What Do Netroots Stand For?

I read John Heilemann’s long piece on the resurrection of Al Gore last night while Josh and I were watching Shaq and Dwyane Wade lead the Heat past Detroit. I am rooting for Miami to go all the way.

John paints a picture of a changed man (Gore) who was deeply affected by his painful loss in 2000. I haven’t witnessed the change myself (other than the great SNL speech), but I am certainly willing to give Al another look. He has always been a man who cared about the future and that’s my mantra.

John says about halfway through the article:

To begin with, unlike all but a handful of
Democrats, Gore, with his ties to the Netroots and his burgeoning personal
wealth, could readily raise the requisite funds to take on Mrs. Clinton.

That got me thinking, what do the Netroots stand for? I went to Wikipedia and learned a bit about how Netroots do their thing, but nothing about what they stand for. I am all for blogging, using the Internet to organize and fundraise, and stimulating debate. I guess that makes me a Netroots kind of person.

But to be honest, I don’t read Daily Kos and I am not a traditional "lefty".

I am a mix of centrist on fiscal issues, a passionate liberal on social issues, with a good dose of libertarian ideal thrown in.

I’d be attracted to a new political movement that rejects the failed liberalism of the mid 20th century and the failing conservatism of the late 20th century.  If the Netroots are that, count me in.  But I need to know more.