Kos: "We Have Arrived"

Markos Moulitsas, founder of the liberal Daily Kos blog and iconic figure of the liberal Left, asserted Thursday night that the Internet-based progressive movement had gone from the fringes of politics to its center in just four years.

Daily Kos blogger Marcos Moulitsas. (Courtesy DailyKos.com)

"There is no doubt we are turning the political world upside down," said Moulitsas during the opening night of the first annual Yearly Kos convention in Las Vegas. "These are good, heady days for the people-powered movement."

Much of Moulitsas's speech was aimed at disputing the notion -- prevalent among many political professionals of both partisan inclinations -- that the so-called "netroots" has never actually helped a candidate win a race. He ticked off a variety of "victories," from the election of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean as chairman of the Democratic National Committee to Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett's (D) near-miss special election race in Ohio's "blood red" 2nd District.

He also noted state Sen. Jon Tester win this week in the Montana Democratic Senate primary. (The mention of Tester, who moves on to face Republican Sen. Conrad Burns in the general election, drew perhaps the loudest applause of the night for Moulitsas.)

Sticking with the Senate topic, Moulitsas predicted that netroots favorite Ned Lamont would oust Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D) in Connecticut's Aug. 8 primary.

"Lieberman is going to lose this one," said Moulitsas, citing a recent Quinnipiac University poll that showed Lamont closing the gap against the incumbent.

Stay tuned to The Fix for more updates from Yearly Kos...

By Chris Cillizza  |  June 9, 2006; 3:36 PM ET
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