This is a response to Senator John Kerry's diary about swiftboating, in which he renews his vow to stand against the Republican smears, and reminds us that it's not necessary for a candidate to have been chosen for smears to rise and float around.
His call to action is a positive step forward for the Democratic party, many of whom stood aside as the right viciously attacked Gore and then Kerry. The Senator is right in that we can't stand aside, that we must fight against the Party of Fears and Smears (a great line from Kerry's diary).
But that's not enough. Republicans are not our only enemies in this regard.
We have Senator Harry Reid happily spewing the "conventional wisdom" regurgitated from the White House about FISA, threatening Dodd and his allies against a filibuster, actually FORCING them to filibuster, a stark contrast to how he's treated his Republican colleagues.
Not a day goes by on DailyKos when smears against Obama, Clinton and Edwards are not written. Some of them make the Recommended list or Front Page, but luckily that is a rarity, and we can usually count on fair-minded kossacks to dismiss and debunk these hatchet jobs.
Our Top Three Presidential candidates are going to each other's throats, either via surrogates like staffers and surrogates or outright themselves during debates or stump speeches (and I don't care who does that more often or most often or least often; ONE SINGLE TIME is too much, is too often).
While we must certainly parry the Republican's attacks and lies, we also must realize that we have enemies within, who whether by greed, ignorance or sheer self-interest are attempting to cut the legs from under the party, its candidates and its ideals.
One of our foremost goals should not be to ignore these attacks or dismiss them as "It's primary season, it'll be over soon." None of our candidates are above reproach, nor should we give them free passes on smears, lies, or petty attacks simply because we favor them.
We must demand that our party (our ENTIRE PARTY) stand above such things and get back to their commitment to their constituents and their country.
We can't allow actions like Reid's to go unchecked. Our party cannot allow Reid's reckless actions in regards to FISA stand unchallenged.
We can't allow our presidential candidates to resort to smears, to petty attacks. We must hold them to loftier ideals than that.
We can't allow the members of this site to be so enamored of a candidate that the ends justify the means, that smears are acceptable as long as it benefits their candidate of choice.
We must rise above ALL of it, ALL of the lies, ALL of the smears, ALL of the petty bickering bullshit that is pervading our site and our party.
Fighting the Republican machine is not enough, Senator Kerry, fellow kossacks and fellow Democrats..
Not nearly enough.