Boards are suffering. Here's a fix

There are a number of long-time DU'ers who won't even visit GD any more, primarily due to the candidate bashing flame wars that ensue here on a daily basis. There are even a few who (gasp! Dare I say it?) are spending time at other forums entirely in an effort to avoid it. There's a simple solution and I'm surprised it hasn't been suggested before, at least I haven't seen it.

Make a new board, and do not allow candidate discussion on GD until the primaries are over. Call it "Candidates" or Dem Wars" or even "Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here", it doesn't matter. Get this garbage out of GD.

This was deemed necessary for I/P issues and I believe that the flame wars about whose candidate is better are far more numerous than those threads ever were. Furthermore THEY ARE HARMFUL TO US ALL. Something clearly must be done and it is also obvious that passions run too hot amongst us posters to police ourselves.

How bout it gang?

The level of posting quality improved dramatically while it was in force and fell like a rock when the temp rules were removed.



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Let them go to other boards. This is a discussion board...sometimes discussion becomes heated. If all we do is put forth a lot of Polly Anna, magnanimous backslapping what is achieved? I for one like the "flame wars" as you call them. They can sometimes be quite informative....both positive and negative.....and I fail to see how that is harmful. The fact is, is that we are going into the primary. Candidates are candidates....some like them and some don't....I want to know why a fellow Democrat does not like a Democratic candidate. Don't you?

RC

However the general tone in here has degenerated to the level of a barely non-violent riot. If we could discuss the candidates pros and cons in anything resembling a rational way I'd agree with you. That doesn't seem to be the case unfortunately and I firmly believe that the anger is driving people out of GD.

But at the same time there is a line between what is helpful and just destructive. I think what we all want in the end is the best man or woman to run for us that can and a little bit of flame here or there help out. The only problem is that there is a level of honesty that is required for a useful debate, and often the zealots stoop to out right lies to tear down the candidates that they see as a threat. Seriou8sly, Clark isn’t a war criminal, Kerry isn’t a deserter, and Dean isn’t a republican, etc… Even Holy Joe doesn’t really deserve all the shit he gets here, say what you want about the guy, but he is a straight shooter and he sticks by what he believes even when it isn’t popular. I say we should debate, argue and bicker all we want about our candidates, but we need to remember that honesty and critical thinking are the only thing that separates us from the freepers.

No mention of a candidate's name in any shape or form in GD. As far as I'm concerned, politics & campaigns is for politics & campaigns. Leave the primaries in there and let GD be about the issues.

Ido not need the G D pain!!!!

And that's what stinks about it. There is a NEED for a "General Discussion" about the issues which all Democrats feel strongly about. This is supposed to be the place it occurs but to some extent it doesn't. It's been overtaken with posts about how Clark is a war-mongering nitwit who tried to start world war 3, or how Kerry is a #$&^%* because he voted for the resolution to let Bush act in Iraq, or even how Dean isn't really a liberal he just plays one on TV. Enough already. Let's move this crap to a forum of it own.

has a candidates name in it. I am an undecided voter. But I will get information somewhere else. There is a discussion board here called politics/campaigns, I was thinking that would be a place for this.

to be in Politics & Campaigns. I'm also in favor of rules for GD and Politics much like the temporary rules that were tested.

Remove everything that is important and relevant concerning politics and world affairs and stow it all in a place where it won't provoke or offend and then we can all discuss Laci or Kobe in civil tones.


Happy?

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NYer99
DU Moderator