You know, like what Republicans want to do, only we can do it better!


[hr][font color="blue"][center]A ton of bricks, a ton of feathers, it's still gonna hurt.[/center][/font][hr]

I think we can count on the Republican Nominee to give 90% of the people here more than enough motivation to do that.

95% if it's Trump.

Bryant

just plain scary

We cannot criticize any Democratic candidate even if we are supporters without being banned. I like our candidates and they are not evil

that turns my stomach.. and only hurts us all in the end..

It isn't the people on DU who will decide the elections. It is millions of people who don't really devote much attention to politics until the next presidential election comes along. If they are excited and motivated they wil blow off voting and hand the White House to the Republicans..

I have lots to criticize Bernie over.. but hell he has my 100% support if he gets the nod.. smearing a candidate including Clinton, and O'Malley and Sanders outside of honest criticism does nothing but weaken us all in the end..

And I really don't give a shot what you think about that

any day of the week..

Taking a stand on principal is noble, but it's also ridiculous and transparent poking of the finger into the eye of others, just because you can.

Family fights are what the primaries are for. We NEED to hash this out now, test our candidates NOW, and vet them for weaknesses NOW. After the primary it’ll be too damn late! Granted, people can take some hard hits in here, but national politics is a full contact sport. If it's not in someone's nature to engage in this online battle, there's no shame in taking a back seat. Hang out in the Lounge, or
go phone bank for your candidate. This will all be history in a short enough period of time.

Roughing it out on policy is one thing.. ugliness for the pure fun of ugliness is another

but these are critical issues. Some of them are life and death issues. If people aren't getting angry, then they aren't paying attention.

This place is full of babies, myself included from time to time.
When it comes down to November I think we'll all come to our senses.
Until then though, feel the Bern motherfuckers!

I have to say that in my opinion "safe places" and the "ignore" function have the opposite the intended effect.

I think they actually promote incivility and discord.

One can be vicious, unkind, mean, etc. with impunity because one can always retreat to a restricted 'safe place' group or ignore those who challenge you.

I've never put anyone on 'ignore' ... if I can't take it, then I just ought not be here.

is the Democratic nominee, that is who you would want to have as President of the United States of America?

I'm not being ridiculous; that is the statement you made. "Who ever gets the nod for the Democratic party.. needs to be supported..." You did not qualify that in any way, did not indicate that a Democratic nominee could in any way be disqualified to serve.

I do not buy the "any Democrat" argument. Partisan politics is destroying us.

When Republicans engage in slash and burn, Democrats are outraged, but how is this sort of thing any different? We will elect anyone as long as they are a Democrat. It doesn't matter what they say, who they are, or what they have done. Some of them are essentially Republicans; Democrats in name only. Some are richer than the Koch brothers, and some are worse warmongers than Cheney. But if they have a "D" after their names we will vote for them.

Partisan politics is the politics of making sure that no voter ever thinks for himself; that no voter ever pays any attention to what legislators are actually doing, as opposed to what they are saying; that the priveledged elite maintain total control of governance of this nation.

I did not allow my parents to tell me how to vote. I do not allow my wife to tell me how to vote. And I sure as hell do not let a political party tell me how to vote.

How is it any different for Democrats? Other than the perspective view, it isn't. Posts like the OP are exactly why the Democratic party has hit an all time low of 29% even when including people like me that have returned to the Democratic party to vote in the New York primary.

In the general election I will vote for the most liberal candidate regardless of party, others can and will do as they wish, just don't expect any changes if you vote for a status quo candidate of either party.

I predict if some how Hillary does win the primaries she will then lose the general and the Democratic party will most likely shrink to a smaller size than the Republican party. The exodus from the party would be massive.

Democrats need to quit acting like they control a majority of the electorate, it should be obvious they don't even if the reason isn't.

Bernie isn't a Democrat. I have a problem with that.

Bernie in the New York primary?

Don't let it bother you I didn't register as a Democrat because Bernie was a Democrat, I registered as a Democrat to vote for the liberal candidate in the primary. Don't you think we have had enough of right center Presidents?

Oh, and don't worry about me being a Democrat for long, I will change back to unaffiliated as soon as possible... maybe. Dino takes on a whole new meaning when you consider some like me are coming from the left. I might start to like it.

Our political system is essentially a two party system. The Republican Party's platform is based primarily on a pro-business and unfettered capitalism. The Democratic Party was and still is based on pro-labor policies. However, there are some candidates that attempt to walk a fine line to get nominated and win in both parties depending on the constituency of their district. The Republican Party has moved dramatically to ultra-conservatism from its stance during the Eisenhower era. To not realize the significant differences is unrealistic. No one is telling you how to vote. So, chose. I will base my vote on which party best serves and protects my interest and future.

If it becomes bastardized by self-serving individuals through manipulation and cheating then I will know that the party doesn't give a shit about democracy, and it will receive from me the diligence it deserves.

much less so about about the other

The petty bickering and chest-thumping that goes on here has no impact on politics in the real world.

Do you?

However to pretend no issues exist are another matter.

100%

Thank you.

I am a Hillary supporter, but like many will vote for Bernie if he gets the nomination. I can't help but wonder if the BernieBots who say they will not vote for Hillary if she gets the nomination, are really just repubs who want to help out their sick party. Besides, Bernie doesn't belong to the Democratic Party. I wish he did.

I'd welcome Bernie himself into the Democratic Party -- if he repulsed the kind of kind of conservative extremists and anti-Democratic followers who attack us. We really, really don't need them, and Bernie could still move the national dialogue left as an independent.

The whole purpose of primaries -- besides choosing the party's nominee -- is to thoroughly vet said
candidates; which includes anticipating what the OTHER party is going to throw at the nominee, and
airing that BEFORE it's too late in the GE, BEFORE any damage is done to the Party or the nation by
putting forth a nominee who's unelectable.

To insist on muzzling a 'front-runner's' opponents with insinuations that airing their dirty laundry is
somehow "disloyal" to the party, is patently ridiculous, tantamount to suggesting we either do away
with primaries altogether OR reduce them to a staged 'Punch & Judy' puppet show to sham voters
into thinking their vote still means anything at all.

Who I vote for in the GE is my business, and I refuse to take any ironclad Loyalty Oath, both on principle;
and because I have no idea what the GE is going to look like at this point.

I'm stealing that "little hairy rat's ass" ... it has so many fitting occasions...it's not swearing...and it's much more descriptive.

Thanks.

There are many here who were never Democrats and have no intention of voting for anyone other than their nominee in the GE. They just don't want to get tombstoned so they don't mention it.

and people will fall in line. That mindset has led politicians to believe they can do whatever they want and people will fall in line.

Defending the indefensible will turn people away from the Democratic party.

We should learn from history. Democrats will vote when they believe in who they are voting for.

...to that!

... It usually means "stop criticizing MY candidate... ".

The vast majority of folks who identify as Dems will vote for the nominee... But more people identify as Indepdendent than identify as either Dem or Repub. So the question is who appeals to THAT group is highly relevant, and yes, we need to hash out any possible problems that Dem candidates may have IN THE PRIMARIES so they aren't fresh and new in the Fall.

But one particular group on this site feels the need to shelter their candidate from any real criticism of their policies... they seem to feel their candidate might be undermined with real critical examination, and besides which, it is THEIR TURN.

I say screw that.

In 2000, we got Bush II, and 8 years of misery. Did Bush II result in a progressive/liberal utopia? Did the masses finally reject right wing policies? No.

I don't vote for anybody that works against my best interest, even if they have a (D) after their name.

vote. Would you prefer to have a Republican president to do our nation in? They are just going
to do that, you know. A Third-Way Dem. would only maintain the status quo -- which is already
bad enough.

We must vet our candidates during or even before the

primaries. It is the most essential part of our democracy.

After the nomination we cannot do it.

Most importantly: DU voters are a small fraction, a very,
very small fraction of voters. You seem to take an
anonymous "voter" group here way too seriously.

what a bunch of babies.