Join the performers of Laughing Liberally for a free special engagement at Netroots Nation. Enjoy an evening of laughter from the left with top political comics from Comedy Central, The Onion and the Laughing Liberally National Tour. Featuring Netroots Nation favorites including Lee Camp, Katie Halper, Negin Farsad, Julianna Forlano, Baratunde Thurston, Lizz Winstead, Elon James White and more.  Laughing Liberally, the national comedy project of Living Liberally, has been touring the country, producing videos and special campaigns with progressive partners, running Off-Broadway in New York City and is preparing an election season of political laughter across the country. laughingliberally.org.

Panelists: Lee Camp, Negin Farsad, Julianna Forlano, Nato Green, Katie Halper, Joseph Novick, Baratunde Thurston, Elon James White, Lizz Winstead

Join us for what’s become an annual tradition at Netroots Nation! Whether you can’t hold a tune or have ambitions to try out for American Idol, we want you on that stage. This event is generously sponsored by SEIU. An open bar and some late evening snacks to get you in singing mood will be provided. This event will be held at the The Dorrance located at 60 Dorrance Street, just a few short blocks from the convention center and HQ hotels.

Grab your coffee before the action begins each morning while getting an freewheeling and hilarious update of the day’s news with Daily Show co-creator and comedian Lizz Winstead, Radio host, journalist Shannyn Moore and Pundit, author and teller of truths, Cliff Shecter.

The Morning News Dump is sorta like “Morning Joe,” minus the guests who have gotten everything wrong for the past 10 years. Each morning these three will also welcome some of your favorite bloggers and politicians as well to give you a download of the days news before you hit the Netroots ground running.

Roll out of bed and join them!

Generously sponsored by The Guardian US.

Led by: Lizz Winstead

Panelists: Shannyn Moore, Cliff Schecter

This session will address how elections can be won in such a way that power is built up in the grassroots and that winning is more than 50 percent plus 1. We’ll discuss how base building isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s the smart thing to do to win. Participants will learn how we can use elections to build and expand the base by bringing new people into the process by building authentic relationships in communities. We will also talk about how communities and constituencies must be seen as partners in this work in order to create infrastructure that last long after the election, builds power and grows new leaders. Finally, you’ll learn how to put together a base-building plan that utilizes power mapping and targeting.

Trainers: Peggy Flanagan, Rudy Lopez

Set unrealistic deadlines! Don’t define your intended audience! Refuse to make decisions! Many of the ways you can mess up your new website or redesign are identical to the ways people fumble any endeavor. Other mistakes are unique responses to the age old demand—“Hey, overextended staffer! Create a cutting edge website for free, stat, with whatever the latest gizmo thingy I don’t understand is!” After years of working with a diverse range of organizations and campaigns we’re here to enthusiastically report on the classic mistakes even the best organizers and communicators make when overseeing major website development (or redevelopment). We’ll hold your sweaty, fearful hand as we walk you through the entire life cycle of website development, ensuring that the end result is as expensive and ineffective as possible.

Trainers: Cheryl Contee, Aaron Welch

American public education is under concerted attack: Americans are told we are failing in international comparisons, urged to blame teachers and break their unions, turn more of our public education system over to private interests and rely ever more upon tests to make critical decision. These and other tactics are designed to delegitimize and ultimately destroy meaningful public education. Three nationally-known experts explore aspects of that attack and offer specific suggestions of how progressive supporters of public education can fight back.

What Progressives Can Do to Stop the War on Public Education

Miss this panel? No problem! Here’s what happened.

Storified by Netroots Nation · Fri, Jun 08 2012 14:10:58

Led by: Kenneth Bernstein

Panelists: John H. Jackson, Diane Ravitch

Despite the fact that we’ve been in a foreclosure crisis for more than four years, precious little attention has been paid to how banks have used faked documents to steal homes from American borrowers. This panel will break down just how the banks have defrauded homeowners, local governments and the state judicial system, and why meager settlements or more promises for loan modifications are completely inadequate to hold the guilty parties responsible for the crime. This panel brings together foreclosure fraud experts, along with the people actually working on the front lines to stop illegal evictions and bring forward justice. We will also take a look at citizen-led efforts to protect people’s homes and hold banks accountable—and how you can join those efforts.

Foreclosure Fraud: How the Banks Broke the Housing Market and How We are Fighting Back

Miss this panel? No problem! Here’s what happened.

Storified by Netroots Nation · Fri, Jun 08 2012 17:00:14

Led by: David Dayen

Panelists: Neil Barofsky, Malcolm Chu, Lynn Szymoniak

Transgender advocacy has exploded in recent years in no small part due to the ability of transgender people to connect nationally online. The immediate and swift outcry against the proposed stripping of gender identity protections in the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) demonstrated this community’s online power. But while blogging significantly shapes political activity within the transgender community, there is a risk that all of the community’s concerns may not be considered in online responses to real-world events. This panel will explore the historical development of the activated transgender community and the impact blogging and online activism have on its formation and focus. Presenters will share examples of the powerful role this online community plays in moving transgender rights forward, while also examining what is missing from the conversation.

Blogging for Transgender Equality: History, Challenges and Progress

Storified by Netroots Nation · Fri, Jun 08 2012 16:48:55

Led by: Jillian Weiss

Panelists: Jennifer Levi, Monica Roberts, Autumn Sandeen, Jos Truitt

How can social and racial justice organizations leverage technology on behalf of criminal justice campaigns? Panelists will discuss how their respective organizations utilize the internet, social media platforms and mobile devices to spread awareness about criminal justice violations impacting communities of color. Particular campaigns to be highlighted include those against the NYPD’s racially-targeted “Stop and Frisk” policy; the wrongful imprisonment of 10 innocent men in Cook County, IL, on the basis of forced confessions; the execution of Troy Davis without proof of guilt beyond reasonable doubt on the basis of unreliable eyewitness testimony; and the proposal to replace the storm-damaged Orleans Parish Prison with a massively-expanded facility. Panelists will share best practices, successes and challenges and ways to improve the efficacy of 21st century technology in criminal justice campaigns.

Combatting Criminal Justice Violations: Challenging Assumptions and Winning Campaigns

Storified by Netroots Nation · Fri, Jun 08 2012 17:22:14

Led by: Dani McClain

Panelists: Kamau Franklin, Dana Kaplan, Laura Moye, Matt Nelson

Activists tend to be motivated by a powerful, inclusive sense of connection to all beings and the planet. Yet guilt, frustration, weariness and internal conflict can remove us from the sense of purpose we need to work for the long haul. When activism is disconnected from a deep understanding of interdependence, we may unintentionally create some of the very conditions we are fighting against—persecution instead of justice, hatred instead of compassion. The vital source of reconnection to a larger vision was called “the love that does justice,” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Gandhi called it “satyagraha,” or truth force. The Netroots offers an unparalleled opportunity to create a community of change that is aligned with our deepest values of a more just and sustainable world. This panel will explore in-person and online tools for resilience of body, mind and spirit to help support a sustained, transformational activism.

Love, Compassion and Other Outrageous Forms of Activism

Miss this panel? No problem! Here’s what happened.

Storified by Netroots Nation · Fri, Jun 08 2012 13:51:41

Led by: Carla Goldstein

Panelists: Mallika Dutt, Leslie Salmon Jones, Sharon Salzberg

The Latino vote is expected to exceed 12.2 million in the 2012 elections. This diverse electorate includes those who have been here since the days of Aztlan and others who arrived more recently. Latinos are not a monolithic group. We don’t all know what arepas taste like, and many of us might not know how to salsa. So what ties us together? Ask five Latinos, and you’ll likely get five different answers. Whether it’s language, religion, culture or a sense of rhythm, Latinos make up a key voting bloc. This session will serve as a cross-pollination of regional knowledge that will help organizations springboard their 2012 electoral narratives. We’ll look at the strategies, tools and approaches organizers are using in a variety of regions around the country to create a powerful and progressive Latino voting base.

Led by: Eddy Morales

Panelists: Sindy Benavides, Ana Beatriz Cholo, Tomás Garduño, Aparna Shah

On June 5, progressives across the country will either be celebrating Scott Walker’s recall loss or angry about his victory. Either way, this panel will serve as a post-mortem for the long, hard fight for sanity in Wisconsin.

Led by: Kaili Lambe

Panelists: Kristen Crowell, Emily Mills, Josh Orton, Harry Waisbren