We may not be able to win local races any time soon, but getting people to the polls for the national and statewide races is important. If all of the registered Democrats in my county had voted in 2004 we would have two Democratic Senators in Florida. That is something the leadership needs to think about, the pockets of Democratic voters matter in statewide races.

Paraphrasing Molly, who was paraphrasing Harry Truman, given a choice between a real Republican and a faux Republican, voters will choose the real Republican every time.

I understand that everybody wants to take credit for the great victory, and I understand the power struggle for control of the party. What I don’t quite understand, to quote a sage, is “why now?” In some ways, the credit really should go to George W. Bush and his handlers, who made it all possible by being the worst president in my lifetime, by driving America to the brink of collapse and Americans over the edge of frustration.

Our first task as Democrats is to govern effectively, to remind everyone that a) it can be done, and b) we are the ones who can do it. It’s been so long since we’ve had an effective government that some people may have forgotten what it felt like.

As you know, Bryan, I was a Howard Dean supporter when he ran for president. At this point I don’t know what kind of president he would have been, but in the role in which he eventually landed (and Emmanuel must face it: Dean won the post fair and square), Dean has proved himself a superb political strategist. If Carville and the rest succeed in ditching Dr. Dean, they can expect to lose the next couple of elections… at least. That they do not understand this fact is no credit to them. That they choose to do it now, in what one could argue is Dean’s hour of triumph, seems incredibly foolish to me.