When losing is still winning

The Weblog awards are over. The polls are closed, the ballots counted and although it's not official until Monday, it's clear that The Impolitic came in a distant but very respectable third. It was a good finish considering we turned it around from dead last and came in with double the votes of the rest of the field.

It was more fun than I expected it to be and I'm happy to have gained a couple of more conservative friends out of the deal. Second place winner Bubblehead brought the fun to the table and inspired me to actively compete and Jack's Shack, who I still don't think is as progressive as he claims, nonetheless offered up thoughtful points that challenged my thinking in the comment section here. I hope he sticks around now that it's over.

Never having actually tried to win a contest before, I learned a lot from this one. I understand a little better what it feels like to be professional politician. The temptation to say yes, when your technogenius friend offers to stuff the ballot box for you. How righteous you feel when you say no. The surprisingly amount of time and energy it takes to campaign. But mostly I learned that Leftopia is pretty great place and I'm really proud to be a small part of it.

I want to offer a special thanks to those who endorsed me in the 11th hour push. My friend David at In Search of Utopia, the inimitable skippy the bush kangaroo, the irresistable Shakespeare's Sister and a new friend Grift Drift who came through like knight in shining armor with an unexpected plug.

Most of all, thanks to all of you for voting and more importantly for visting my little space here. Your support, your company and comments make me feel a winner every day.