Something is happening.
You know this because you've seen it already, even before I've explained myself. There's a wave rising up across this nation.
There's a national trend that becomes clear as we connect the dots, as we compile the data in state after state.
Let me explain...
Darcy Burner is running for Congress in Washington's 8th Congressional District.
Darcy Burner is a mom, a successful businesswoman and a political candidate. Now, there are a lot of assets that Darcy Burner brings to the table in her battle to win WA-08 from GOP Congressman Dave Reichert: positive press and a favorable political climate, the support of DCCC and Emily's List, and the attention of national blogs like the one you're reading now.
All these factors are advantages that the GOP will counter, punch for punch, in the battle for political victory in Washington's 8th CD. That's par for the course with Karl Rove's GOP. But there's one thing Darcy Burner has going for her that the GOP has no answer to: Darcy Burner is the face of change in Washington State. Darcy Burner represents visibly and personally where the Democratic Party and our nation are headed. Darcy Burner stands for fresh leadership.
In 2006, the GOP has no answer to that.
When you look across this country, there's something that only becomes obvious when you start to see each specific "face of change," each specific candidate emerging as the leading netroots candidate in state after state. Their campaigns are about more than them. These candidates stand for something bigger than partisan victory. These candidates, whether Ned Lamont in Connecticut or Patricia Madrid in New Mexico, represent the kind of leadership that our nation is hungry for. And the spirit of their campaigns, a netroots spirit of egalitarianism and shared effort, carries over into how Democratic activists are approaching politics in every state.
You see, wherever we have a powerful netroots candidate we also have the development of the ingredients of a netroots wave. Local blogs and local grassroots activists create energy for other nearby races. That's what a netroots wave is about. We in the netroots aren't just interested in winning for winning's sake: we believe deeply and passionately that our country's leadership has failed us, and we embrace those candidates ready to help us make change in our state houses and in Washington D.C.
You could see this conviction, feel it even, in how we interacted last June at Yearlykos. We in the netroots are serious and energized. We are building this wave district by district and state by state. We in the netroots are working together...we are hungry for exactly the kind of change that these new leaders represent...and it shows.
Take Darcy Burner. Burner's campaign represents our best chance to take a Republican seat in Washington State. But blogs that support her, blogs like Evergreen Politics and Washblog are also covering Peter Goldmark's struggle against GOP Congresswoman Cathy McMorris in WA-05, and Maria Cantwell's campaign to win reelection to the U.S. Senate.
And Washington State local netroots activism does not stop there. Not in 2006. The netroots wave that's been activated to help Darcy Burner and Peter Goldmark and Maria Cantwell...can't help but spill some attention to ex-Republican Democratic convert Rodney Tom running for WA State Senate (h/t jasonbl) and defending the Democratic Judgships of Gerry Alexander and Susan Owens. (h/t nudger).
That's what a netroots wave is all about. Darcy Burner may be the most visible face for change...and she should be; but the netroots at the local level, spearheaded by local Washington State bloggers, translates the energy generated by Burner's campaign into something more focused and meaningful still, a netroots wave whose intention is to change the face of Washington politics as a whole for years to come.
You think I'm overstating the case? Let me go down the list and provide some examples. (I'll give six, but I could do three times that.) State by state you can see that across the nation powerful netroots candidates who personify the Democratic message of fresh leadership are at the focal point of a building locally-based netroots wave that has the potential to have a much broader and lasting impact.
This kind of synergy is what 2006 is all about:
Montana:
In Montana the insurgent campaign of Jon Tester for US Senate, backed by local bloggers Left in the West has created spill-over energy opposing Montana GOP incumbent Congressman Dennis Rehburg and support for Democratic challenger Monica Lindeen. Tester is the face of change, Lindeen is part of the netroots wave.
New Hampshire
In New Hampshire kossack and local blogger keener is a vital member of a group of NH bloggers like Yankee Doodler and Blue Granite championing the campaign of Democrat Paul Hodes to unseat Charlie Bass in NH-02. The New Hampshire netroots explicitly ties that netroots energy for Hodes to the campaign of Molly Kelly for New Hampshire State Senate. These bloggers will also keep the focus on the two other NH State Senate races where Democrats can make inroads in the Granite State.
Colorado
Ed Perlmutter in CO-07 is the face of change for Colorado, and Colorado bloggers at SquareState and Democracy for Colorado won't let anyone forget it. But, as bumblebums points out, netroots Coloradans are solidly behind Bill Winter in CO-06 and Angie Paccione in CO-04, and are making Bill Ritter's campaign for governor one that the nation will take notice of.
Minnesota
Now, I may be biased since I'm from there, but Minnesota's netroots are on fire. It's not just that Amy Klobuchar's run for U.S. Senate represents a decisive choice for fresh leadership against GOP candidate Mark Kennedy, but MN blogs like MNPublius and Minvolved and Blanked Out are covering the entire state with aplomb. Democrats Tim Walz MN-01 and Patty Wetterling MN-06 both face tough battles against GOP opponents, but as I wrote yesterday, MN netroots bloggers like Ollie Ox and Vox Verox have got their backs. Further, dailykos own eartha, reminds everyone that Mark Ritchie's run for Secretary of State won't be forgotten by the netroots come November. Minnesota has the makings for building another netroots wave.
Kentucky
Netroots activity is abuzz in the South as well. I don't have the "face of change" identified here yet...but the netroots wave is alive and well. The Bluegrass Report keeps an eye on all the races including KY-04 and the Governorship, while Drinking Liberally Louisville makes sure that GOP Congresswoman Anne Northup's voting record spells out that it's time to elect Democrat Jon Yarmuth in KY-03. Finally, kossack hilltopper makes sure that the netroots doesn't forget anybody fighting the good fight, by highlighting Chris Frost's campaign against a right-wing Republican for Kentucky House of Representatives.
Virginia
We know from experience that the bloggers at Raising Kaine won't give an inch; in 2006, they support Jim Webb as the face of change for an already changing Viginia politics. But the folks at RK are joined with other local Virgina blogs to make sure that the netroots in Virginia knows about all the races (VA-02, VA-11, VA-05 and VA10) where grassroots-fueled Democrats are working to take our government back for the people. Kossack Edgery's run down of Virginia's politics is worth a look. And the more people focus on raising money and turnout for Webb, the more each of these Congressional races get impacted. That's the nature of a netroots wave. That's what 2006 is about.
I could go on. I could mention Claire McCaskill in Missouri or Deval Patrick in Massachusetts or Ciro Rodriguez in Texas or Lois Murphy in Pennsylvania. In each case we've seen how the emergence of a netroots candidate embodies how the Democrats are the party of change in 2006. And in each case, state by state, local grassroots activists and bloggers are making sure that November means so much more than just the victory of one favored candidate. In every state we are building a netroots wave.
I've written that in 2006 our slogan should be:
We're Democrats, we are the change you're looking for.
I stand by that phrase but would like to emphasize that it should be calibrated to embrace every single one our candidates in all 50 states. You see, these exemplary netroots candidates, this netroots wave building in every district across the nation means nothing if it doesn't deliver what it promises to American citizens: a meaningful and lasting change in the leadership of our nation.
That is what got all of us involved in the first place. Whether it was through Howard Dean or Al Gore, Paul Wellstone or Robert Kennedy: we know this nation deserves better leadership than it has received. We know what our core values are. It's our great desire for change and our refusal to bend those core values that has brought us to the dance.
And it's that passion for change, that hope, that buoys our spririts as we fight what will be a very tough fight to take our country back this fall. (Friends, there is not a single "guaranteed" victory this fall.) However, I am convinced that the intersection of visible optimistic netroots candidates backed up by grassroots activists and local blogs will be the story of the Democratic Party this election year.
And it's my hope that, for once, the Republicans won't know what hit 'em.