Remember this period during the 2004 campaigns? John Kerry was struggling to pick a running mate that would bolster his low polling numbers, even as Fahrenheit 9/11 was breaking box office records. Democratic representatives were asking the U.N. to send observers to monitor U.S. elections. Even though the case against the Republicans was crystal clear, electoral prospects were grim.

Now? Bush’s approval rating is at an all time low according to a recent L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll: 23 percent. Obama’s approval rating in the U.S. is topped only by his popularity overseas. Progressives should be psyched, right? Mission accomplished.

Look out.

With the interminable primaries over, now is the time for progressive outlets and commentators to really get down to business. They need to be watching not only for conservative dirty tricks, but keeping a close eye on candidate trianguations. As Glenn Greenwald writes today:

One of the primary reasons that blogs emerged over the last seven years was as a reaction to, an attempt to battle against, exactly this narrative which the media propagated and Democratic institutions embraced — that it is the duty of every Democrat to repudiate and attack their own base; that the truly pernicious elements are on the “Far Left”, whose values must be rejected, while the Far Right is entitled to profound respect and accommodation; that “Strength” in National Security is determined by agreement with GOP policies, which is where “the Center” is found; that Seriousness is demonstrated by contempt for the liberal masses; that every Democrat must apologize for any statement over which Republicans feign offense.

Plenty of Beltway institutions already existed for the purpose of cheering on any and all Democrats no matter what they do. If that’s all that blogs are supposed to do, then there is no need for them. From the beginning, blogs have been devoted to opposing Democratic complicity and capitulation — to the lack of Democratic responsiveness to their supporters — every bit as much as opposing GOP corruption and media malfeasance. That role is at least as important as the others.

Greenwald’s impulses are spot-on, but of course, bloggers aren’t the only ones capable of holding Democrats’ feet to the fire. A wide range of progressive media-makers—from journalists to filmmakers to Twitterers and beyond—are now connected to one another through formal and informal social networks, which allow for rapid response like never before. There’s no reason to fetishize one platform over another when we’re faced with such creative possibilities. How will we use them to make this election year different?

Tags: election