I've been hearing about partisans for various Presidential candidates getting into flame wars here on Daily Kos, acting uncivil, and so on. But hadn't experienced it myself before last night. When I was called an asshole and accused of "Gore-bashing" on behalf of Obama. (Who is apparently, according to this poster, an unspeakably horrible human being.)
One of said candidates, Sen. Joe Biden, appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher last Friday night. The host tried to goad him into some partisan statement about another candidate, or maybe about the recent Hillary-Obama dust-up. Maybe he was being interviewed about Iraq, and was being pushed about differences between the candidates. Biden had the perfect answer:
"Every single one of the Democratic candidates is immeasurably better than what we have in the White House now."
Do I agree with Biden on 100% of issues? Hell, I don't even know what he thinks about many of them. No idea how he voted on anything. But he's 100% right. Please repeat after me:
Every single one of the Democratic candidates is immeasurably better than what we have in the White House now.
As for myself, I'm uncommitted. I think it's just plain too soon to be taking sides for primaries that are nearly a year away. There's some candidates who I maybe like a little more than others. I can see good points and bad points to each one. I'm open to having my mind changed about any of them. I'm not wild about being cussed out because someone imagines that I'm saying what I have to say because I'm (clandestinely?) working for some candidate or other. Why? Say it again:
Every single one of the Democratic candidates is immeasurably better than what we have in the White House now.
My sincere wish for every Kos user, when posting about their favorite candidate, is to remember to think, and even to say in their diary:
Every single one of the Democratic candidates is immeasurably better than what we have in the White House now.
My sincere wish for every 2008 Democratic Presidential contender (& their various and sundry surrogates), when confronted by a pundit or reporter who's trying to provoke some "catfight" for sensationalistic info-tainment purposes, is that they remember to say:
Every single one of the Democratic candidates is immeasurably better than what we have in the White House now.
I can't remember what Biden was being interviewed about that day. Who knows what message he was trying to deliver? But I thank him from the bottom of my heart for what he did say - something which should resound and echo until it becomes indelibly associated with every Democrat:
Every single one of the Democratic candidates is immeasurably better than what we have in the White House now.
All of us need to remember this. Please please please. Please let's not get so vitriolic in our partisanship that we ever forget the following:
Every single one of the Democratic candidates is immeasurably better than what we have in the White House now.
Because, no matter what, Biden is absolutely right. I'll be glad if I never hear another candidate (or surrogate) say "No more squabbling. Those other people are doing it, but I'm better than that." What Biden said the other day is the right answer to all such questions. It should become an oft-repeated message that's strongly identified with all the Dems, across the board:
Every single one of the Democratic candidates is immeasurably better than what we have in the White House now.
Way to go, Joe!