Hawaii sent 75% of its congressional delegation to meet with progressive activists in California this weekend.  Sen Brian Schatz, Rep Colleen Hanabusa, and Rep Tulsi Gabbard are attending the June 20-23, 2013 Netroots Nation Conference in San Jose, CA.  Here are the highlights:

Slate: Netroots Nation: Winning on Climate by Making Fun of People

"These people have to be ridiculed," said Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz. "They have to be run out of town rhetorically."

The freshman senator, appointed upon the death of Hawaii's statesman Dan Inouye, was talking about skeptics of climate change. The issue earned a Saturday morning panel at Netroots Nation, anchored by Rep. Henry Waxman, who had moved the 2009 cap and trade bill through the Democratic House only to 1) watch it whimper and die in the Senate and 2) watch many Democrats who'd backed it get attacked as "energy taxers" and lose.

Waxman and Schatz agreed that climate change legislation was a dead letter in the current Congress, because Republicans didn't fear it. How to change that? Ridicule. "When you make fun of people -- here's an example," said Waxman. "In Indiana last year, a conservative candidate lost the Senate race because he said something stupid about rape." If denying climate change becomes as dangerous to talk about as abortion, voila, they can start tripping up the other side.

They needed to try, because nothing else worked....

Obama Echoes NutRoots: 'We don't have time for a meeting of the Flat Earth Society'

Obama Launches Campaign to Mock Global Warming Deniers into Submission

Schatz “Mind Numbingly Stupid”

Obama Climate Policy: Poor Will be Hardest Hit

CB: Hawaii’s Congressional Delegation Heads for California

Hanabusa is talking to activists about progressive issues like the environment and workers wages. She also spoke at an Asian American Pacific Islander session, according to her Twitter feed. She was also scheduled to stop of at a reception put on my Emily’s List, the PAC devoted to electing more women. Gabbard was supposed to appear at the reception as well. Facing a campaign against Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz, the event was a way to dig into Schatz’s progressive support.

Schatz wasn’t supposed to go to the Emily’s List function but was supposed to speak at a panel discussion about climate change. His campaign wouldn’t say if he’d also be raising money. (Ca-Ching!)

Abortion Absolutists: EMILY’s List-ers like NJ gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, and HI Senate candidate Rep. Colleen Hanabusa will be on hand

WFB: “This is not the president that we voted for,” said one man holding an “Obama = Cheney” sign

Politico: Nancy Pelosi booed, heckled at Netroots Nation 2013 

As Pelosi was saying the country needs a “balance” between security and privacy, Marc Perkel, a 57-year-old activist from Gilroy, Calif., started shouting at Pelosi during her answer and was escorted out of the room.

“It’s not a balance. It’s not constitutional!” he yelled. “No secret laws!”

Others in the room began shouting as well, saying things like “Leave him alone!” or “That’s what a police state looks like right there!”....

She was further booed when she said Snowden did break the law by leaking the information he revealed.

“As far as Snowden: he did violate the law in terms of releasing those documents,” she said.

Some of the crowd erupted in boos, with one man screaming, “You suck!”

2012: Hirono was there

KOS: Global Cooling Deniers Cheered by Schatz' Ridicule