Amid the aftershock of Hillary Clinton's bizarre loss to the ugliest American values, we turn to the lessons of the 2008 election success. Eight years ago, hope fueled progressives with an energy not seen for generations, and the squandering of that energy offers insight into ways that the opportunity for success can be lost without populist momentum. INFUSED WITH ORGANIC ENERGY: In 2008, liberals and progressives, felt the power of "Yes, we can!" as much in the optimism of the "yes!" as in the unifying "we." Organized into an elegant, successful network, progressives eagerly stepped forward to shoulder the heavy lift of change. Progressives, Independents, and even Republicans distributed campaign buttons, blogged their hearts out, and gave passionate testimonials touting the audacity of Barack Obama, and how, by gum, by golly, we MUST put our backs to the wheel and make this man our president!