A really short edition, since I'm busy at Yearly Kos. I finally sat down to get something to eat after serving on the  “Holding Congress Accountable for a Progressive Agenda” roundtable (finally got to meet Jane Hamsher of FDL) and the LGBT caucus, where we Mike Rogers and I had a great group of folks together to discuss many of the issues we banter about here at the Blend — framing issues for candidates in Red states, the importance of coming out and its effect on changing hearts, minds — and votes.

One hot topic that got my ire up was a discussion of the idea of “F*ck the South” — the basic concept that progressives should simply give up on the region, not compromising principles to cater to the more socially conservative areas. That's actually the wrong way of thinking about it. We simply have to reframe the issues to the audience — many Southern states are purple, not solid red, and besides that, what kind of message are you sending to progressives and LGBTs living in those states? That they are meaningless, that their efforts to effect change locally doesn't deserve support and effort at the national level?  

I gabbed over lunch with Rod McCullom of Rod 2.0 and Jeffrey Feldman of Frameshop fame. Rod took notes during the LGBT caucus that I'll clean up and share with you later.

OK…some links:

* Weekly Standard used alleged former male escort Matt Sanchez as source to attack credibility of a TNR “Baghdad Diarist”. OMG.

* Jim Burroway: Alan Chambers “denies what comes naturally to me” at Love Won Out. OMG 2.

* Weigh in on Joe Solomnese's column over at the Bilerico Project:  We’ve come a long way to get to where we are today.

* Steve Goldstein of Garden State Equality: UPS and the inside story of New Jersey's failing civil unions law