At the end of the 2004 campaign, where I was DFA's deputy national press secretary, I did a commentary for Vermont Public Radio that I’m impressed to say still holds up well today:

“Much has been written over the past few weeks about the premature collapse of the Dean campaign…. The campaign obituaries have focused on infighting, control over the campaign checkbook and that wonderfully ambiguous phrase, ‘messaging problems.’ But those stories miss one of the most fundamental aspects of the Dean story: the hope and political empowerment that he gave to so many previously tuned-out Americans.

“It turns out, that much as Dr. Seuss’s Grinch discovered that he couldn't stop Christmas by taking away the presents and the trees, we’ve discovered that our campaign is continuing without the candidate. And thus the campaign's greatest lasting impact might just be the fresh faces that it brings to politics at a local level….

“In my work on the campaign, and my travels and conversations with Dean supporters over the last nine months, I have always been struck by how personally affected they were by the campaign. Their belief in the power of participation has encouraged me to stay involved in politics past the end of this campaign as well.

“Last Sunday, I met John Sykes, one of the four original founders of the Dean online community, for lunch near his home in New Hampshire. We talked about the campaign, and he explained that despite his frustrations and disappointments, he was going to stay involved in politics and community service. As we stood up to go, he paused. 'You know, it may have been just a campaign slogan, but I always felt that I really did have the power,' he said.

“All across the country, people are saying the same thing: Howard Dean was right: The power to change America really didn't rest with him—it's been ours for the taking all along.”