Yearly Kos: Final

It's nice to be back in DC despite the 200 degree heat. My last day in Chicago I was able to attend the candidate forum with Senators Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Gravel and Dodd, Governor Richardson and Congressman Kucinich.

I have to admit, while entertaining, these candidates are so polished it was hard to see the stage from the glare. This debate was unusual in that the crowd was a bit more rowdy than your standard CNN debate format, but the candidates easily disarmed a sometimes hostile audience with a mix of populism and platitudes. If the blogosphere thinks they can change politics as we know it today they are going to have to be a little tougher if you ask me.

No doubt blogs can have a significant impact on candidates and elections and the media (just ask Mark Foley) but I don't think they have the same impact as old fashioned campaign work. It takes neighbor talking to neighbor, door knocking and community canvassing, real (not virtual) grass roots organizing to create a movement and lasting change. Blogs and the internet are a useful addition to the time tested but aren't about to replace it. I think Yearly Kos is the start of moving from the virtual to the actual but only time will tell if blogs have the power to create a movement of progressives (liberals!) seeking to change politics in this country.