A note to the author and all the idiots who recommended the McCarthyistic, RedState-style, Freeper-like diary that has been sitting atop the rec list this evening: Grow up, you hand-wringing bedwetters.
Welcome to primary season on Daily Kos.
I want to first note the hilarious irony of posting such an authoritarian floater simultaneous to kos' front page post containing this quote:
Conservatives do love to be told what to say. Saves them the hassle of having to think for themselves.
Funny, no? And all you idiots who recommended that diary should be embarrassed.
A little history for the ignoramuses who cheerleaded that garbage...
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In `03-`04, the battling here was fierce. Brutal, even. On a daily basis. Dean supporters were vowing they'd never vote for Kerry. Anti-Dean forces -- including the assholes at the DLC like Evan Bayh, Al From and Bruce Reed -- were claiming that "Deaniacs" weren't real Democrats and that Dean would take his followers and run third party if he lost the nomination, ruining the Democrats' chances of ousting Bush.
But guess what?
Dean supporters became some of the hardest workers for Kerry, even after many had written things like, "I won't vote if Kerry is the candidate."
I had a Hillary backer who was here in `03-`04 tell me this evening that this year is worse. But I think that Hill backer has a foggy memory. It was far worse the last go `round. The Hillary backers just think it's worse now because their chosen candidate is getting pounded every day. Welcome to life as an establishment frontrunner. How insecure are some of you, anyway?
See, the sparring, arguing, troll-rating, bashing, promoting, etc. serves a purpose: it excites partisans and gets them involved in the process.
The excitement (and, yes, negativity) of the primary process gets people ready for the general. Do you know how many Dean supporters went to Iowa and New Hampshire during primary season and got involved in politics because of this site? And how many of those same people despised Kerry during primary season? And how many of them traveled to swing states and busted their asses to get him elected?
Thousands. And that is no exaggeration.
Diaries like the one in question completely miss the point of what this place is all about. Of course, it's about electing Democrats.
But a rigorous presidential primary process -- that, for better or worse, involves a ton of ugliness -- is part of the process of electing Democrats.
Accept the energy people are feeling for their candidates and accept the rancor for those candidates who may stand in the way. That's how the process works.
Folks here will belittle, smear, attack, denigrate and otherwise try take down candidates they don't like. No, it's not always okay, but it's primary season.
And people will write things like, "I won't vote for Hillary, that triangulating, war-mongering, DLC asshole," and they'll mean it.
At the time.
But if that triangulating, war-mongering DLC asshole manages to get the nod, I suspect most folks here will suck it up and work for her to get elected over whatever jackass the Republicans prop up. At the very least, most people here will vote for her.
Just like the Dean supporters did for Kerry in `04.
There is great value in a rigorous presidential primary. The calling out of folks at this point is premature. People will continue to rip candidates they don't support. Get used to it. But, in the end, they will work hard to win one for the good guys. Just quit demanding that they take a loyalty oath in the heat of battle.
Celebrate the energy and enthusiasm of politically involved Democrats. You're witnessing an army of activists who will work to end Republican rule... no matter what they write during primary season.