Last night, I spent some time with Ned Lamont as he spoke to folks in Second Life. There were many supporters who showed up, people who had been moved by Ned’s campaign. As I reflected back on 2006, it struck me that perhaps we are undervaluing moral victories.

We all want to get agents of change elected. We may factor ‘electablity’ into our calculations. Clearly ‘electability’ is a factor, but people can make big changes without being elected.

Let’s take a couple of examples. Who do you think are the politicians that have had the biggest positive effect on our country?

As I’ve asked various people, the names that come up most often are Howard Dean and Ned Lamont. Al Gore, Paul Hackett, John Edwards and Barack Obama also frequently get mentioned. These are people whose biggest victories have been moral victories and who have changed the political narrative in our country through their moral victories.

I remember early in 2006 when people were asking, “Ned who?” Few people thought Ned could win. Even less thought that his campaign would have the effect it has had on U.S. politics.

Bloggers, in particular, should appreciate this. More people get their news from the commercially owned mainstream media than get their news from blogs, but it is blogs that are changing the political narrative and getting others to look at the important issues that the COMSM misses.

For me, the big issues are the plight of the poor, the working and middle class, which John Edwards speaks so strongly about; the issue of healthcare and Iraq, which all the candidates speak so strongly about; the issue of global warming where Al Gore has led the way; the issue of our constitutional rights, which Chris Dodd has stood up so strongly for; and the issue of bringing new people into the political dialog, which Howard Dean and Barack Obama have been such leaders.

So, my questions to you are, who do you think are the politicians that have had the biggest positive effect on our country recently? What issues are being talked about and what actions are being taken now by the people whom we would wish to lead us?

Let’s not get trapped in the COMSMs political narrative of a two-person race. Let’s talk about a five-candidate strategy, a fifty state strategy.
(Cross posted at DailyKos)