I hope we're just a footnote.

Ok, so dkos and the lefty blogosphere are getting a lot of attention these days. The Democratic politicos are knocking on the door, the Lieberman campaign is throwing a lot of eyes our way, and now apologists on the left and the rabid whackos on the right are going on the attack. Great. Make you feel good? Make you feel like we're finally having an impact?

Well, here's my take (and I'd be curious to hear yours): If we're all ultimately forgotten or, at most, a historical footnote, then we've won.

I've worked in the nonprofit world for my entire career. That's been just short enough that I can still keep in focus the ultimate goal: to get out of business.  Those who dedicate themselves to social change, by and large, do so because they have a specific passion or they want work to be about meaning, not about earning. Unfortunately, often the struggle to maintain the resources you need to keep up the fight--not to mention the fact that, the longer you identify with something, the harder it is to let it go--makes people lose sight of the fundamental premise that they should be working towards their own career demise.  Why?  Because that means they succeeded.

And I think the same premise works for the engaged citizens who have taken to the streets and the web: If we're successful then that means we should ultimately disappear.  History is a funny thing. It tends to only record the bad lessons, overlooking all the near misses and the successful movements that prevented catastrophe. And so, knowing that, my hope is that history forgets us all.

What's your hope?  How should we be remembered?

•  Hell of a good point.

  This site really would implode if all of the posts were about how happy I am that my senator is doing a great job, and how I am so tired of being represented fairly.

  The surest way for Kos to go out of business is for the politicians to actually listen to us and do their job.

  Kos is safe.

  by citizenx on Thu Jul 13, 2006 at 08:43:58 AM PDT

  •  But it'll never happen

    Even if your rep starts doing a great job, someone else will start sucking.  There's always something for people to get angry/excited about.  I can already point out who the post-Lieberman "bad guys" are going to be: Obama, Salazar, and HRC are on the list, for sure (I DISAGREE, but I'm sure most posters will be gunning for them).  Even without that dynamic, there are always things that require activism of some kind.

    The really interesting thing will be what happens when Dems get control of something.  Will we go the way of other Dem interest groups -- only important in election years?  Or will we be able to flex our muscles in a Dem House/Senate?

    by ChicagoDem on Thu Jul 13, 2006 at 09:03:41 AM PDT

•  There will always be

  something to complain about in Government. This is not a pessimistic statement. This is a fact of life.

  Who said "eternal vigilance"?

  DKos is safe for a long time as long as people care about THEIR government...

  by durrenm on Thu Jul 13, 2006 at 08:52:03 AM PDT

•  Dailykos is like HipHop.

  If you read some earlier hiphop writers, they argued that a successful hiphop movement would acheive social goals that would render the movement itself superfluous.  This seems to be what you're arguing here, and I agree.

  Of course, I don't ever think we'll acheive enough of our goals to render ourselves superfluous, either.  

  And, what a great username for such an optimistic diary!  Let's just hope you fare better than your namesake.  ;)

  by pico on Thu Jul 13, 2006 at 08:59:42 AM PDT

•  disagree

  It seems to me that the logical extension of your argument is that we will reach the point were the Govt. is working so well, we need not be engaged with it anymore. I think that is opposed to the very premis of democracy which is that the people should always be engaged and involved.
  Dkos may well become a footnote because in the future there might arise better and more inclusive forums to get people involved, but to think there will come a day when citizen involvement is not required seems to be missing the point.

  by fat old man on Thu Jul 13, 2006 at 09:01:24 AM PDT

  •  A healthy democracy requires citizen

    participation. That is why our democracy has been ailing.  Too little participation.  If we stop because we think everything is fine again, we'll wind up having to come back at the last minute.  If we hang around and continue to participate, we might just take this country to the next level.  As a people, there are changes that are in store for us.  No matter how much BushCo denies Global Warming, old Mother Earth is going to do her thing.  We will have to adapt and that is going to mean some serious change.  If we don't participate in the decision-making in that process, it is likely we will all fail.  That is just one reason why even if BushCo disappears and is replaced by democrats (with a little d), it will still be important to continue to participate.

    Not one of the Founding Fathers ever really declared victory.  It was obvious to them as it was to me that the consent and participation of the people would be the key ingredient to keeping life in this great experimental democracy.

    by inclusiveheart on Thu Jul 13, 2006 at 09:19:01 AM PDT

•  Disagree, princemyshkin......

  DailyKos is not akin to an issue-based non-profit organization.  DailyKos is not an organization with a narrow agenda, despite what all the right-wing talking heads, the DLC, and the Lieberman folks like to believe.  There's never a "mission accomplished" for us, because the mission is a perpetual one of fighting, through elections and other democratic means, for our shared worldview and our shared approach to dealing with the issues of the day.

  by DCCyclone on Thu Jul 13, 2006 at 09:04:19 AM PDT