Josh Marshall reflects on the election and on what to do next:
“I remember talking to Simon Rosenberg, the head of the New Dem Network, at the Democratic convention last summer. … [He and his group are working] to create a Democratic-leaning counter-establishment along the lines of what Republicans did two generations ago — with an alternative media, activist groups, organized political giving, in short a political infrastructure.
“He told me he thought it would take ten years to accomplish. And I told him my one worry was that it could all be strangled in its crib if Kerry didn’t win.
“Well, here we are. And this is the test for people who care about this kind of politics and these sorts of values — making sure that what has been started is not allowed to falter. … Let’s not put our heads in the sand but let’s also not get knocked of our game. Democrats need to think critically and seriously about why this didn’t turn out 51% for Kerry or 55% for Kerry … But it would be a terrible mistake to stop thinking in terms of those ten years Simon described. …
“It took conservatives two decades to build up the institutional muscle they have today. …
This takes time. And you shouldn’t lose heart. The same division in the country remains, the same stalemate. The other side just got the the ball a yard or two into our side of the field rather than the reverse. And we have to deal with the serious consequences of that. Tomorrow’s the day to start.”
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