Last night, reflecting on the convention, David Atkins had this to say on Twitter:

Netroots Nation is WAY cooler–and more actually effective–than any official party convention. #justsayin

It’s not as if the CDP hasn’t been doing anything in that vein. The CDP had some training sessions, including a daylong event on Thursday for county party chairs, and a training from NGP at the Computer and Internet Caucus. Jean Ross of the California Budget Project led a Friday seminar on the state budget.

More can and should be done. Keeping in mind that the CDP isn’t Netroots Nation and shouldn’t try to be, its convention needs to be better than it currently is. The CDP convention needs to be the place where Democrats come to get organized, trained, and inspired for the coming year’s political battles. Instead of being a blunt object for incumbent protection, it needs to become a force for turning California blue.

Imagine if they had brought up Ami Bera, Beth Krom, Steve Pougnet, Melissa Fox, and some of the other folks trying to flip seats from red to blue to the stage to generate buzz and enthusiasm for their efforts.