Reply #28: You have more company than you realize [View All]

It's important that you do continue to praise Clinton and other Democratic moderates for their strong contributions. Moderates are the bridge to the majority of the population that is not registered Democrat, and so, hold the key to election success. Supporting a moderate DOES NOT mean abandoning deeper left views. It means yoking them to the larger cause of getting a candidate elected. If that candidate is elected, then there's an actual chance to see a more progressive agenda implemented. No election success, no chance.

Politics is the art of the possible; nothing is politically possible without bringing people together. Clinton was a master unifier, able to bind the party together and even to draw in more "Clinton Republicans" than most people here realize. Broad support = real power. Everything else is just pissin' in the wind.

Like you, I'm annoyed at the occasional vicious infighting I see here. With these verbal assassins, "tolerance" is something you extend only to people who hold the same opinion. There is no other word for them than disloyal. I'm not saying that we all can or will hold the same opinions; quite the contrary. We're strengthened by having a diversity of viewpoints, and a chance to probe them for their strengths and weaknesses through vigorous, but respectful, debate. Thankfully, I am convinced that these people who flame a fellow donk are a distinct minority. Let's keep it that way by expressing our own distaste for those who tear us apart from within. EVERYONE here deserves basic respect from fellow DUers, even if the only agreement that can be reached is to civilly disagree.