance.)
So anyway my favorite working class son activist FactoryJoe did a job on me:
Remember the old saying “workers of the world unite”.
Well Chris and Tara (collectively now known as the Citizen Agency) are the modern day “working class hero” couple, only nowadays its through the blogosphere, open source and open standards that we fight our fight.
NOTE: My grandfather also knew Eugene Debs - if any of you know who that is. Go Google him.
So today is Chris’ session.
I wonder what it’ll be on?
I just sure hope I don’t fall asleep.
We were up to til 2 AM partying - celebrating the announcement of PeopleAggregator.
I don’t have to tell you that its 6 AM now, I’m up, making sure all our clients are happy - rejoicing in the fact that I don’t have some VC guy to justify my existence to.
I’m dam proud of our team and I sure hope they’re getting an idea of what my life is like - at all these conferences I go to.
ITS LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME - dudes.
July 1st, 2006 at 8:01 am
I would have loved to see John Edwards reaction! Must have been great. Well, take some rest now, dude. It’s been a great, coolio, fascinating and tough week for you and the whole team. Get something to smoke and relax a little bit, now. Life can be so much fun!
July 1st, 2006 at 9:39 am
Sweet, I read up on Debs once — getting mad at his lost Supreme Court case was one of the first times I realized I’m a free speech zealot.
July 1st, 2006 at 3:52 pm
Hey Marc,
Great post…that’s why we believe in you…;)
July 2nd, 2006 at 12:24 pm
Ruju,
Edwards took the question with a great deal of poise and equinimity. He seemed to enjoy it. His first resonse was to translate “balls” into a word he could be quoted saying: “backbone.”
July 5th, 2006 at 5:48 am
I think most of us should be insulted that you think we would not know who Debs was. I also know who Walter P. Reuther is - does that get me points?
July 10th, 2006 at 8:55 am
Marc, here’s an idea: Next time you catch up with Adriana Cronin-Lukas, why don’t you ask her about what fun it was to grow up in a communist country (a real one, not some revisionist fantasy world where being a commie is trendy or hip)? To be a fly on the wall for that conversation…
November 21st, 2006 at 10:02 am
[…] Dave Winer is sitting in front of me and read the Proclomation from the Governor declaring “RSS Days” in the state. Dave and Marc Canter are like the godfathers of the conference and two gents I’ve come to respect the more I learn about the vision and execution they’ve individually brought to the industry. […]
November 21st, 2006 at 5:19 pm
[…] Ethan Kaplan (Warner Brothers Records’ Director of Technology and editor of REM fan site Murmurs ) Marc Canter - People Aggregator Gnomedex - Chris Pirillo - Tag Jag - Blaugh (Friendster ) Flickr pics - Gnomedex, DogLotion, Gapers […]
December 1st, 2006 at 5:23 pm
[…] Bonus Link Stash: Ethan Kaplan (Warner Brothers Records’ Director of Technology and editor of REM fan site Murmurs ) Marc Canter - People Aggregator Gnomedex - Chris Pirillo - Tag Jag - Blaugh (Friendster ) Flickr pics - Gnomedex, DogLotion, Gapers […]
December 1st, 2006 at 5:25 pm
[…] Dave Winer is sitting in front of me and read the Proclomation from the Governor declaring “RSS Days” in the state. Dave and Marc Canter are like the godfathers of the conference and two gents I’ve come to respect the more I learn about the vision and execution they’ve individually brought to the industry. […]