Winning

With regard to our impact on the political system, Kos makes a pretty good argument that we have already won.

And the key to all of this is us. While the party leaders in DC were lamenting their sad lot in life, Democrats started turning out in droves to cast ballots in the Democratic primary. Even after Kerry ran away with it, they still came out in record numbers. And those "fired up Democrats" were also talking to their friends and neighbors and coworkers, so Bush's poll numbers dropped some more.

It wasn't the party leadership that led -- it was us. It was the blogosphere. It was people who wouldn't know how to turn on a computer. It was me. It was you. We took control of this party, and they never saw it coming.

And sure, like any seismic shift in the status quo, there are those who resist. But they'll be roadkill. The DNC, DSCC and DCCC all have blogs now. So do allied party organizations like the New Democrat Network.

So while some may crow about Dean's demise, and the demise of the blogs and the Internet, their victory was phyrric. If the Dean supporters were being marginalized, if the Netroots strategy was discredited, I would be unemployed. But my firm has never been in greater demand.

We demanded a voice in the process, and we got it.

We won. The Democratic Party's grassroots won. The question now is what we do with our newfound influence.

I agree that we have influenced the campaign tremendously. Far more than the worst critics would be willing to acknowledge. But the fight certainly isn't over yet. I think Kos is simply trying to give heart to those who think nothing was accomplished for all their hard work. They are wrong.

But the fight isn't over yet. In many ways, it will never be over.