The future of liberal blogging is an issue I've been perhaps surprisingly unconcerned with. It's something that arose organically, and as Eric documents it evolved from venting, to community, to media influence, to fundraising and activism, to, in some sense, a networked interest group and coalition. While one shouldn't discount the contributions and efforts of individuals in all of this, I think it's fair to say that no one blogger has been critical to the strength of the blogosphere. And while its role and influence will continue to evolve, as it has since the beginning, it's difficult to imagine its key features and strengths fading away.

To me, since the beginning, the blogosphere's key feature has been to provide a sustained and cohesive unapologetic liberal narrative not found elsewhere. While I certainly hope that the Obama administration moves the country in a more progressive direction, and I will continue to push for this, like Amanda I don't have any sense bloggers are owed some sort of seat at the table.

The important failure of Democrats, particular the more liberal Dems who are obvious allies, to engage the blogosphere effectively comes not from the Obama administration but from members of Congress, and their staffs, who have never understood well enough the power of having alternative ways of getting information and messages out. Liberal blogs have never been empowered by those they have been trying to aid.

Arguably liberal bloggers can, and some have certainly tried to, do more to empower themselves, to leverage what influence they have to greater ends. And, arguably, we should. But few of us started ranting away on the internet with the expectation that we would be sitting down with members of Congress or administration officials. We didn't start blogging because we thought it would change the world. Maybe we have, to some degree, but I don't think it occurred to many of us that we could.