You're right on how we need to act, but I don't think we should assume that we only won because this was a wave.  It's true that people were stirred up, but there are ways of getting people excited without setting their hair afire.  People need to feel that it will make a difference.  If the Democratic Party seems responsive to what matters to them, if they feel their vote matters, that there are important things to do, and they have a way to be heard.  The biggest thing that has to happen is that Democratic representatives have to respond to their constituencies.

Before the Iraq War, my sister was in a tiny delegation of anti-war activists who, after much effort, got to speak to then Senator Edwards.  He was polite but it was if he didn't even hear them.  I love Edwards, and I think he would never do that again, but in the future, whatever the issue, if constituents pay a visit, our Democratic members of Congress must, at the very least, ask citizen groups who have gone to the effort to speak up, to give them supporting information, have their staff read it, and give a reasonable and thoughtful response to it.  Otherwise, it has a Stepford Wife feel, as if someone already owns their soul.  That's why people don't vote.  Learned Helplessness.  But it looks like people just unlearned their helplessness, maybe for more than just one election.