Thinking Ahead

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

There was an interesting tidbit buried in a WaPo article yesterday. It's by neo-con David Frum, and it is his contention that the election is over and McCain shouldn't bring the party down with him. At least, that's what most people got out of the article. the part that caught my eye was this:

[t]he political culture of the Democratic Party has changed over the past decade. There's a fierce new anger among many liberal Democrats, a more militant style and an angry intolerance of dissent and criticism. This is the culture of the left-wing blogosphere and MSNBC's evening line-up -- and soon, it will be the culture of important political institutions in Washington.

Unchecked, this angry new wing of the Democratic Party will seek to stifle opposition by changing the rules of the political game. Some will want to silence conservative talk radio by tightening regulation of the airwaves via the misleadingly named "fairness doctrine"; others may seek to police the activities of right-leaning think tanks by a stricter interpretation of what is tax-deductible and what is not.

I read that section, read it again, and thought: I know those people. I know some of them personally, and others by reputation. But I do not subscribe to the the notion that the militant far left is representative of the big tent that comprises the totality of the Democratic Party.

**IF** we win, and believe me when I tell you I do not in any way take that as a given, we the Democrats will need to decide how to govern, and what principles will guide the implementation of our platform. (And if you haven't read our platform, here it is.)

If you are reading DCW, you have an interest in the 2008 election. For some of you, this is your first election, for others, the first election in which you have taken an interest, and maybe gotten involved. For still others of you, this is just what you do, and you've been waiting for YEARS for a cycle like this.

This year is unlike others because the world is different. Take DCW. During primary season, this was the only site to accurately list a sourced list of Super Delegate endorsements. While the MSM used secret sauce to derive their number, DCW had a hard list, name-by-name. This was possible not only because of the diligence and hard work of Matt and Oreo, but also because of the power of the internet, and the willingness of people all over the globe to contribute data when they came across it. Had Super Delegates been an issue in 2000, it would not have been possible to do what Matt and Oreo did. It would have been possible in 2004, but nowhere near so as in 2008.

Frum's "angry left" has a home on the internet. You probably know who they are, and where to find them. I speak for the DCW team when I say, this is not us.

What about you: are you part of Frums "angry left"? Are you looking forward to the country moving forward? In what way? What are you hoping your (potential) new government will do first? Do you think your day-to-day life would change if we had an Obama administration? If you were part of the government, what would YOU like to legislate and implement? And do you plan to stay engaged after the election is over?

Floor is open.