Main Street

Working America at Netroots Nation

It’s that time of year again – Netroots Nation (aka the most fun of all political conventions) is coming. It’s in Las Vegas from July 22 to 25.

Working America will once again be doing our “Raise a Glass for the Working Class” beer booth, offering people the opportunity to take action for working families and sample union-made beer.

And I’m on a panel: “Obama’s Social Security “Death Panel”: Engaging Activists to Defeat the Drive to Cut Critical Social Programs.”

This panel will detail the push by anti-government organizations and the president’s debt commission to solve the “deficit problem” by slashing Social Security and other critical federal programs. It will describe the real factors driving the federal deficit, including tax cuts for the rich, two wars, rising health care expenditures and the Great Recession. The panel will debunk the most basic falsehood of the debt commission: that Social Security contributes to the deficit. Panelists will expose the hypocrisy of addressing the deficit without considering deep cuts to the bloated military budget or increased taxes on corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Panelists also will describe a newly formed coalition working to blunt attacks on Social Security and other domestic programs and how activists can get involved online and offline.

The other panelists are Nancy Altman and Eric Kingson of Social Security Works, Robert Borosage of Campaign for America’s Future, and the amazing blogger Digby.

Stop by the booth and see us, or come to my panel. Or both.

And before you go, or if you’re not going to be attending, please check out the CREDO Mobile/Netroots Nation blogger awards and vote for Main Street’s Mitchell Hirsch for blog activist of the year. I’ll have more to say about it, but anyone who reads this blog (or any of several others) knows how tireless Mitchell has been advocating for unemployment extensions and jobs legislation. So text “Activist Mitchell Hirsch” to 27336 if you think he deserves to be recognized for that.

Tags: Netroots Nation