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Lots of discussion today around the progressive blogosphere on Mark Schimtt's post "Beyond Checklist Liberalism".

The kids at Kos like the part about how "Lamont supporters actually aren’t ideologues." So much so, in fact, that King Kos himself decided to weigh in.

Kevin Drum, on the other hand, is more focused on the Lieberman-Lamont aspect of it.

CrookedTimber - with a second from Kevin Drum - is paying particular attention to what it means about the future of bipartisanship.

And Atrios takes a look at what it means for from a policy perspective.

In their own way they've each covered a portion of what I would have said had I gotten to the post first. Nevertheless, one quick thought....

Nothing could be better for the fate of both the Democratic Party and our republic as a whole than the death of checklist liberalism. Nothing. No matter what some consultants might tell you, a collection of interests doesn't make a party. A common vision of the world does. And for far too long the Democratic party establishment has failed to understand the distinction.

It is your beliefs that should define your policies, not your policies that should define your beliefs. Working backwards from policies to principles creates an incoherent mess, one that will be neither understandable nor inspiration. Work forwards from your principles to your policies, however, and you have something that's worth the fight.