Okay, as an old timer on this site(pre-Scoop, even pre-ratings), I remember the Primary Wars of 2003 and 2004 and they were almost as nasty as this seasons. There were comments (before Diaries existed) and diaries and comments (after diaries were introduced) stating that if Candidate X wins the primary that person could not vote for him in the General.
We are seeing this phenomenon all over again. If I thought it was actually worthwhile I would spend countless hours trying to find someone who said during the primary that they couldn't vote for Kerry but in the summer of 2004 were in fact writing comments/diaries praising Kerry. I promise you there must be an example somewhere.
The simple truth is that primaries are emotional times and people out of anger, frustration and yes even joy will say some pretty irrational things that will set other candidates supporters off. Its natural. But ultimately primaries are about political parties. To quote Bill Clinton, "fall in love, then fall in line."
If you refuse to fall in line you CANNOT call yourself a member of the Democratic Party its that simple.
Primaries are a time for members of political parties to choose who they want to nominate for office. We are blessed this year with a bunch of great candidates all of whom would make fine President.
Personally, I support Hillary Clinton because I think she's the best person for the job. At one point I supported Edwards because I still believed in the power of the message of Two Americas. At another point I flirted with the idea of Richardson as President because as a Mexican-American I was excited about the idea of a Latino candidate, especially one with a terrific work record. At another time I was, like many here, inspired by the potential paradigm shift that Obama could bring to our national politics. And finally, at the outset I was VERY pro-Biden because of his major foreign policy credentials and because he was the only person running who had a realistic plan to solve the mess in Iraq.
Up until sometime in August of this year, the candidate that I supported changed almost every week, until I finally settled on HRC. I will vote for her in the Texas primary as will my whole family and I really hope she wins the primary; BUT, if she doesn't I WILL SUPPORT THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE.
Why? Because I believe that the Democratic party as a whole represents my belief that a society should provide equality of opportunity to all its citizens, regardless of their background. I believe that the quality of a country is best discerned from how it treats the least of its residents. I also know that the vast majority of Republican Party principles are anathema to the way I want my country run.
Look, if you refuse to vote for a Democratic candidate because you don't like them or genuinely believe that they would be harmful to the country I've got one thing to say to you: DON'T VOTE FOR THEM. But if that's what you believe you are not a Democrat so don't call yourself one. You are instead a member of a personality cult of your own creation, that the candidate whom you support would never support. We don't need you and probably you were never on our side anyway...
My rant is done. Happy Holidays Everyone!