Progressive Democrat Issue 79: THOUGHTS

Well, we lost in California. It was a long shot from the start, though it was probably our best shot at winning that particular district we will have for a long time. But this gets back to what I have been saying for months: the left has the potential of winning BIG this year. But only if we work for it. All indications are good. But I have no doubt that the Halliburton Republicans will steal, cheat and lie to win and the Democrats have a long history of dropping the ball when it comes to opportunities. Donations and/or activism have to start early and be sustained. That is how Republicans win so much despite being the minority party.

This week was a kind of odd and exciting week for me. A reporter from the New York Times contacted me to interview me regarding some local Brooklyn politics. I don’t know when that article comes out, but he said he plans on using what I said. During the same period I was playing telephone tag with the NY Times, BBC radio contacted me based on the pieces I have written about what I call the rise of a new, fundamentalist “Caliphate” and America’s dismal failure to fight the growth of terrorist groups. They wanted me to be on a live call in show discussing the fall of Mogadishu to the fundamentalist Islamicist faction. Sadly, the format of the show was such that I don’t think I came off as very interesting or insightful, but at least my writing is getting noticed!

This weekend is also Yearly Kos, the first national conference growing out of the Daily Kos blog. I have become just a tad disillusioned with Daily Kos, but it is still the most important and powerful political blog there is and this is reflected in their conference. Attended by Barbara Boxer, Wes Clark, Howard Dean, Bill Richardson, Mark Warner, Tom Vilsack and many other big names. Probably 2008 Presidential candidates are wooing the Kossacks…and notice that some are not. I believe both are conscious choices as some candidates are positioning themselves to be allied with the grassroots and others are trying to appeal to a more traditional and conservative crowd. I have no favorites and am open to all the 2008 candidates. But I will note that some of those wooing Kossacks are clearly trying to bridge the two strategies by being personally more conservative Democrats but also reaching out to the grassroots. I believe, my personal choices aside, anyone who can successfully bridge the conservative Democrats AND the grassroots will have a good shot at winning.