Ah, the joys of the pre-Primary Wars...

A full six months before a Primary or a Caucus, and what do we do?...the same things that we complain about the R's doing, trashing candidates, rather than talking up the good points of each candidate, i is easier to just make things up as we go along to try and tear down another's choice. Makes me wonder just how petty some of us are.

What do I see...let's take a gander;

Hillary is a Republican, a GOP plant.

Obama is is subverting Hillary.

Kucinich is a rat faced dreamer.

Edwards is a prissy little boy that uses his wife's illness to get sympathy.

Are we really this bad? Are we really this petty?

If we should feel the need to attack a candidate, attack a Republican, they are fairer game than our own. Besides, no one is going to change anyone's mind by attacking another's choice...We shold have figured this out long ago.

How about a truce?

Talk up your candidate's good points, leave the trashing to the R's. Try to bring people around by highlighting where your choice stands on issues of importance...discussion is far better than tossing grenades.

Each time someone posts something negative about another's candidate, they should simply be ignored, we feed the fire each time we resort to answering some ridiculous attack. Most of what I read when a few are in attack mode, are absurd connotations that only make the poster look as if they cannot garner support for their own choice, so they just lash out at anyone they can. Not good behavior to be sure.

Look, we are all adults, at least I hope we are, and we should be able to discuss things maturely. People who are tossing grenades in threads should just plain knock it off. You will not change one person's mind w/such behavior, in fact, you damage your own credibility.

Anything can happen overt the next 6 months...candidates could drop out, they could get ill, one or two might die, (although I hope none of the things happen). Why waste time on spurious attacks? Talk up your choice, and others who read the thread, ad remarks that oppose or extrapolate, but leave out the vile remarks, leave out the baseless attacks, base your arguments on facts, not on how much you feel you can trash another's POV.

Politics can be messy, but let me express my side here, we should be using the time to build, not tear down. Do we want another absurdly divisive election cycle because our egos might get bruised, or do we want to try to come to a consensus that we had better put up a damn good candidate that we can understand and support. Who that is, is yet to be known, but we'll never find out where people stand if this infighting continues.

They are more swiftboaters than the republicans. I like Edwards, but it seems like I spend more time defending Hillary from the Obamaites. Every other post they make they find something else to bash her about.

:spank:

There are a few in virtually every group of supporters that are over-the-top in their criticism of other candidates. An objective look at 'trash posts' will show a couple of Hillary supporters at the top of the list.

That doesn't excuse the bad behavior of other candidate's supporters, but it does expose the hypocrisy of many who choose to engage in childish finger-pointing.

there is anyone will listen.

I suspect they demand credibility as well...:eyes:

:)

:D

:hug:

My first on DU. I hope we all get through it in one piece. :hug:

thing is, many people haven't a clue as to how the country works or any knowledge of basic Civics, much less the machinations of politics. Emotional responses to stimuli drive many people into the political spectrum, there is nothing wrong with this , but emotional responses need to be tempered w/basic knowledge.

Sadly, many people will decide their views merely what they hear on the thinnest of evidence...Reagan and bush supporters showed how this is the primary drive of voters. The superfluous garbage takes precedence over substance...bush failed at everything he had ever attempted, yet he was perceived by some as "a great leader and uniter", nothing could be further from the truth...he is a walking disaster, and we all should learn from that.

Don't buy the package, look inside first, make an honest decision, the nation will be better off for the time taken...:)

both GD and GD/P.

I very, very rarely go to GD/P anymore already.

I have no favorite yet and nothing that happens there helps at all! :scared:

I like to skim it to see what people think about strategy and tactics, though.

If the media would devote enough time to giving the candidates a chance to express their message, much of this would not happen.

As it is, the whole system is rigged and we have all this.

positions are murky because of a lack of substantial coverage; what I am more concerned about, is the almost incessant sniping within the ranks. There is no viable excuse for such behavior. Legitimate questions, and well thought out positions are what we need to make credible decsions. What is so galling, are the attacks of a personal nature, especially when they are not valid.

Do I really care if Edwards own a mansion? No Do I care what color dress Hillary is wearing? No Do I care if Obama has big ears? No

I care about real issues, I care about intelligent and meaningful discussion about the candidates.

The issues are subverted by spurious attacks that serve no purpose other than to enrage. We are made of better stuff than that.

BTW...I have no preference in any D candidate at this point. No one has stepped out to deal w/real issues yet that has caught my attention, another reason why all of this seems so surreal.

You will see some real issues.

where candidates say they stand...I fail to be impressed w/any of them at this point.

Time will tell...:)

We vote based on emotions and "morals" The dems need to choose candidates based on who's electable. That means we need to know the unflattering stories.

Simply sticking to the issues won't work.

:)

What do they know of the House JC's investigation into the DOJ? Nothing from the MSM--they know about it from me (and they trust me to know). Same with the Valerie Plame investigation.

They do care; they just don't know what's really going on.

You mad monk you!

I demand Joe Biden to be given an equal amount of insulting time. What about the hairplugs? What about the Senator Mastercard gibes?

In all seriousness, that was a great post. I agree with you 100%

It would be nice though.

:)

candidates they support. So any criticism of that candidate is immediately taken personally by the person who supports that candidate. We have cults of personality here, and to be frank, they are disturbing.

invariably, they merely rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic...:(

In fact, their supporters have tended to worry me in some cases.

The first two responses prove the need for your plea--and prove that it just isn't going to be possible within the framework of the very rational and fair rules at DU.

We will survive, though--I was there for 2004 and have the "Freeper" scars to prove it!

what credibility they have in the eyes of other DU'ers. So later, when they try to defend their views, no many take them seriously enough to really pay them much mind. They actually undermine their own positions...however, they never seem to grasp that simple truth.

I look at it as I do "flag burner"...once the flag is set afire, the protester has already lost his position by his act. No one will listen to him, even if it is the best idea in a century. Once you lose your credibility, it's all over.

They just drown in a sea of immature talking points.

I hope to never become so blindly devoted to anyone--much less a political candidate--that I can't see the forest for the tree (not even trees!).

"even a fool may seem wise, when he keeps his mouth closed".

That's not directed at anyone in particular, especially not you, but it just seems so...appropriate...:)

I have my favorite, yes. But I don't like the trivialization that goes on (and on! and on!) about ANY candidate's house, hair, Faux News-inspired tapes, husband/wife, etc. etc.

If someone has serious problems about a candidate on a genuine issue, that's one thing, and perfectly fine. But really people...who cares about how they live, dress, or cut their hair? It's getting silly to the point of moronic on some threads. I just quit reading them. I know they won't go away...some people actively enjoy them. I'm just sick of us eating our own over nonsense.

to dig up dirt on the final nominee.

All they will have to do - probably already are doing - is collect "pearls of wisdom" from DU.

except for the potential candidacy of Al Gore.

I have to say, the people who are all about one particular candidate or another often act like lower primates, flinging dung at each other.

They should just step back and think, would my candidate WANT me to act this way?

They get their jollies from trashing everyone else.

of candidate, will accept any kind of truce...so they should simply be ignored when in attack mode.

My bad...:(

What is your source for this allegation?

No salesman ever won my interest by running down the competition's product or staff. I need to be sold on the positives, always. It's clear from my avatar that I've been a Clark supporter in the past; for this cycle, I remain uncommitted to any candidate at this time. There's plenty of time to let the process work and figure out who I'm going to back in 2008. Meanwhile...

The Repubs are the "Enemy at the Gate", and we need to dismantle the rhetorical circular firing squad and point our wit and other verbal weaponry where they belong.

Kicked and Recommended.

:kick: :applause: