The bloggers have been successful in raising issues that pundits then must address. and I have no doubt that bloggers were behind the losses of the Republic Party (even though the election was rigged to favor them) by keeping the corruption of Iraq front and center, by 'outing' deceptions, and most important by influencing pundits. Just because our government will be working again doesn't mean pundits won't keep listening in on the bloggo-elements. I think we need to push them on the issues that are hard to speak about. One thing we know about our leaders is that they're cowards, so they need others to take the first risks and to 'normalize' the debate before they'll be brave enough to speak some truth.
I think we all agree on election reform, health care, the minimum wage, excellence in education, regaining our lost rights, and fairly taxing big business and obscenely wealthy Americans, which, after all, are only as successful because they have the advantage of doing business here.
But to me the biggest issue now is pressing for an open discussion on the State of Israel, and how the Israel lobby influences our elected representatives.I have no idea what is going on behind these closed doors, and I don't know how to find out. I don't have an answer for Israelis, but the entire world knows that humiliating occupied people won't lead to peace or to reconciliation, so more humiliations and killings can't work. These two 'warring' parties won't be able to make peace until some outside authority mediates and brokers a compromise solution for them, both sides have dug themselves in too deep. Let's ask for answers to what's been going on behind our backs, and to the solutions our elected representatives propose.