Matt Bai

I highly recommend that everyone read these first two links.

• Over at Open Left, 21st Century Democrats has an excellent post describing the drop off in turnout between the Presidential contest and down ballot races in key states. This is an excellent argument as to why Obama can't do this alone. He needs outside groups complimenting his ground game and promoting those down ballot races.
• In a preview from this Sunday's New York Times Magazine, Matt Bai analyzes the generational rift between new black politicians like Obama and Newark Mayor Cory Booker, and the old guard civil rights leaders like John Lewis and James Clyburn. The piece also touches on the rift at the institutional level between the NAACP and new players like Color of Change. It's a must read for those trying to get a handle on the new political landscape.
• CQ Politics has a lengthy and fascinating (if geeky) look at why 2008 is a particularly difficult year for pollsters.
• Of late Rock the Vote is championing veterans' voting rights. Heather Smith blogs about their latest campaign at the Huffington Post.
• Conservative Young America's Foundation still won't let reps from Campus Progress attend their conference (despite CP gladly admitting YAF alumns). Read the drama here.
• Confusing reports on the attitude of teenagers (13 - 19) on the direction of the country from a survey out of Medill.
• New Majority, a group out of Virginia, is planning on targeting local youth and Latinos.
• In Kentucky, Democrats are increasing their share of the electorate, thanks mainly to an influx of young voters.

Matt Bai's new book, The Argument: Bloggers, Billionaires, and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics hit the shelves this week. The buzz about this book has been pretty heavy, as Bai is known for writing some of the better political pieces in the New York Times Magazine in recent years, and he's been something of a fixture in the new progressive movement, appearing at Yearly Kos (both years) and tagging along at Drinking Liberally's and other events.

Over at AlterNet, Don Hazen rips the book to shreds, basically calling Bai a shill for Clintonism and the DC insider class in opposition to which the blogosphere and broader netroots have arisen. This is the book people are going to be talking about for the next few months, and even Hazen admits that it provides valuable history on the last 4 years in Democratic politics (particularly Dean's 50 State Strategy and the rise of the Democracy Alliance).

My copy is in the mail. I'll be looking forward to seeing if Hazen's review holds up.