I know you recieved a fair amount of netroots critism for not doing ’stick-in-the-eye’ politics during the general, when lieberliar had no such scuples. As a small doner to your campaign I, too, wanted you to be a more ‘kick’em-in-the-nuts’ candidate but I realize now that you were right and I was wrong. I think the example you set is exactly the one dems need to follow if we are going to get our politics out cynical gutter in which the klepto-corpratists have kicked it.
Clear thinking, truth telling and a sense on humour; I hope you will either run again or take Dean’s job when he retires.

I want to follow up on this question. But first, thanks, Ned! for taking on a huge challenge running against Sen. Joe.

Obviously, your strategy for the primary campaign was successfulf. But your strategy for the general campaign obviously didn’t work.

(1) Why did your general election strategy fail to win? Was something wrong with the strategy, or was it just plain unwinable?

(2) If you had a do-over, would you conduct your general election campaign (a) the same, or (b) different (and if so, what would you have done differently?

Thanks,
Bob in hi

Ned, if you come back to read, I add my heartfelt thanks to you for your run against Leiberman. As passionately as I despise him, I came to admire you. You brought decency, integrity and common sense to the campaign. You will make a great Senator. And I hope, for the sake of this country, that you will be in Washington, and soon. You are sorely needed.

Meanwhile, I’m glad to see that you are finding other avenues to lead.

Yours was the first campaign that really inspired me to become involved. I drove to CT to canvass for you and there was a LOT of passionate support for you. I so hope you think about running again.

Thank you, Ned, for inspiring people all over the country by standing up to Joe Lieberman’s unacceptable support of this appalling war. I wish you had won against that cheater, of course, but I do think that your campaign made a big difference in other races because progressive candidates were energized to speak out strongly, and many of them were surprisingly successful.

I keep thinking of a passage from Dante’s Purgatory, where it is said of the poet Vergil (here I am paraphrasing) that he was like one who goes by night, carrying a lamp behind him: he couldn’t help himself, but he helped those who come after him. I think the same is true of you, Ned. Thanks for inspiring people to believe that we can take our country back and force the Republicans to end this war. It is actually starting to happen.