The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder is digging into an "after action" report from Catalist, the progressive data firm. You can read Marc's analysis of the report, the 42-page Aggregate Activities of Progressive Organizations in 2008, and Marc's mini case study on how the union organization SEIU used data to reach out to 4.5 million voters and help achieve its 2008 election goals. Catalist is quick to note in the report that it understands the difference between correlation and causation. They're not claiming responsibility for the '08 election results. But the raw numbers of contacts between progressive organizations and voters suggests that this last time around Democrats did do a better job reaching individual voters. John Kerry and Americans Coming Together, says the report, asked 8.5 million people about their presidential preferences in 2004. In 2008, the 90 or so member organizations belonging to Catalist completed 15.4 million -- nearly double -- presidential ID contacts.

Taken together, the reports and Ambinder's take make clear that understanding the Catalist story as one where Democrats finally get their act together risks missing its meaning and message. Even worse, it seems, is fixating on microtargeting. You know, this idea that has sprung up over the last handful of years that the Holy Grail of campaign data management is knowing your voting preferences based on the kinds of magazines you subscribe to and the model of the car you drive.

Instead, there's this critical aspect to the Catalist story of the progressive establishment actually trying to earn itself the name "establishment." Or to put it another way, they're attempting to create a commons...

I realize I'm inviting much ridicule from my friends on the left, but I'm going to write this post anyway, and I'm going to leave the title intact - Why Twitter Matters & The Left Should Be Nervous. It's no doubt going to generate some giggles among the online intelligentsia in the Democratic Party. That's ok with me.

I have, for several months now, seen a string of posts and tweets from these same lefty friends that are either mocking or dismissive of the Conservatives nascent efforts on Twitter. Here's one example courtesy of TechPresident's own Micah Sifry.

It's positively quaint to listen to Republicans murmur optimistically about their "dominance" on Twitter. #polc09, #tcot, #p2

The very first time I saw a comment like that, it reminded me immediately of comments I had seen and heard before. They were the openly dismissive comments directed by complacent and cocky Republicans at the Democrats efforts online.

I received an e-mail from the DNC today laying out plans for a new state-by-state strategy. It's not the same old 50-state plan, and should make the GOP cringe.

The Democrats plan to put videographers on the ground in every state. While the e-mail is focused on the possibilities for the top of the ticket, the real benefit could be found down ballot.