CRASHING THE STATES is a cross-country journey to capture firsthand the excitement and activism of netroots-supported campaigns during one of the most contentious elections in U.S. history.
In the face of seemingly insurmountable Republican dominance, a revolution is mounting. Ordinary citizens are connecting across the internet, forming communities of progressive activists, journalists, and leadership. Their mission: to take on the Republican machine, the Democratic establishment, and the mainstream media.
Over a 10,000 mile 26 state journey, bloggers Gary Abramson (Reality Bites Back) and Dante Atkins (Hekebolos) uncover the truth about who these internet activists are, what drives their passions, and the realities of this community that started in the political underground of the internet. From within the campaigns, they report the coordination, confusion, energy, challenges and determination of netroots activists as they work to secure electoral victory. Netroots activists and their candidates reveal who they are, what inspired them to action, and what impact, both expected and unexpected, their efforts are yielding.
From North Carolina to Northern Vermont, Chicago to San Antonio, and Seattle to San Diego, their trip across America lands them on election night at one of the biggest upsets of the 2006 election: the Virginia Senate race at a nail-bitingly close campaign that changes the balance of power in the United States Senate.
Notables interviewed for the project include DNC Chairman Howard Dean, 2004 presidential candidate Senator John Kerry, Senator Russ Feingold, Congressman John Conyers, Congressman Brad Miller, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, and former Governor of VA, Senator Mark Warner. 2006 candidates Senator Jim Webb, Senator Jon Tester, Senatorial candidates Ned Lamont and Jack Carter, Congressman Jerry McNerney, Congressman Paul Hodes, Congressman Joe Sestak, Congressman Patrick Murphy, and Congressional candidates Darcy Burner, Dan Seals, Jay Fawcett, Barry Welsh, John Courage, Bill Winter, Francine Busby, and Linda Stender. Co-founder of ePluribus Media and NY State Senate candidate Brian Keeler, Howard Dean for President campaign chair Joe Trippi, Jim Webb for Senate campaign chair Jessica Vanden Berg, Ned Lamont for Senate campaign chair Tom Swan, Jerry McNerney for Congress campaign chair A.J. Carrillo, MoveOn co-founder Joan Blades, DFA Chairman Jim Dean, founder of MyDD, Jerome Armstrong, founder of DailyKos Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, founder of FireDogLake Jane Hamsher, founder of ActBlue Benjamin Rahn, and other netroots luminaries including Chris Bowers, Marcy Wheeler, Karl Thomas Musselman, Eden James, georgia10, MissLaura, Tim Tagaris, Lowell Feld, Josh Chernila, Benjamin Tribbett, A Seigel, Psifighter37, and dozens of others.
The culmination of these efforts capture the nexus of a new American political movement and the struggle to reclaim and restore American democracy. |
