This inter-party fighting worries me to death

I've never seen anything like it in my thirty years of voting. It's way worse that the in-fighting in 1968. I am worried that if this continues, the coming year will signal the demise of the Democratic Party as we know it. We may not ever be able to recover from it. We don't need the Republicans to destroy us. It seems to me that we are perfectly capable of doing it ourselves.

We are here because we needed a place in this increasingly hostile country to be among like minded people, express our individual thoughts, grow with new ideas and many other reasons. Yes, it is ugly but this is the primary. We have the luxury of hashing it out now. Let the others come and look and report. We are exercising democracy, it is messy and difficult, not the sound bite election they want us to have. We will be a MONSTER when we have a candidate, our issues will have been taken care of. We will still fight some within but we will fight to eventually become tougher and ready for Bush* and that is going to make this look like childs play. We are just working out now, we will then be a lean, mean fighting machine. Perhaps I am just giddy today :shrug:

Democratic Party as I knew it died years ago.

Worse than '68? Not a chance. '72 was worse. '80 was much worse. And probably not as bad as '88. Frankly, '92 was rougher.

Let's look at '68.

1. First the Incumbant President faces a challenge within his own party over the war.
2. Then he bloody quits on national tv.
3. Then the flag-bearer for a would-be dynasty claims the anti-war as his own, throwing the original insurgent out of the race.
4. Then the new anti-war candidate is freaking murdered.
5. Then, Daley and Humphrey use all their clout to pull the Party back from the Anti-War crowd and hand the nomination to Humphrey.
6. Then, the Convention devolves into complete chaos. Daley sends his shock troops to beat the holy hell out of protestors. He cuts off microphones inside the hall. He threatens newscasters who report the truth. Do you realize that there was an attempt to end the convention and move it to a city not controlled by Mayor Daley?
7. Finally, the Dems send a bruised, battered, and hated Humphrey into battle with Nixon . . and Humphrey still nearly wins.

Here is who were fighting in '68:
1. Anti-War v. Pro-War
2. Old v. Young
3. Black v. White
4. Old Party v. New Party

Here who is fighting in '04:
1. Dean v. not Dean

Let's get a grip.

Thou shalt not attack another Democrat.

and I'm not worried.

Everyone will come together after the primaries, and the sniping here is not important because swing voters aren't reading these posts anyway.

People are brave here and talk shit because they know they can cower behind anonymity and a computer screen. A very different picture emerges in person, IMO. I haven't met a single supporter of another candidate (well, maybe one or two, depending on where you set the bar) who has been rude to me or my candidate, and they all express their desire to unite behind the eventual nominee to defeat Bush.

DTH