I really don't know whether this will be the final post on this blog or not, but I'm taking a break from all things online next week, and afterwards, who knows. It seems incongruous to keep posting on a single-race blog now that that race is over, even though there's still much to be said about what this race ultimately meant. I am sure I will re-engage in blogging somewhere soon. If you would like to be informed about it, you can send me an email at the address on the left.

In the meantime, thank you so much for reading this blog and being a part of what really became a social movement both online and offline, in state and out of state. Thank you to the daily visitors and regular commenters here. Thank you to CTKeith, DeanFan, and the others who were on top of this race online from the very beginning. Thanks to BranfordBoy, CTBlogger, Spazeboy, and CTBob who were on the ground providing the energy for this race from early on. Thanks to Scarce for being omniscient and omnipresent. Thanks to everyone else at My Left Nutmeg for providing an indispensable community forum - something that really should be nurtured and expanded in the weeks and months ahead. Thanks to the national bloggers at Atrios, Daily Kos, MyDD, Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake, and everywhere else who were so helpful on a daily basis encouraging the type of broad nationwide support that was so crucial in making this into more than just a local race with local impact.

Thanks especially to Tim Tagaris, who came in and showed us all how this is done (notwithstanding his poor judgment in hiring me after the primary), and the rest of the campaign team, who were so inspiring, first to work with, and then to work for.

And of course, thanks to Ned, who inspired so many and who, I have little doubt, will continue to do so.

This was never about one person, though. It was always about ordinary citizens finding strength in each other. That type of shift in power is incredibly threatening to the existing power centers in both government and in the corporate world, which explains the $12,000 checks that flew into the Lieberman coffers as much as it explains the inaction by most Republicans and betrayal by some Democrats during the general election.

We took on one major party in the primary, and we won an historic victory. But, in so many ways, we had to take on the combined efforts of two major parties in the general - an even more herculean task that, amazingly, we almost pulled off too.

In the meantime, we made Joe Lieberman a vestigial senator. He is no longer a Democrat. He chose to leave the party in July. In August, 52% of Democrats rendered their clear verdict. In November, the margin was even greater (about two-thirds of Democrats voting against him, according to one exit poll). Joe has long derived his power from claiming to speak for a largely mythical "center" in the Democratic party while constantly advocating positions that place him to the right of many Republicans. No more.

To place a (D) after his name at this point would be to say to Connecticut Democrats that they don't ultimately get to decide who represents their party - that the Tim Russerts of the world get to do so. It would be insulting, disrespectful, and wrong. Joe can vote however he wants or caucus with whichever party he wants, but he is not a Democrat. Having re-stated multiple times that his vote for organizing the senate is not up for grabs, he is now just one of 100 senators. And - on the war especially - there will be many Republicans who will be more likely than Sen. Lieberman to be the 51st vote (and 52nd, and 53rd) for meaningful legislation. Those votes should be welcomed. There are also many new Democrats - like Jim Webb (D-VA) and Jon Tester (D-MT) - who will more truly represent the center in American politics.

Going forwards, Sen. Lieberman has a choice. He can either face this reality, or ignore it at his own peril. He can either become responsive to his constituents, or become even less relevant. He can either continue to be beholden to the lobbyists and D.C. "bipartisan" power centers that bailed him out post-primary, or he can start being beholden to the people of Connecticut again. The choice is his. Those who have worked for the last year to hold their senator accountable - from Ned on down - aren't going anywhere.

Charles