I just attended an event hosted by an organization called the New Politics Institute featuring Markos Moulitsas and Joe Trippi. Although both Moulitsas and Trippi focused a bit too much on the Ohio special election, talking about how it had “proved” the power of the new medium, overall it was a good event by an organization I didn’t know about previously. I had not seen Markos speak before and liked what he had to say. Here’s some choice quotes:

On the history of the Daily Kos: “It was either start a blog and vent or lose my whole social circle … It was a way for me personally to deal with the angst about the way the country was going. … I wish I was part of a grand plan to take over the world, but I wasn’t.”

On blogging: “I don’t view the medium as a competitive medium.” and “What we’re doing online is diluting the power of the single-issue groups, the single-issue voters.”

On D.C.: “I avoid Washington like the plague.”

Trippi talked a lot about things he’s already said before, and loudly, but much of it is worth repeating. One choice quote “Is the internet an ATM machine? No. It’s about building a community of shared interest.”

(Interestingly I just noticed neither of their blogs supports trackbacks – that I can see. What gives, guys?)