There's a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking going on as Democrats seek to find out why they won so big. The prevailing view seems to be that Democrats purposefully moved to the right, and ditched more progressive candidates in order to win.

I think there is some truth to that, but it's also clear that some of these candidates who won were your classic liberals.

Before Dems go off and start all trying to sound like moderates, I think it bears pointing out that what mattered most was honesty, not ideology. A progressive who is passionate about his or her stands on the issues, and honest about them, will beat those who try to change their views to appeal to the voters.

This has been the trap the Democrats have been stuck in for years, thanks to the DLC. People want honest politicians, not ones who just say what they think you want to hear. Elections are more about character than issues. Any candidate who tries to straddle the fence for votes will just end up getting tangled in barbed wire.

Forget the positioning. Just show who you are. That's what wins elections.