If last week was defined by Katie Merrill catapulting a primary campaign against Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, this was the week that Tauscher tried in vain to distance herself from Joe Lieberman.

The following is how the week developed, you can sign up to get this delivered by email at the Ellen Tauscher Weekly.

It was a tragedy that I couldn't attend BlogHer. The conference took place a 40 minute drive away (San Jose), and I knew some people who were going. Unfortunately, I don't drive, and I just can't afford the transportation and hotel costs right now. I had thus reconciled myself to the fact BlogHer was out of my reach, and I planned to spend the weekend twiddling with Breakingranks.net and catching up on Jamal Dajani's Middle East Intelligence Report.

The Democratic Party caucuses held on Saturday in hundreds of communities around Massachusetts may well have been a tipping point in the history of state politics. At the very least -- they were a shock to the system.

The campaign of insurgent Deval Patrick is building a formidable campaign organization. Old Guard candidate, Attorney General Tom Reilly seems to believe organizing is unecessary. Such things are for "liberal activists," he says. That's a remarkable view from someone who seeks to lead a party that has not won a gubernatorial election since 1986.  It's especially remarkable coming from a candiate who news reports suggest lost the party caucuses by nearly 2-1.

Reilly epitomizes an imperious and money-driven approach to politics that is riding a long arc into the dustbin of history. The Deval Patrick campaign is shortening that arc in Massachusetts.

We here in the northeast US are getting whacked with a seasonal winter storm today. It'll be done by tonight, thank goodness, because tomorrow is BlogLeft Massachusetts, the blogger conference, or meet, or gathering, I'm not sure what to call it.

I expect it'll be both a modest meeting and also a powerful one. Sure, it's small, with about 30 people attending; but most of the liberal Massachusetts blogging community will be represented, including lots of people who are traveling out from the west of the state (I hope the roads are cleared on time!). At last count, four state candidates will stop by to meet and greet. We'll talk and brainstorm and hopefully come up with some innovative ways to use blogging to forward the progressive agenda.

The conference will be live blogged by some great bloggers tomorrow HERE at Political Cortex, so check it out!

As hard as it is to create a buzz about an event on Thanksgiving week, I'm trying to do just that.

Myself and other enterprising bloggers in Massachusetts are putting together a blog conference on December 10th, 2005, the first of its kind here in our state. All those interested in blogging and its future in MA are invited to attend this forum in Worcester, where we will meet from 10:30 until 4pm. It is my hope that this is the first in a long line of get-togethers where we can strengthen our blogging community.

We all know that blogging has had a significant impact on political climate, legislative action, and government accountability, particularly over the last two years.

The Cortex, a "citizen's think tank," provides an opportunity for bloggers and non-bloggers alike to check in, browse, read, offer opinions and research, receive feedback (in the editing and voting queues), comment, provide suggestions, and enter the portals of political discussions that they might otherwise avoid.

But we're also interested in WHY people blog.

The progressive blogosphere is a liberal community offering lots of choices for community participation.  Unlike most sites that align themselves with the Bush Administration or the right side of the aisle, progressive bloggers generally lean strongly toward community-based interaction, democratic discussions, and free-flow of ideas, whether or not posters agree on a specific issue, policy, candidate, or strategy.

[It's Friday and a holiday: kick back and follow me after the jump.]

Kickin' Ass in Massachusetts is the title of a major political gathering on the campus of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, this weekend, Nov.12-13th. The event, sponsored by the UMASS College Democrats, will focus on the economy, health care, public education, the environment -- and the politics of the 2006 elections in the Commonwealth.