I'm an Obama supporter. I used to support John Edwards. I lean to the left of the Party and consider myself a Progressive before I identify as a Democrat. The most important aspect of my political identity is my progressive sensibility. That's important for a number of reasons, but it applies directly to what we do here and at DKos and elsewhere. It's important to the election this year and to the general state of our Party and our nation.

Why?

The Democratic Party is just that, a party. It's a community of people who pool their ideas, resources, and values to elect a body of representatives capable of managing our government. It's a political body. What it isn't, and what it can never hope to be, is everything to everyone. That much is abundantly clear in the division that is taking place between supporters of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. We choose the direction of our party by nominating people within the party to run for office. When we do so, we are giving our approval to an agenda and a style of leadership that reflects us. It's imperative that this agenda and style of leadership works to uphold and honor the ideas, resources, and values that we've collectively determined.

Both major parties work along a continuum of ideas and values that put things in context. For a Democrat, certain ideas and values that make someone a centrist might look extremely liberal to a Republican. Some progressive ideas look Marxist to a Republican. It's a matter of perspective. As Democrats, be you centrist or progressive to use the most commonly attributed wings of the party identity, it's important to understand the vastly different ideas and values that we cherish in contrast to the Republicans. We may not always agree on the whole of these ideas and values, and we may not agree on the style of leadership that is best for each of us, but there is a general consensus about what separates us from the opposition.

To frame this in terms of the DailyKos/MyDD universe, we have clearly divided ourselves along the lines of 2008 presidential candidates. Great. That's a good way to get our ideas out there. It's also shown how bitter and nasty a family fight can become. There's nothing wrong with a little Hatfields and McCoys in the Democratic Party, as long as we all remember that we're Democrats. I know it's easy as an Obama supporter to take that position right now. I would like to think that I'd feel exactly the same way if Hillary were the nominee.

I think it's safe to say that most of us at these web-based communities are members of the NetRoots and are more often progressives than not. That said, MyDD especially intrigues me because the Clinton support seems to particularly draw on support from non-progressives. Perhaps it's the DLC affiliation that attracts some to Hillary, but I think it's probably more than that. Obama is the darling of the progressive community, although he embraces a mixed bag of progressive and centrist positions depending on the issue. I'm sure he has his fair share of support from non-progressives.

No Democrat can win without a coalition of Democratic voters from each of the main collectives within the Party. It would seem that the power is about to shift slightly away from the center, back toward the left, as the DLC sees itself at least temporarily out of control. Howard Dean and Barack Obama appear to be the new heads of the party and a more traditional set of left-Democratic ideas and values are coming to the forefront. I'm overjoyed to see this come to pass. I also hope that the diverse Democratic sensibility finds its representation in the new order of the Party to avoid an echo chamber that fails to respond to the complexity of our vast national landscape.

In the end, I'm asking anyone who will listen to accept and work hard for Barack Obama and the 50 State Strategy that Howard Dean has put into place. It's a package that can address the issues that face all of us. If you disagree with either of these people or the ideas that they subscribe to, use your voice to constructively debate. Use your voice to make sure that you're represented to the best of this Party's ability. None of us will agree with 100% of the positions or actions. That's why we all have to stay involved. The point is, we have a direction at the moment and if we give it the chance it deserves, it may just work to rescue the country from its ills. A party or a government is nothing more than a collection of people guided by the will of the electorate. If you don't love Obama or Dean, at least work with them. Get Obama elected and hold him to the things you care about. Don't let our family feud distract from the fact that this is still a family.

I'm curious. I'm posing this question to anyone who will read and comment here, "How do you describe your identity in terms of your place in the Democratic Party?" See the poll below, and expand on your choice in the comments.