Just got back from my first Netroots Nation conference – Pittsburgh edition! Before I get into the main lessons I learned from this incredible experience, here’s a quick video to explain what we were up to.

1. Passing healthcare reform is more important than passing health care reform.

Angry mobs.  Screaming Glen Beck.  Members of Congress who suggest the President is not an American citizen.

If the Democratic party is unable to come together and pass substantive health care reform – despite having a supermajority in Congress – our failure will give legitimacy to the ridiculous realities described above.

Passing healthcare, beyond being an absolute necessity for our nation, is a test of the Democratic party’s devotion to the American public.  Will our representatives react in fear of losing their own seat?  Will they cave to the incredibly wealthy health care lobbyists and screaming town hall protestors, who try to convince elected officials that their voices matter more?

I hope not.  At Netroots Nation, we all seemed to agree that passing meaningful health care legislation will be a critical test of Obama’s leadership and the principles of his administration.  “We have already compromised,” Governor Howard Dean told us.  “The only piece of reform left worth doing is the public option.”

What happens on health care will become a larger statement about which voices matter in our democracy.  Passing inclusive health care reform with a public option would communicate that our Congress represents the people who voted for it – the middle class, everyday families who might not have millions of dollars for government lobbying, but whose votes keep their elected officials in office.

2. Progressives’ Got Talent!

Ever heard of a good song about being Republican?  How about a Republican comedy video that went viral on YouTube?  Or maybe a celebrity Republican graphic designer and DJ?

I didn’t think so.  One thing that Netroots Nation ‘09 made clear was that progressives have a valuable asset when it comes to the arts.  As it turns out, really talented, funny and artistic people often possess progressive political minds as well.  And our party is ready and willing to take them seriously!

Netroots Nation featured two stand-out panels that were among some of my favorites of the entire weekend: Mixtapes to Myspace: How Hip Hop Builds Movements and Comedy, Video & Activism.  Both demonstrated the power that good-old activism gains with the addition of cutting-edge, compelling art.  They were absolutely incredible.

This message was hammered home at my favorite party of the conference sponsored by none other than MoveOn.org, which featured the artwork of Shepard Fairey!  The artist himself joined us to spin some vinyl for our dancing delight (note: while we seem to have “art” down, dancing is absolutely not included under this category.)

3. Don’t forget the youth!

Another panel I found incredibly powerful was the first I attended, Getting Ish Done: The Youth Movement Moves Beyond Voting.  As a member of “the youth” myself, I found it all too easy to be cynical about my fellow young voters.  After all, I see what kind of garbage some 18-to-24-year-olds post on Facebook (because…I’m friends with them, shh!)

This panel taught me that the nay-sayers who think that the recent enthusiasm of youth voters was a flash in the pan and will fade into the past like your Tamagotchi collection, are simply wrong.

We millenials have different ideas about civic engagement.  The 2008 election was transformative for my generation.  We have gained a fundamentally different concept of what it means to be part of a community and a nation: we understand that political issues have real impact on our lives.  And with the Internet helping to make it easier than ever to connect, share and learn from each other, we’re ready and willing to organize around those issues.

I was especially moved by Erica L. Williams, the director of policy and advocacy for Campus Progress, a project of the Center of American Progress.  She provided me with my new favorite youth vote selling point: more votes were cast by people under 30 years old than over 60 years old – for the first time ever. (While I love this theory – I have yet to find any data backing it up! If anyone can verify this, please let me know!)

4. Progressives must use muscle in Congress.

A common thread throughout many panels is best summed up by Christopher Beam who wrote yesterday on Slate.com, “If there was an overarching theme, it was How do we hold Obama to his campaign promises?”

This raises some questions about our Congressional fortitude as progressives – a minority within the Democratic majority.  At Netroots Nation, everyone agreed it’s time to fight tactically, strategically and as a united coalition of voters.  While I’m no Congressional expert, I’m curious to see if the energy of our conference will be mirrored in the behavior of our representatives.

I’m worried that it’s all too easy for members of the House and Senate in the Congressional Progressive Caucus to fall back into the role of the all-too-compassionate Democrat, compromising away what we most believe in.  I’m further disheartened by the fact that the numbers simply aren’t on our side – there’s only 83 House representatives and 2 senators in the caucus right now. In the House that adds up to just over 30% of Democrats – which, if voting in a block, can do some powerful things.  But it’s no wonder the health care bill is having trouble in the Senate – progressive caucus members Sens. Sanders and Udall won’t be able to accomplish much on their own.

Progressive Democrats have to keep it together, act (ideally in conjunction with all Democrats) as a cohesive voting block, and yes – hold President Obama to his campaign promises in the legislative branch.

5. There ain’t no party like a Progressive Party.

This was both my favorite and most painful lesson learned this weekend. The video below highlights just a small sample of the late-night fun we Netroots Nation attendees got into.  Needless to say, I had an absolute blast…until I had to get up for the morning sessions the next day!

All in all, I had an absolute blast at my first-ever Netroots Nation and cannot wait for next years’ conference – in VEGAS, baby!