Nation-Building >> Dean Hits the Trifecta | return to front page

Over at the official blog, Matt Gross gives us a Mark Shields column and says that Shields gets it. And Shields does get it, more than any other writer who has gotten it. Even Lizza's early piece (in the New Republic) that picked up on the importance of internet organizing and Manjoo's more recent piece on Dean.com (in Salon.com) have missed something:

This is not just about the quality of the internet organizing. It's about the quality of the candidate.

If you read between the lines, a new picture of the Dean internet world becomes clear.

We chose Howard Dean.

Last fall, on my first (of now 3) blog, Left in the West, I started writing about Dean and even managed to convince one reader to cut a hundred dollar check. I soon found other Dean supporters. Matthew Yglesias was leaning towards him. Atrios had kind words. Rich Klau was there. Soon, Ezra came along.

And there was, of course, Aziz and this blog.

And you looked around for favorable words about Kerry or Edwards or Gephardt and you could find them, but no one was dedicated.

Soon, I left my blog and moved in to Ezra's netspace. And MeetUp continued to grow and the campaign eventually decided to launch an official blog (still back on blogger in those days).

But all along, it's been Dean who has inspired those of us who are most plugged in to politics (and outside-the-Beltway) and still normal citizens.

Dean's campaign has done amazing things figuring out how to steer this rising tide, this Perfect Storm.

But Shields is right when he says it is Dean, not Dean's internet ability, that is getting him where he is.

And that's why we'll hit the trifecta: Dean is a candidate unlike any in recent memory with an amazing ability to be at the center of every political stage. He is the story. His staff has figured out how to take advantage of new situations remarkably quickly and keep 180,000 volunteers happy (that's twice the size of my hometown, folks). And we, his roots, are dedicated. We've got people canvassing, phone calling, fund raising, leafletting, tabling.

Hell, we can have 5 tables at events where other campaigns won't have the volunteers to set up one.

The candidate.
The campaign.
And us.

We've got the trifecta.

So, to give you something to do, donate to the campaign in the name of the Dean Nation (this blog).