A few disconnected thoughts on the election....

1) President Bush won a significant victory here, and it costs us nothing to be gracious -- and honest -- enough to say so.

2) As the inevitable discussions about the future of the party begin, DLCers like me need to remember that our liberal friends more than earned their place at the table by setting aside their ideological concerns and working their tails off this year.

3) At the same time, libs need to remember that we DLCers aren't the enemy. Regular readers will recall that I didn't support John Kerry during the primaries because I thought he couldn't compete in Red America. Nonetheless, I did everything I could to help him once he had the nomination. In other words, we moderates earned our place at the table too.

4) William Galston and Elaine Kamarck look as right today as they did fifteen years ago, when they first wrote about the myth of mobilization. (Yes, we need to organize, particularly in light of the GOP's now remarkably effective GOTV operation, but that's not enough in and of itself.)

5) If you aren't worried about the number of Hispanic votes President Bush got the other day, you should be.

6) Republicans have reasons for concern as well: Given the country's shifting demographics, they can't win many more elections the way they did this time.

7) As members of the loyal opposition, we Democrats have an obligation to cooperate, not collaborate. So, when the president moves to the middle (and I genuinely hope he will on some issues), we need to meet him there. But on those occasions when he insists on governing from the far right -- by, say, nominating a movement conservative for the Court, or by sponsoring another round of tax cuts that primarily benefit the very rich -- we have to dance with them that brung us.

8) I wonder if the goo goo types who talk so piously about voting for the man rather than the party will ever figure out that that kind of thinking contributes significantly to the personal nastiness in American politics that they so deplore.

9) If I were a reporter looking for a fresh angle on the future of Howard Dean and his movement, I think I'd take a good look at the final, post-election financial filings in state and local races around the country.

10) It's fine to mope around for a day or two, but don't despair. We made real progress in several important areas this year. And, bleak as it may look today, we really will get 'em next time.